Let Us Make Man In Our Image

 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:26-27

The title of this Article is one that is used to indicate that God is a Plurality because the Word “..Us…” is employed in the first chapter of Genesis. If the above verse is interpreted saying "You see, because the word us is used,  God is a plural of three co-eternal, co-existing and co-equal Beings, and we have no need to doubt it” what has happened is that a pre-concieved idea of God is thrown into the picture, and the text is lead into a private interpretation. But if it is read prayerfully, carefully and thoroughly, what we get is the following…

1. God said “Let us make man in our image…
2. …after our likeness
3. …let them have dominion over…
4. God created man in his own image
5. …in the image of God created he him
6. God created male and female.

With the Bible and SOP as our Guide, let us examine what has been written in the first chapter of Genesis. 

The First Question to ask, in this context, is “Who is God”?.  If we can understand who the Bible proclaims "God" to be, we may go on to understanding who it was that said "...Let us make man in our image?".  It is written...

“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him…” 1Cor 8: 6

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" 1Tim 2:5

 ^"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."  James 2:19

Here we clearly see that there is one God.  The three text identifys God, who is "...the Father...".  It also shows us that Christ Jesus is the "...one mediator..." between "men (Plural)" and the Father is the "...one God...".  Laslty, James makes a prominent statement saying that there is "...one God."  He commends the reader that they "...doest well..." for believing that "...there is one God.", but he also adds that the "...devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19).  A relevant point here to highlight is that the devils believe there is one God and tremble.  Through this text we can see that if the devils know that there is "...one God..." their purpose is to destract, decieve and destroy, so their ideas in setting up a conterfiet God would serve their own malicious designs to distract the attention of men to see that there is the only true God, the Father (John 17:3).

Now the Big question is who was God talking to when he said “Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness? Without leaning on my own understanding, we may draw understanding from the lesser light that the Lord God has left for his remnant people. This is what the Spirit of Prophecy hath to say…

“After the earth with its teeming animal and vegetable life had been called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator, and the one for whom the beautiful earth had been fitted up, was brought upon the stage of action. To him was given dominion over all that his eye could behold; for "God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over . . . all the earth. . . . So God created man in His own image; . . . male and female created He them." Here is clearly set forth the origin of the human race; and the divine record is so plainly stated that there is no occasion for erroneous conclusions. God created man in His own image. Here is no mystery. There is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved by slow degrees of development from the lower forms of animal or vegetable life. Such teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man's narrow, earthly conceptions. Men are so intent upon excluding God from the sovereignty of the universe that they degrade man and defraud him of the dignity of his origin. He who set the starry worlds on high and tinted with delicate skill the flowers of the field, who filled the earth and the heavens with the wonders of His power, when He came to crown His glorious work, to place one in the midst to stand as ruler of the fair earth, did not fail to create a being worthy of the hand that gave him life. The genealogy of our race, as given by inspiration, traces back its origin, not to a line of developing germs, mollusks, and quadrupeds, but to the great Creator. Though formed from the dust, Adam was "the son of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p 44-45 (Emphasis Applied)

After the earth was created, and the beasts upon it, the Father and Son carried out their purpose, which was designed before the fall of Satan, to make man in their own image. They had wrought together in the creation of the earth and every living thing upon it. And now God says to his Son, "Let us make man in our image." As Adam came forth from the hand of his Creator, he was of noble height, and of beautiful symmetry. He was more than twice as tall as men now living upon the earth, and was well proportioned. His features were perfect and beautiful. His complexion was neither white, nor sallow, but ruddy, glowing with the rich tint of health. Eve was not quite as tall as Adam. Her head reached a little above his shoulders. She, too, was noble perfect in symmetry, and very beautiful. p. 24, Para. 2, 1 SOP. (Emphasis Applied)

“Satan was once an honored angel in heaven, next to Christ. His countenance, like those of the other angels, was mild and expressive of happiness. His forehead was high and broad, showing great intelligence. His form was perfect; his bearing noble and majestic. But when God said to His Son, "Let us make man in our image," Satan was jealous of Jesus. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man, and because he was not, he was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. He desired to receive the highest honors in heaven next to God.” Early Writings, p 145 (emphasis applied)

It is clear that when God spoke, he only spake to one other individual personage, his Son, The Christ.  The above quotations help us understand that when God, whom is the Father (1Cor 8:6) stated “Let us make man in our own image” he was indeed talking to his Son.  This shows that God the Father did not create anything without his Son.  In other words, Gods’s own dear Son was with him in the process of creation.  It is written…

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3, 14

 “God (The Father), who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:  Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”  Heb 1:1-4 (Emphasis Added)

 Why has man gone astray to speculate something that was not in Gods intention to reveal?  Why is it that as SDA the wool has been pulled over our eyes to think that there were three individual beings when God said “let us make man in our image”?  The answer is simple.  It is at the end of the quote given from Early writings that we might understand the reason for whats behind the scene in creating a delusion to trick God’s people in believing a lie that the Only ord God is a triune…

“…Satan was jealous of Jesus. He wished to be consulted concerning the formation of man, and because he was not, he was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. He desired to receive the highest honors in heaven next to God.” Early Writings, p 145 (emphasis applied)

The root of the confusion in stating that GOD is a plurality comes down to the arch deceivers wish in wanting to search the unsearchable ways of the Lord.  Instead of accepting Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God, the way the truth and the life, Satan relied on his own wisdom and imaginations and allowed himself to venture on forbidden ground.  Therefore Satan, to a large degree has achieved what he had set his mind of doing in wanting to be the third individual in the counsel of peace.  Satan has done, not by actual going into the counsel of peace, but decieving those who accept that there was another individual in the Godhead, other than the Father and the Son.  This is done through the Doctrine of the triune God or the Trinity.

May we go back to scriptures and see a plain thus saith the Lord is it’s support, before we too become hood winked by the arch deceivers sophistries.