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. Genesis 1:26.
This text (as well as Genesis 11:7) proves that God is a plurality of three persons because "us" is referring to all three.
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It is true the "us" means that there was more than one person in creation, but not necessarily three. It could simply be two rather than three. The Scripture says, “God…created all things by Jesus Christ” Ephesians3:9. It should be obvious that "God" in this verse is someone other than Jesus Christ.
And according to Hebrews 1:2, God the Father created all things by his Son.
“Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?” Proverbs 30:4
This verse attributes the work of creation to two beings (A father and a son). Proverbs 8:22-30 also attributes the work of creation to two beings. God the Father is the great Source of all and He created all things by His Son Jesus Christ.
Now we can know for a certainty who is speaking in Genesis 1:26. God the Father said to his Son, “let us make man in our image.” Remember, Christ is “the express image” of the Father (Hebrews 1:3), so anyone created in the Father's image is naturally created in his Son's image. As such, when God
created man in His image He created two beings (Genesis 1:27; 5:2), not three. That is a conclusive proof that the "us" in Genesis 1:26 refers to only two individuals (the Father and Son), not three.
This understanding helps us with other similar verses (such as Genesis 11:7). The "us" would have the same meaning as Genesis 1:26.
Spirit of Prophecy:
There is an interesting comment from the Christian author E. G. White on this verse:
“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."” {1SP 24, 25}
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