In Genesis 1:26 is this a reference to the Trinity planning together?

Question

Genesis 1:26a reads, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air...'" I've heard it said that the "us" here is the Trinity of God, communing and planning together. The Trinity referring to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. What do you think as an explanation?

Answer 1

absolutley

also

John 1
The Word Became Flesh
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood[a] it.

Answer 2

Absolutely and here is more:

1) There is one God: Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5.

2) The Trinity consists of three Persons: Genesis 1:1; 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8; 48:16; 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17; Matt 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14. In the passages in the Old Testament, a knowledge of Hebrew is helpful. In Genesis 1:1, the plural noun "Elohim" is used. In Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, the plural pronoun for "us" is used. That "Elohim" and "us" refer to more than two is WITHOUT question. In English, you only have two forms, singular and plural. In Hebrew, you have three forms: singular, dual, and plural. Dual is for two ONLY. In Hebrew, the dual form is used for things that come in pairs like eyes, ears, and hands. The word "Elohim" and the pronoun "us" are plural forms - definitely more than two - and must be referring to three or more (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

In Isaiah 48:16 and 61:1, the Son is speaking while making reference to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Compare Isaiah 61:1 to Luke 4:14-19 to see that it is the Son speaking. Matthew 3:16-17 describes the event of Jesus' baptism. Seen in this is God the Holy Spirit descending on God the Son while God the Father proclaims His pleasure in the Son. Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 are examples of 3 distinct persons in the Trinity.

3) The members of the Trinity are distinguished one from another in various passages: In the Old Testament, "LORD" is distinguished from "Lord" (Genesis 19:24; Hosea 1:4). The "LORD" has a "Son" (Psalm 2:7, 12; Proverbs 30:2-4). Spirit is distinguished from the "LORD" (Numbers 27:18) and from "God" (Psalm 51:10-12). God the Son is distinguished from God the Father (Psalm 45:6-7; Hebrews 1:8-9). In the New Testament, John 14:16-17 is where Jesus speaks to the Father about sending a Helper, the Holy Spirit. This shows that Jesus did not consider Himself to be the Father or the Holy Spirit. Consider also all of the other times in the Gospels where Jesus speaks to the Father. Was He speaking to Himself? No. He spoke to another person in the Trinity - the Father.

4) Each member of the Trinity is God: The Father is God: John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2. The Son is God: John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20. The Holy Spirit is God: Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16 (The One who indwells is the Holy Spirit - Romans 8:9; John 14:16-17; Acts 2:1-4).

5) The subordination within the Trinity: Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is an internal relationship, and does not deny the deity of any person of the Trinity. This is simply an area which our finite minds cannot understand concerning the infinite God. Concerning the Son see: Luke 22:42; John 5:36; John 20:21; 1 John 4:14. Concerning the Holy Spirit see: John 14:16; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7 and especially John 16:13-14.

6) The tasks of the individual members of the Trinity: The Father is the ultimate source or cause of: 1) the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11); 2) divine revelation (Revelation 1:1); 3) salvation (John 3:16-17); and 4) Jesus' human works (John 5:17; 14:10). The Father INITIATES all of these things.

The Son is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: 1) the creation and maintenance of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17); 2) divine revelation (John 1:1; Matthew 11:27; John 16:12-15; Revelation 1:1); and 3) salvation (2 Corinthians 5:19; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42). The Father does all these things through the Son, who functions as His agent.

The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works: 1) creation and maintenance of the universe (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30); 2) divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21); 3) salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and 4) Jesus' works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). Thus the Father does all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Answer 3

Actually, the Holy Spirit, which some think of as the Holy Ghost, was present, and so was God's son, but that did not make a Trinity. God is talking to His son here, because Col 1:15-17 tells us that through him, all other things were created. Christ is referred to as God's only begotten son. then came the other angels, animals, and humans. The Holy Spirit is not referred to as one of Christ's brothers, and is certainly not an animal or human. Instead, God uses the Holy Spirit as a tool, much like one would use a lawn mower to cut grass. It is just you and the lawn mower that cut the grass, but no one would confuse the lawn mower to be another person. Also, Holy Spirit descended on those God granted it to, as well as many people claim to have it today. Unless these people are being possessed by a spirit being, the Holy Spirit cannot be a person, and cannot comprise a Trinity, which the Church teaches, but has no origin in the Bible. In response to the comment about although the Holy Spirit, God, and God's son are not equal they still form a trinity, a trinity relationship among many ancient religions who also employed this belief is only among beings that are all equal. Otherwise, all you have is God, and his subordinates. Not trinity. In addition, Jesus is always referred to as god with a lowercase g, as well as there being a difference in Lord and LORD-- the total uppercase LORD is used to replace God's name, Jehovah. Only Ps 83:18 in the King James Version Bible has "Jehovah" in its entire translation as its one spot, and probably not even there in some newer versions. A look at other translations and even if you know a little Hebrew, the scriptures in it's original language, will clue in to that. The first answer is incorrect.

Answer 4

1:26. Being made in God’s image, humans have the capacity to reflect godly attributes. Surely we should try to cultivate such qualities as love, mercy, kindness, goodness, and patience, reflecting the One who made us.
Adam was a perfect son of God, made in His ‘image and likeness.’ But since “God is a Spirit,” the resemblance could not be physical. (Genesis 1:26; John 4:24) The likeness lay in qualities that elevated man far above the animals. Yes, implanted in man from the beginning were the qualities of love, wisdom, power, and justice. He was endowed with free will and a capacity for spirituality. An innate moral sense, or conscience, enabled him to distinguish right from wrong. Man had intellectual capacity, enabling him to meditate on the reason for the existence of humans, to accumulate knowledge of his Creator, and to develop intimacy with that One. Thus equipped, Adam had all he needed to fulfill his role as administrator of God’s earthly handiwork.

The ancient record tells us that eventually the Creator chose to produce a truly unique form of life on earth. He told his heavenly Son: “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the domestic animals and all the earth and every moving animal that is moving upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26) Man would therefore reflect the spiritual image of his Maker, displaying His qualities. And man would be capable of taking in huge amounts of knowledge. Thus, humans could act with an intelligence surpassing that of any animal. Also, unlike the animals, man was made with a capacity to act according to his own free will, not being controlled mainly by instinct.

Answer 5

We, the Christians believe that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is the Trinity.

The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the "consubstantial Trinity".

The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire:

"The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is; by nature one God."

In the words of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), "Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature."

So, each of the persons is THAT supreme GOD.

The divine persons are really distinct from one another. "God is one but not solitary."

"Father", "Son", "Holy Spirit" are not simply names designating modalities of the divine being, for they are really distinct from one another:

"He is not the Father who is the Son, nor is the Son he who is the Father, nor is the Holy Spirit he who is the Father or the Son."

They are distinct from one another in their relations of origin: "It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds."

The divine Unity is Triune.

Jesus command this baptized "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"

That's how we know that God is Three persons. But all this because God chose to reveal Himself as three person.

Hope this clarifies your confusion.

Answer 6

This is a Christian belief by some Christians but they cannot supply any reliable proof that non Christian believers would accept.

That's the problem with beliefs. They cannot be verified.

Answer 7

I think that God is just using the "royal we" here. Kings and queens traditionally say/said "we" or "us" instead of "I" or "me."