Three in One in Genesis

Colossians 1:16
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

One of the most fundamental doctrines about the nature of God is the doctrine of the Trinity. This primary doctrine states that there is only one Being called God. At the same time, we find in the Bible that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all described as God, and as Persons in their own right. Therefore, God is One Being, yet Three Persons.

This doctrine is derived in the New Testament, yet reflected in the Old Testament, in passages, such as Isaiah 48:16. One of the Old Testament passages, best explained by the Trinity, is the very first verse of the Bible. In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew word for God is Elohim, and this word is a plural, which must imply at least 3. Yet the verb “created”, which follows (bara) is in the singular form, as if its preceding subject were singular, rather than triply plural.

We would not derive the doctrine of the Trinity from Genesis 1:1 alone. However, having previously seen the importance and truth of this doctrine elsewhere, it makes sense to understand the strange grammar of the Bible’s first verse, by presupposing the Trinity.

Prayer:
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever, Amen.

Notes:
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