R.C. Sproul

Well, let's go to the Old Testament where we meet a most unusual reference to God.

In fact, if you have your Bible in front of you, I would suggest that you open it to page 1.

where in the very first chapter of Genesis, when we're reading the creation account, in verse 26, we read these words.

And then God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness.

Did you hear something strange in that text?

God says, let us make man in our image according to our likeness.

Do you notice that there is a plural reference here to God?

God doesn't say, let me make man in my image, but it's let us make man in our image according

Well, what we find here in the earlier chapters of the Bible is a name for God that has provoked all kinds of debate and consternation and arguments because the name for God that is found here is the name Elohim.

Now, we've already seen in the course of our study that one of the common words for God in the ancient Semitic world was the simple word El, E-L.

And here we have that name, El, but with a Hebrew plural ending, Elohim.

And so it would seem that the simplest translation of this name for God would not be God, but Elohim.

God's plural, because it is the plural form for God.

Well, what are we to make out of all of this?

In the 19th century, critics of biblical religion jumped all over this name and tried to use their research to prove that the Bible and biblical religion follows a pattern just like other religions in past time.

And the idea was that religion starts in the world and in various cultures with primitive forms of animism.

Have you ever heard the word animism?

If we look at primitive religions that still exist in the world today, go into the jungles of Africa or South America, we can find people who are practicing what's called animistic religion.

Now, what does the word animism mean?

You've heard the word animal, and you've heard the word animated.