Genesis 1:1-2 — "In the Beginning"

Biblical Unitarians interpret Genesis 1:1-2 straightforwardly as a narrative of creation: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (1:1), and the Spirit of God moved over the surface of the waters as preparation for the creative word (1:2). They do not read this passage as supporting Trinitarian doctrine, viewing the 'Spirit of God' as God's power, creative force, or mode of action rather than as a distinct divine person alongside the Father and the Son.

The phrase 'the Spirit of God' (ruach Elohim) is understood in line with Old Testament usage as divine energy or power—what we might call today God's active presence or agency in creation. Genesis 1:2 emphasizes that the earth was formless and void (tohu va-vohu), and that the Spirit of God was actively involved in moving over the waters, preparing for the spoken word that would bring creation into ordered being. This interpretation is consistent with Proverbs 8, where God's wisdom is personified but not presented as a separate person, and with the philosophical monotheism of the Shema.