There seems to be a love affair between the apostrophe and a number of people. This obsession to put an apostrophe before the final “s” in a regular plural noun, where it shouldn’t be, is beyond my comprehension. I think I need brain surgery to understand this mystery.
Among all the punctuation marks I review (yes, review, because all my students have gone through high school where grammar is drilled into their system) in my English classes, the use of apostrophe is the most difficult to teach and for many students to re-learn or unlearn.
Any dictionary tells us that an apostrophe is a punctuation mark used to indicate only two things:
1) possession or ownership (e.g., Karen’s sons);
2) omission of letters or numbers (e.g., isn't; class of ’99).
Outside of those two, amore for the apostrophe must end.
However, it is totally different with God.
To Christians, “s” is never added to God, because there is only ONE God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit.
Should we add an “s,” then an apostrophe is a must! God owns everything and therefore, the format is . . . God’s grace, God’s people . . . God’s ad infinitum, indicating possession.
“For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.” Romans 11:36 (NLT)
When we refer to God, let’s fall in love with the apostrophe, the punctuation mark that shows He possesses and owns all.
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