An Analysis of 1 Corinthians 8:6: One God, One Lord

Context of 1 Corinthians 8:6

To understand 1 Corinthians 8:6, we need to grasp the real-life issue behind Paul’s words: some believers in Corinth were eating food that had been offered to idols, sparking conflict in the church.

In the first-century Roman world, meat sold in markets often came from animals sacrificed in pagan temples, so eating it could feel like supporting idol worship. Some Christians, confident in their knowledge that 'an idol has no real existence' (v. 4), saw no problem with eating it. But others, especially those with a past tied to idolatry, felt guilty and confused when they saw fellow believers doing this.

Paul doesn’t reject their knowledge - he affirms it in verse 6 by declaring there is only one true God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist. But he redirects their focus: truth must be shaped by love, not pride, because harming a fellow believer’s conscience is sinning against Christ Himself (v. 12).

Theological Depth of 1 Corinthians 8:6

1 Corinthians 8:6 presents an early Christian claim that expands Jewish monotheism to include Jesus as part of God's identity.

Paul affirms strict monotheism - 'there is no God but one' (v. 4) - yet immediately redefines it by naming both 'one God, the Father' and 'one Lord, Jesus Christ' as the source and goal of all creation. The phrase 'through whom are all things' applied to Jesus was language reserved in the Old Testament for God alone, as seen in passages like Jeremiah 4:23, which describes God forming the world. Paul applies this to Christ, giving Jesus both divine authority and an active role in creation. This is not a vague spiritual connection - it’s a claim that Jesus is the active power through which the universe came into being and continues to exist.

The title 'Lord' (Greek: *kyrios*) would have rung loudly in a Roman context, where Caesar was often called 'Lord' - a divine or semi-divine ruler. But Paul reclaims it for Jesus, aligning Him with the God of Israel, whose sacred name (Yahweh) was translated as *Kyrios* in the Greek Old Testament. When Paul says we exist 'through' Christ and 'for' the Father, he echoes the structure of divine purpose found in passages like Isaiah 44:24, where God alone declares, 'I stretched out the heavens, I made the earth, I alone.' Now, that creative act is attributed to Christ - yet without breaking the oneness of God.

This verse defends doctrine and also reshapes identity. The Corinthians were caught in debates over food and freedom, but Paul roots their behavior in the deepest reality: the nature of God and the role of Christ in creation and redemption. Their actions should reflect both their knowledge and their belonging.

There is one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ - not two gods, but one divine reality revealed in distinct persons who share the same divine purpose.

This understanding of Christ’s divine role sets the stage for Paul’s urgent call to love in the verses that follow - because if Christ is the Lord through whom we live, then harming a brother for whom Christ died is no small thing.

One God, One Lord, One Purpose: Living Out Unity in Love

Building on Paul's statement of one God and one Lord, the true test of belief is not merely correct theology but how we treat fellow believers with sensitive consciences.

For the Corinthians, eating food offered to idols wasn’t about survival or necessity - it was about personal freedom based on knowledge. But Paul insists that love, not knowledge, should guide our actions, because 'food will not commend us to God' (1 Corinthians 8:8).

Real faith isn't proven by what we know, but by how we care for others when our freedom might hurt their faith.

This reflects the gospel's core: God in Christ created and sustains all things, and calls us to keep the body united. If our freedom causes a brother or sister to go against their conscience, we are not merely unkind; we harm Christ's work for them. So Paul’s conclusion in verse 13 is radical: 'I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble' - a call to lay down rights for love’s sake, echoing Jesus’ own self-giving life.

The Shema, the Creed, and the Trinity: How 1 Corinthians 8:6 Shapes Christian Unity

This verse doesn't stand alone - it's part of a living stream of biblical revelation that begins with the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one,' and flows into the early church’s full confession of Christ’s divine identity.

Paul reshapes the most foundational statement of Jewish faith - the oneness of God - not by rejecting it, but by expanding it to include Jesus as 'one Lord' through whom all things exist. Where the Shema once guarded Israel’s faith against pagan polytheism, Paul now uses it to show that the one true God has revealed Himself fully in the Father and the Son. This does not break from the Old Testament; it fulfills it.

Later Christian creeds, like the Nicene Creed, would echo this same pattern: affirming one God, the Father Almighty, and one Lord Jesus Christ, 'through whom all things were made.' Paul’s wording in 1 Corinthians 8:6 is one of the clearest early Christian statements pointing toward that full Trinitarian understanding. Even 2 Corinthians 4:6 - 'For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ' - shows how Christ is both the agent and the image of God’s creative and revealing power. This continuity from the Shema to the creeds shows that our faith isn’t built on shifting opinions, but on the consistent testimony of Scripture about who God is. And that shared belief should shape how we treat one another - not as rivals debating rules, but as family grounded in the same divine reality.

When we grasp that we all exist through Christ and for the Father, it changes how we view disagreements over secondary issues. Our unity isn’t based on uniformity of practice, but on the oneness of the God we worship. If Christ is the Lord through whom we live, then dividing over food - or any lesser matter - undermines the very unity He created.

True unity in the church doesn't come from agreeing on every issue, but from honoring the one God and one Lord we all share by protecting each other's faith.

So let this truth shape your church: not by enforcing rules, but by fostering a culture where love protects the weak, the strong lay down their rights, and everyone grows in reverence for the one God and one Lord we confess together.

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