1 Corinthians 8:6 teaches that Christians have one God, the Father, from whom all things come and to whom we belong, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were made and through whom we live. Paul wrote this to the church in Corinth, a city where people often wondered whether the many idols and so-called gods had real power over their lives. His answer is a short, clear statement of who God is and who Jesus is in relation to him.
Yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him.
1 Corinthians 8:6 (WEB)
What 1 Corinthians 8:6 Means
Paul begins with the word “yet,” which sets this verse against the claim that other gods exist in some meaningful way. In the verses before it, he admits that people speak of many gods and many lords, but he says that for believers the true picture is different. The phrase “one God, the Father” tells us that God is the single source and origin of everything, and that his relationship to creation is personal, as a Father is to his children.
The verse then says that “we for him,” meaning human beings exist for God’s purposes and glory, not for their own. The second half names “one Lord, Jesus Christ,” and attributes to him the same kind of role in creation and life that the first half gives to the Father. Paul does not explain every detail of how the Father and the Son relate, but he places them together in a single confession of faith.
This verse does not give a complete doctrine of the Trinity, and it does not settle every question about food sacrificed to idols, which is the topic Paul is addressing. What it does provide is a foundation: the one God is the source of all things, Jesus is the Lord through whom all things come into being and through whom believers live, and so Christians do not need to fear idols as if they held real authority.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 8:6
First Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul to a church he had founded in Corinth, a busy port city in Greece with many temples and a strong culture of sacrificing meat to various gods. Some members of the church knew that idols were nothing, and so they felt free to eat meat that had been offered to them. Others, who were newer in their faith or had strong memories of pagan worship, felt troubled by this and were tempted to act against their conscience.
Just before verse 6, Paul says that knowledge puffs up but love builds up, and that anyone who loves God is known by him. He then grants that the Corinthians are right that idols have no real existence, and that there is only one God. Verse 6 is the reason for that conclusion. Right after it, Paul warns that this freedom must not become a stumbling block for weaker believers. So the verse reads most clearly as the theological basis for a practical call to love and care for others.
Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 8:6
Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, Israel: The LORD is our God. The LORD is one.
(WEB)
This verse is the great confession of Israel’s faith, declaring that the Lord is one. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 8:6 draw on this same Shema tradition, showing that the one God of Israel is now seen clearly in relation to Jesus the Lord.
John 1:3
All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.
(WEB)
John’s Gospel affirms that all things were made through the Word, who is Jesus. This passage echoes the language of 1 Corinthians 8:6 and reinforces the teaching that Christ is active in creation and is the one through whom the world came into being.
A Short Prayer From 1 Corinthians 8:6
Father, you are the one God from whom all things come, and I am made for you. Thank you that you have not left me to wander among the many voices and false powers of this world. Lord Jesus Christ, you are the one through whom all things were made and through whom I live. Teach me to rest in your authority, to walk in love toward others, and to remember that my life belongs to you. Amen.
