Is Jesus God Almighty - Part 6: 1 Corinthians Through 2 Thessalonians

 

Contents

1 Corinthians 8:6—One God, One Lord

The “One God” and the “One Lord” in 1 Corinthians 8:6: Why Jesus Is Not the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 8:6 is often pressed into service to support the claim that Jesus is Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet the verse itself sharply distinguishes between “one God, the Father, of whom are all” and “one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all.” This distinction is not accidental, nor is it a veiled Trinitarian formula. It is a deliberate contrast that aligns with the entire testimony of Scripture.

“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things… and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things.” (1 Corinthians 8:6)

1. The Father Alone Is the “One God”

Paul identifies one God—and he explicitly names Him: the Father. This matches the Old Testament confession:

“Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

The Hebrew text of Deuteronomy 6:4 contains no word meaning “lord.” It contains the Holy Name YHWH, not a title. The later Greek rendering in Mark 12:29 replaces the Holy Name with kurios, but this reflects scribal convention, not Jesus redefining the Holy Name.

The Old Testament never presents Jehovah as more than one person. The idea that “one Jehovah” secretly means “three persons” must be imagined and added to the text. Scripture never says, “We will do…” or “We did…” when Jehovah speaks. The default reading is the correct one: Jehovah is one person.

2. The New Testament Uses “Lord” (Kurios) Broadly—Not Exclusively for Jehovah

Many assume that “Lord” in the New Testament automatically means Jehovah. But “kurios” is applied to:

• Jesus (as Messiah and appointed ruler)

• Prophets (John 4:19)

• Ordinary men (John 12:21)

• Angels (Genesis 19:2, LXX)

• Abraham (Genesis 18:12)

Bullinger catalogues dozens of uses of kurios that do not refer to God. Thus, the mere application of “Lord” to Jesus does not make Him Jehovah.

3. Paul Says There Are “Many Gods and Many Lords”

Paul acknowledges:

“There are many gods and many lords.” (1 Corinthians 8:5)

These include:

• Demons (Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37)

• Angelic “sons of God” (Psalm 82:1,6; John 10:34–36)

• Human rulers

These beings are “gods” or “lords” because they possess derived authority, not because they are the Supreme Being.

Thus, when Paul says “one Lord”, he is not denying the existence of other lords. He is identifying the one appointed Lord over the church—Jesus—whom God made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).

4. The “One God” and the “One Lord” Are Not the Same Being

Paul qualifies both titles:

• One God — “of whom are all”

• One Lord — “through whom are all”

These roles are not interchangeable. The source is not the instrument; the instrument is not the source. To collapse the two into one person is to erase Paul’s inspired distinction.

Jesus is Lord because God made Him Lord (Acts 2:36). Jesus is Christ because God anointed Him (Isaiah 61:1; Hebrews 1:9). Jesus is sent, empowered, and glorified by His God (John 17:3; 20:17).

Jesus never claims to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, He repeatedly identifies that God as His Father.

5. The “All” in 1 Corinthians 8:6 Is Contextual, Not Absolute

Some argue that “all things” means the entire universe, and therefore Jesus must be uncreated. But:

• The Greek phrase is ta panta (“the all”), not “all things.”

• Translators add “things.”

• Context determines scope.

In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul is addressing believers, not the entire created order. In verse 7, “all” clearly refers to all Christians, not all humanity. Thus, “the all” in verse 6 most naturally refers to the redeemed community—those regenerated by God through Christ.

Even if “the all” were universal, the one through whom God works is still not the one God from whom all originates.

6. Jesus Is Never Called “Most High” or Jehovah

Scripture consistently distinguishes:

• Jehovah — the Most High, the Supreme Being

• Jesus — the Son of the Most High, the anointed Lord

Jesus is never called:

• “Most High”

• “Jehovah”

• “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”

Instead, He is:

• Sent by God (John 5:30,43)

• Given authority by God (John 17:2)

• Raised by God (Acts 2:24)

• Exalted by God (Acts 2:33)

• Made Lord by God (Acts 2:36)

7. The Prophet Like Moses Must Speak in Jehovah’s Name

Deuteronomy 18:15–22 requires that the promised prophet:

• Speak in Jehovah’s name

• Speak Jehovah’s words

• Not replace Jehovah’s name with another title

If Jesus had replaced the divine name with “Lord,” He would fail the test of Deuteronomy 18. The replacement occurred later, in scribal transmission—not in Jesus’ own speech.

8. Summary: The Biblical Distinction Is Clear

• The one Jehovah of Deuteronomy 6:4 is the one God of 1 Corinthians 8:6.

• The one Lord of 1 Corinthians 8:6 is not Jehovah, but the one whom Jehovah made Lord.

• Jesus is the appointed Lord, not the innate Lord Jehovah.

• The Father is the source of all; Jesus is the agent through whom the Father works.

To merge the two is to ignore Paul’s qualifications and impose a Trinitarian assumption onto the text.

Ronald R. Day, Sr. - Restoration Light Bible Study Services

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