1 Corinthians 8:6

Joshua Perez

1/14/2025

"6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him." (1 Corinthians 8:6 NASB)

1. 1 Corinthians 8:6 has always been a Unitarian favorite, as much like others texts in scripture [1], it clearly displays that we as Christians have only one God, the Father. Paul utilizes the Greek word kurious (κύριος) for "Lord" in this verse, referring to Jesus. And it is meant to be understood as a way to distinguish Jesus from the father. Unlike the Father, Jesus was given this exalted status of "Master" or "Lord"; he did not inherently posses it.

"36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”" (Acts 2:36 NASB)

2. In recent times many Trinitarians have concocted this notion that Paul is attempting to insert Jesus into the "Shema" of Deuteronomy 6:4, however this is simply incorrect. The one "God" and "Lord" of Deuteronomy 6:4 are meant to be one and the same, they are coreferential terms. The Father can rightfully be called "Lord", using kurious in Greek or Adonai in Hebrew. In fact, the LXX uses kurious as the substitue for the divine name (YHWH). However, these terms have found new usage in the man Jesus. Much like other titles such as "God" [2] or "King of Kings" [3], they have a usage to the highest degree (that being God), but they can also be used in a lesser sense without denoting divinity. 

Jesus has been exalted as Lord by God, indicating the title functions differently than it would if applied to the Father. Furthermore, Psalms 110:1 (which is repeatedly quoted in the NT and applied to Jesus) clearly distinguishes between the two Lords in subject.

"The Lord (YHWH) says to my Lord (adoni): “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies a footstool.” (Psalms 110:1)

While grammatically related, adoni is actually a different title than Adonai (which is reserved exclusively for God). Adoni means "lord", or "master"; similar to kurious. All this to say, the God and Lord of 1 Corinthians 8:6 are clearly distinguished, and are not one and the same like they are in Deuteronomy 6:4. God, that is to say the father, is the God and father of the Lord Jesus [4]. 

3. There are some Unitarians, namely early Logos theorist, Arians, or modern day Jehovah's witnesses who believe this verse among others teaches that God created the cosmos through the Lord Jesus; which implies he did pre-exist, but not as God. However, as Biblical Unitarians, we reject this view simply due to the fact that we believe the Bible teaches that Yeshua did not pre-exist his birth. 

In Paul's letters, he frequently titles Jesus as the author of something he calls the "New Creation":

"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

"10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth in him" (Ephesians 1:10)

"10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them....13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ...16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity." (Ephesians 2:10,13,16)

"13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins...16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him." (Colossians 1:13-14,16)

The New Creation in summary is the concept that "all things" in heaven and earth are reconciled to God, being built up in Christ thereby being redeemed. When comparing the language in 1 Corinthians 8:6 to that of explicit "new creation" texts, it is clear that this is the context he has in mind.  In fact, no where in 1 Corinthians 8 does he mention the genesis creation. In this passage, Paul is talking about food sacrifice to idols and how us as Christians have no need to worry about accidental consumption of them (verses 1-5). As the idols and gods of the nations are nothing; to us Christians, we have one God, the father (who is the source of the reconciliation of all things), and one Lord, Jesus (the tool by which the father has done so).

[1] Deuteronomy 6:4; John 17:3, 20:17; Ephesians 4:4-6; 1 Timothy 2:5

[2] Ezekiel 26:7; Daniel 2:37; Ezra 7:12 (examples of "king of kings" being applied to men)

[3] Exodus 7:1, 21:6, 22:8-9; Psalm 45:6-7, 82; John 10:34-36 (examples of "God" being applied to men)

[4] Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34; John 20:17; Romans 15:6; 2 Corinthians 1:3, 11:31; Ephesians 1:3, 1:17; Colossians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelations 3:12