What does 1 Corinthians 8:6 reveal about the nature of monotheism in Christianity? Text of 1 Corinthians 8:6 “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.” Immediate Literary Context Paul is responding to converts in Corinth who were tempted to treat pagan idols as real competitors to God. Verses 4-5 acknowledge that “indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’ ” in pagan usage, yet v. 6 sharpens the Christian confession: only one true God and one true Lord exist, and both categories are filled exclusively by the Father and the Son. Monotheism Asserted, Not Abandoned 1. “One God, the Father” echoes the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.”). 2. Paul does not add another deity; he re-expresses Israel’s monotheism with Christ included, protecting continuity while revealing fuller content. 3. The singular verb forms (“came,” “exist”) reinforce numerical oneness rather than a council of deities. Functional Distinction, Essential Unity • Source vs. Mediator: “from whom all things came” (τὰ πάντα ἐξ αὐτοῦ) parallels “through whom all things came” (δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα). The prepositions ἐκ and διά distinguish roles, not essence. • Both Father and Son stand on the Creator side of the Creator-creature divide; nothing created mediates creation itself (cf. John 1:3, Colossians 1:16). • The pattern anticipates Nicene language (AD 325) with its summary “of one substance with the Father,” showing that Trinitarian theology is rooted in apostolic text, not later invention. Implicit Presence of the Holy Spirit Paul regularly completes the triad elsewhere (e.g., 2 Corinthians 13:14). The early church recognized that if Father and Son share the divine identity, the Spirit—who searches the depths of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)—must also belong to that identity, preserving monotheism while acknowledging three Persons. Engagement with Greco-Roman Polytheism • Corinth hosted temples to Aphrodite, Apollo, and Asclepius. Inscriptions (e.g., the Erastus paving stone, still visible near the theater) document civic devotion to many gods. • Paul’s sermon cuts through cultural pluralism: no negotiation, no syncretism—one Creator versus a pantheon of created fictions. Continuity with Old Testament Monotheism • Isaiah 44-45 repeatedly declares, “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” The LXX (Greek OT) text, extant among the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QIsaa), uses the same theos (“God”) Paul applies to the Father. • Psalm 33:6 links “word” and “breath” (Spirit) in creation, anticipating the Father-Word-Spirit pattern Paul affirms. Philosophical Coherence of Christian Monotheism • Classical theism requires a necessary, self-existent being. Contingent beings (humans, idols, the cosmos) cannot ground themselves. 1 Corinthians 8:6 presents the Father as the necessary source and the Son as the equally eternal, instrumental Logos, satisfying Leibniz’s principle of sufficient reason while preserving personal relationality. Archaeological Corroboration of Biblical Monotheism • Tel Dan Stele (9th cent. BC) references “House of David,” rooting messianic lineage in history. • Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls (7th cent. BC) contain the priestly benediction, demonstrating early textual stability of Yahweh worship. • The lack of idols in 1st-century synagogues excavated at Gamla and Magdala confirms internal Jewish monotheism into which the church was born. Christ’s Resurrection Seals the Claim • Minimal facts acknowledged by critical scholarship—empty tomb (Mark 16:4), post-mortem appearances to groups (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), and transformation of skeptics (James, Paul)—validate Jesus’ divine status. • If God raised Jesus, the designation “one Lord” is not honorary but ontological, locking the Son into the God-identity without multiplying gods. Summary 1 Corinthians 8:6 crystallizes Christian monotheism by uniting Father and Son in the single divine identity, maintaining continuity with Israel’s Shema while unveiling the interpersonal fullness of the Godhead. Manuscript evidence, philosophical necessity, scientific markers of design, and historical resurrection converge to authenticate this revelation and call every person to worship the one God, now definitively known in Jesus Christ. |
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