1 Corinthians 8:4-6 establishes the facts both Paul and the Corinthians accept: a pagan image is a lifeless object with no power behind it, and only the single true God is real. The surrounding culture honors a crowd of invented deities, yet none of them actually governs anything. For believers, everything traces to one source––the Father, who made the universe and gives His people their purpose, and Jesus Christ, the agent through whom creation and our own life came.
1 Corinthians 8:4-6 states the information the Corinthians hold--an idol is nothing, God is one--which naturally leads to a conclusion that it is of no rational consequence for a piece of meat to have been sacrificed to an idol. Paul returns to the question and states the shared knowledge:
Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one (v 4).
We know is again "oidamen," the settled-fact word. The fact is that the wooden statue in the temple of Apollo at Corinth and the bronze image of Aphrodite are mere stone and bronze. Both are created materials shaped by human hands. They are not living and have no personhood. They can bring no bearing on anything that is or will be. The meat itself is mere meat. Neither its location nor what someone has said about or over it has no bearing on its substance.
Thatthere is no God but one (v 4) is the confession of the Shema--"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" (Deuteronomy 6:4)—carried whole into the Greek-speaking church. This passage of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 encompasses what Jesus cited as the "great and foremost commandment" in Matthew 22:37-38.
And in Israel's Scriptures, the subsequent command after this confession of God's oneness is to love Him: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). Knowing that God is one has always been intended to result in loving Him. The Corinthians recite the first part, that there is no God but one. Paul's chapter presses toward the second, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.
This is why Paul will lead the Corinthians to make their value judgment about meat consumption with a primary view toward the benefit of others, which is love. The first and greatest command, to love God, leads naturally to the second, which is to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). Making the welfare of others our primary priority connects us with God's design for us to reign over the earth as servants who seek one another's mutual benefit.
Paul then acknowledges the religious landscape his readers walked through every day, a world filled with idols, and contrasts it with a two-part Christian confession that God is one and all things exist through Him, again in one sentence spanning two verses:
For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 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 (vv 5-6).
The Roman world claimed belief in gods in heaven--the Olympian deities--as well as godson earth: local civic patrons, household gods, and mystery cult figures. It later added man worship when the Roman emperor began to be worshipped, an imperial cult. Many gods and many lords is the landscape of Corinth.
Paul’s phrase For even if there are so-called gods (v 5) grants that idols are named as gods while withholding the reality that they are actually gods. They are not real. And the fact that they are called gods does not make them so. Greek culture conferred the title, but false naming does not alter reality. The One True God is He alone who possesses deity--there is but one God (v 5).
It is noteworthy that the trinity is elevated here. There is one God. That is definitive. But the one God consists both of the Father as well as Jesus Christ. The fact that Jesus Christ is called one Lord is followed by a definitive statement of deity, in that it is through Jesus Christ that all things were made. In fact, we exist through Him (v 6). Paul makes this same assertion about Jesus being the agent and sustainer of creation in Colossians 1:16-17.
The phrase for us draws a contrast between believers in Jesus and pagans who worship false gods. This also elevates that the actions or beliefs of others do not alter what is true and real. God's creation is what is real, and what is real emanates from the One who created it.
The phrase from whom are all things (v 6) is exhaustive. The term all things leaves out nothing. We naturally think of all material things when we read this. But scripture insists that the one God created all we do not see as well. As Colossians 1:16 insists, God's creation includes "thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him." Authority, power, spiritual dominion are all created by God and sustained by Him. This true perspective places idols in their proper frame. Their claim is false and empty.
God created all that is for Himself. That includes humans: we exist for Him (v 6). Scripture tells us that God's purpose for humanity includes a desire to silence Satan by demonstrating that newly arrived, dependent beings reigning over the earth in submission to Him were superior to a satanic reign of tyranny (Psalm 8:2). Though Adam fell, and lost the right to reign, Jesus has restored that privilege to humanity (Hebrews 1:8-9). Now, in living in love, placing others over ourselves, through the resurrection power of Jesus those who follow Him can restore our original design, and live as servant leaders.
The phrase by whom are all things (v 6) names the Son as agent of creation. All things are from theFather. But they are through the Son, Jesus Christ. The addition of Christ in the name Jesus Christ highlights that Jesus is anointed to rule over all the earth. Christ means "anointed" and refers to Jesus's role as Messiah.
Because Jesus learned obedience, even to death on a cross, His name was elevated above all names (Philippians 2:8-9). Jesus has, as a human who is also God, been granted all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). In the future He will take full possession of this reign He has already been granted and fully supplant Satan who is currently the ruler of this world (John 12:31,Philippians 2:10,Revelation 11:15). Thus, the claim that Jesus is one Lord describes completely the position to which Jesus has been appointed.
Due to His faithfulness as a human, Jesus was rewarded as the "Son" over all creation, as a human (Hebrews 1:5). He restored what Adam lost, to be "crowned" with the "glory and honor" of having authority over creation (Hebrews 2:9). Astoundingly, Jesus's desire is to share His authority with those who both believe and who overcome temptation has He overcame (Revelation 3:21). He desires to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10). Those who serve as faithful witnesses and live as faithful stewards will enter His joy, which is to share His authority, just as Jesus entered the joy of His Father, and sat down at His right hand (Hebrews 12:2,Matthew 25:21).
The phrase we exist through Him (v 6) contains a claim that Jesus is not only the means through whom we were created, He is also the means through which weexist. That the word exist is in italics in NASB95 informs the reader that this English word is inferred from the Greek grammar.
This refers to the reality of existence itself; God's very name is "I AM"--God is existence and nothing exists apart from Him. Paul asserts this plainly in Colossians 1:16-17. That weexist through Him may also refer to the fact that believers in Jesus are placed into Him as members of His body, as Paul will assert in 1 Corinthians 12:12, 18-20.
The confession is stated in first person plural, with us and we inside every clause. All of humanity shares the same position as created beings. Jesus died for all of humanity, and desires that none should perish, but that all would believe (John 3:16,1 Timothy 2:4,2 Corinthians 5:19-20,2 Peter 3:9).
Those who believe are new creations in Christ and are members of His body (2 Corinthians 5:17,1 Corinthians 12:20). Jesus desires for all who believe to live as faithful witnesses. To those who overcome as He overcame, He will share His authority--they will enter His joy (Revelation 3:21,Matthew 25:21).
This passage applies the Hebrew "Shema," what Jesus called the "great and foremost commandment" in Matthew 22:37-38, to Jesus Himself. He is the LORD of Deuteronomy 6:4 and is one with His Father. This is the reality of deity--all else is false. Notwithstanding that knowledge, our actions could be fully rooted in love; our motivation should prioritize love before knowledge.
1 Corinthians 8:4-6
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.
5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,
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.
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1 Corinthians 8:4-6 meaning
1 Corinthians 8:4-6 states the information the Corinthians hold--an idol is nothing, God is one--which naturally leads to a conclusion that it is of no rational consequence for a piece of meat to have been sacrificed to an idol. Paul returns to the question and states the shared knowledge:
Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one (v 4).
We know is again "oidamen," the settled-fact word. The fact is that the wooden statue in the temple of Apollo at Corinth and the bronze image of Aphrodite are mere stone and bronze. Both are created materials shaped by human hands. They are not living and have no personhood. They can bring no bearing on anything that is or will be. The meat itself is mere meat. Neither its location nor what someone has said about or over it has no bearing on its substance.
That there is no God but one (v 4) is the confession of the Shema--"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" (Deuteronomy 6:4)—carried whole into the Greek-speaking church. This passage of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 encompasses what Jesus cited as the "great and foremost commandment" in Matthew 22:37-38.
And in Israel's Scriptures, the subsequent command after this confession of God's oneness is to love Him: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). Knowing that God is one has always been intended to result in loving Him. The Corinthians recite the first part, that there is no God but one. Paul's chapter presses toward the second, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.
This is why Paul will lead the Corinthians to make their value judgment about meat consumption with a primary view toward the benefit of others, which is love. The first and greatest command, to love God, leads naturally to the second, which is to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). Making the welfare of others our primary priority connects us with God's design for us to reign over the earth as servants who seek one another's mutual benefit.
Paul then acknowledges the religious landscape his readers walked through every day, a world filled with idols, and contrasts it with a two-part Christian confession that God is one and all things exist through Him, again in one sentence spanning two verses:
For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 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 (vv 5-6).
The Roman world claimed belief in gods in heaven--the Olympian deities--as well as gods on earth: local civic patrons, household gods, and mystery cult figures. It later added man worship when the Roman emperor began to be worshipped, an imperial cult. Many gods and many lords is the landscape of Corinth.
Paul’s phrase For even if there are so-called gods (v 5) grants that idols are named as gods while withholding the reality that they are actually gods. They are not real. And the fact that they are called gods does not make them so. Greek culture conferred the title, but false naming does not alter reality. The One True God is He alone who possesses deity--there is but one God (v 5).
It is noteworthy that the trinity is elevated here. There is one God. That is definitive. But the one God consists both of the Father as well as Jesus Christ. The fact that Jesus Christ is called one Lord is followed by a definitive statement of deity, in that it is through Jesus Christ that all things were made. In fact, we exist through Him (v 6). Paul makes this same assertion about Jesus being the agent and sustainer of creation in Colossians 1:16-17.
The phrase for us draws a contrast between believers in Jesus and pagans who worship false gods. This also elevates that the actions or beliefs of others do not alter what is true and real. God's creation is what is real, and what is real emanates from the One who created it.
The phrase from whom are all things (v 6) is exhaustive. The term all things leaves out nothing. We naturally think of all material things when we read this. But scripture insists that the one God created all we do not see as well. As Colossians 1:16 insists, God's creation includes "thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him." Authority, power, spiritual dominion are all created by God and sustained by Him. This true perspective places idols in their proper frame. Their claim is false and empty.
God created all that is for Himself. That includes humans: we exist for Him (v 6). Scripture tells us that God's purpose for humanity includes a desire to silence Satan by demonstrating that newly arrived, dependent beings reigning over the earth in submission to Him were superior to a satanic reign of tyranny (Psalm 8:2). Though Adam fell, and lost the right to reign, Jesus has restored that privilege to humanity (Hebrews 1:8-9). Now, in living in love, placing others over ourselves, through the resurrection power of Jesus those who follow Him can restore our original design, and live as servant leaders.
The phrase by whom are all things (v 6) names the Son as agent of creation. All things are from the Father. But they are through the Son, Jesus Christ. The addition of Christ in the name Jesus Christ highlights that Jesus is anointed to rule over all the earth. Christ means "anointed" and refers to Jesus's role as Messiah.
Because Jesus learned obedience, even to death on a cross, His name was elevated above all names (Philippians 2:8-9). Jesus has, as a human who is also God, been granted all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). In the future He will take full possession of this reign He has already been granted and fully supplant Satan who is currently the ruler of this world (John 12:31, Philippians 2:10, Revelation 11:15). Thus, the claim that Jesus is one Lord describes completely the position to which Jesus has been appointed.
Due to His faithfulness as a human, Jesus was rewarded as the "Son" over all creation, as a human (Hebrews 1:5). He restored what Adam lost, to be "crowned" with the "glory and honor" of having authority over creation (Hebrews 2:9). Astoundingly, Jesus's desire is to share His authority with those who both believe and who overcome temptation has He overcame (Revelation 3:21). He desires to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10). Those who serve as faithful witnesses and live as faithful stewards will enter His joy, which is to share His authority, just as Jesus entered the joy of His Father, and sat down at His right hand (Hebrews 12:2, Matthew 25:21).
The phrase we exist through Him (v 6) contains a claim that Jesus is not only the means through whom we were created, He is also the means through which we exist. That the word exist is in italics in NASB95 informs the reader that this English word is inferred from the Greek grammar.
This refers to the reality of existence itself; God's very name is "I AM"--God is existence and nothing exists apart from Him. Paul asserts this plainly in Colossians 1:16-17. That we exist through Him may also refer to the fact that believers in Jesus are placed into Him as members of His body, as Paul will assert in 1 Corinthians 12:12, 18-20.
The confession is stated in first person plural, with us and we inside every clause. All of humanity shares the same position as created beings. Jesus died for all of humanity, and desires that none should perish, but that all would believe (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, 2 Peter 3:9).
Those who believe are new creations in Christ and are members of His body (2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Corinthians 12:20). Jesus desires for all who believe to live as faithful witnesses. To those who overcome as He overcame, He will share His authority--they will enter His joy (Revelation 3:21, Matthew 25:21).
This passage applies the Hebrew "Shema," what Jesus called the "great and foremost commandment" in Matthew 22:37-38, to Jesus Himself. He is the LORD of Deuteronomy 6:4 and is one with His Father. This is the reality of deity--all else is false. Notwithstanding that knowledge, our actions could be fully rooted in love; our motivation should prioritize love before knowledge.