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1 Corinthians 8:6

ESV yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
NIV yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
NASB yet for us there is only 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.
CSB yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.
NLT But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.
KJV But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

What does 1 Corinthians 8:6 mean?

Paul has agreed with one statement made by the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 8:1) and now he agrees with another. In both cases, he opens a wider view to come to a better conclusion. The believers in Corinth seem to be arguing that because the many idols in Corinth are non-existent—because there is only one true God—they should be allowed to participate in the life of the city, even when it includes functions inside of idol temples and eating food offered to idols.

Paul has agreed that there are many "so-called" gods and lords (1 Corinthians 8:5). That is undeniable. He also agrees there is one true God. He will use this great truth, though, to eventually make the point that those who belong to the one true God should have nothing to do with any false gods.

For us, Paul writes, there is indeed one God. He is the Father. All things come from Him and we exist for Him. Also, there is only one Lord. He is Jesus Christ. All things exist through Him, including us. Paul's declaration of the one God and Lord as Father and Christ is masterful and clarifying. Together, both Father and Son exist as one in the Trinity with the Holy Spirit. They are distinct in their roles and functions and yet, mysteriously, still one.

Paul's main emphasis, though, is that Christians are from God, exist through our Lord, and exist for God. It is that very fact—that there is only one true God—to whom we are obligated that we should fully separate ourselves from even the most mundane contact with any idols or gods.
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