But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him… 1 Corinthians 8:6
(KJV marginal reading)
Throughout human history, the title ‘God’ has been attached to an untold number of things, and broadly misapplied as the great apostle wrote:
For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 1 Corinthians 8:5
There were storm gods such as Baal of the Canaanites. There were sun gods such as Ra of the Egyptians. There were gods of fertility like Aphrodite of Greece. Yet after the 17th century enlightenment, these heathen nature deities took on a more sophisticated modern gloss. Albert Einstein said that he believed in a god ‘who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists’. In its most recent makeover, such philosophical notions of god have been ambiguously styled ‘the universe’. Since such a fog of confusion surrounds the title ‘God’, should the Christian abandon the word altogether?
Rather than dispensing with an appropriate term on account of its misuse, Paul addresses the issue by giving the Biblical definition of the word. Said Paul: ‘But to us [that is, to the Christian] there is but one God, the Father’. These words settle forever that the phrase ‘One God’ refers to the Father exclusively.
Paul continues his definition of the ‘one God, the Father’, by stating: ‘of whom are all things’. Paul is not expressing the pantheistic sentiment that all matter is comprised of the substance of this One God. Rather than God actually being His creation, the Father is separate from and above it. In this statement, Paul expresses the truth that all things find their wellspring in the ancient Origin of life. Indeed, the One True God is the Father of all that has breath; the generation of all things is of Him. Like Paul, the psalmist identifies God the Father as the source and sustainer of all life:
Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. Psalm 104:29-30
Having identified the Father as the life giver of all things, Paul then points to the special purpose in our creation: ‘and we for him’ (KJV Marginal Reference). As the crowning act of creation, man was made for the specific purpose of glorifying his Maker. Blessed with the profound ability to procreate, and designed to ever increase in physical, mental, and spiritual vigour, there was no limit to how fully man might reveal God’s image and reflect His glory.
The entrance of sin, however, weakened these powers, and human nature has become more and more debased ever since. Nevertheless, it was the great aim of that ‘mystery which was kept secret since the world began’ that Christ ‘might redeem us from all iniquity’ (Romans 16:25, Titus 2:14). Through Christ, man could once again shine forth the image and glory of God. While cast off by the majority of this world, the Father’s noble aspiration in creating mankind is realised in the Christian. Centuries before Paul, the Father’s desire was beautifully expressed by Isaiah:
Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Isaiah 43:7
Like the term ‘Christian’, the word ‘God’ has been taken in vain and draped in confusion. But the follower of Christ need not be confused by the the terms he reads in God’s word. With an understanding sharpened by Scripture, he may speak of God and give glory to Him as a Christian, whether or not the world understands him.
Christopher Sparks