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.
Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, a large Greek city filled with temples dedicated to many different gods — gods of wine, war, the sea, and commerce. A debate had arisen among Christians about whether it was acceptable to eat meat that had been sacrificed to pagan idols, which was common practice in that culture. Before addressing that specific question, Paul establishes the foundation of Christian belief: there is only one God — the Father, creator of all things, the one for whom human beings ultimately exist — and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything came into being and through whom people truly live. This stands in direct contrast to the polytheistic world surrounding them, and reads as one of the earliest creed-like statements in the New Testament — a bold declaration of who God is and what human life is for.
Father, you are the one from whom all things came and for whom I exist. Forgive me for living as if I were the center of my own story. Reorient me today — help me live not just with you nearby, but through you, in everything. Amen.
"From whom all things came and for whom we live." Fourteen words that quietly rewrite the map of your existence. In ancient Corinth, gods were everywhere — every trade, every neighborhood, every household had its patron deity. Paul doesn't argue with any of it. He simply states what is true: one God, one Lord, everything through him. The universe didn't stumble into being and it isn't wandering toward nothing. It came from someone and is moving toward someone. That is not a small claim. But here's where it lands personally: this verse doesn't say God is the most important item on your list. It says your life is in him — that you live through Jesus, not merely alongside him. There is a real difference between including God in your plans and actually orienting your whole existence around him as source and destination. You might believe this theologically while still spending most of your actual days living as the quiet center of your own story. The question worth sitting with isn't "do I believe this?" — it's "does my Tuesday look like I do?"
Paul wrote this in a city full of competing gods and religious systems. What do you think it meant for early Christians to say these words aloud — what were they claiming, and what were they giving up by doing so?
What are the 'functional gods' in your own life — the things you actually trust, serve, or build your security around, even if you would never name them as gods?
This verse says we live 'for' God and 'through' Jesus. What's the practical difference between those two ideas? What does each one ask of you on an ordinary day?
If you genuinely believed that every person around you also came from God and exists for God, how would that change the way you treat them — especially the people you find most difficult?
Choose one specific area of your life — work, finances, a relationship, an ambition. What would it look like concretely to live that area through Christ rather than on your own terms?
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Romans 11:36
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:3
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1 Timothy 2:5
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Colossians 1:17
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians 1:16
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Ephesians 4:5
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Hebrews 1:2
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, who is the source of all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things [that have been created], and we [believers exist and have life and have been redeemed] through Him.
AMP
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.
ESV
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.
NASB
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.
NIV
yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
NKJV
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.
NLT
They say—again, quite rightly—that there is only one God the Father, that everything comes from him, and that he wants us to live for him. Also, they say that there is only one Master—Jesus the Messiah—and that everything is for his sake, including us. Yes. It's true.
MSG