Simon Brown.

Join me on this journey. Let's seek the truth together! 💡 Proverbs 8:34-36 Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts. For whoever finds me finds life, and will obtain favor from Yahweh. But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death.” Psalm 84: 11 For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly. 12 Yahweh of Armies, blessed is the man who trusts in you. 1 John 5:5 Now who is the one overcoming the world, except the one believing that Jesus is the Son of God.
Showing posts with label One God the Father. Show all posts
Showing posts with label One God the Father. Show all posts

Sunday, 30 August 2026

QUICK FACTS: WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Bible study asking what the Holy Spirit is and whether Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit is a separate third person of the Trinity.

A detailed Quick Facts Bible-study infographic examining what Scripture says about the Holy Spirit. It compares the Spirit of Yahweh, God's giving of His Spirit, the Holy Spirit empowering Jesus, and the traditional Trinity doctrine of a separate third person. Research by Simon Brown.

QUICK FACTS: WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Does the Bible Really Teach a Separate Third Person of the Trinity?

Research by Simon Brown


WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Millions of Christians have been taught that God consists of three distinct, co-equal and co-eternal persons:

THE FATHER IS GOD

THE SON IS GOD

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD

Yet these three are said to constitute:

ONE GOD.

But when we put later theological terminology aside and examine Scripture itself, an important question arises:

WHERE DOES THE BIBLE ACTUALLY TEACH THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A SEPARATE THIRD PERSON OF GOD?

The Bible certainly speaks repeatedly about:

the Holy Spirit

the Spirit of God

the Spirit of Yahweh

His Spirit

My Spirit

and:

Your Holy Spirit.

The Spirit speaks, teaches, guides, empowers and can be grieved.

But does any of this require the later doctrine of a separate third divine person within a triune God?

That is what we are going to investigate.


FIRST, WHAT DOES THE BIBLE CALL GOD?

Paul gives us an extraordinarily straightforward statement:

“yet to us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ…”

1 Corinthians 8:6 — BLB

Notice Paul's language:

“ONE GOD, THE FATHER.”

Paul does not say:

“ONE GOD: FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT.”

Instead, he identifies the:

ONE GOD

as:

THE FATHER.

And then distinguishes from Him:

ONE LORD, JESUS CHRIST.

Whatever we ultimately conclude about the Holy Spirit, this statement must be allowed to retain its full force.


JESUS ALSO IDENTIFIED THE FATHER AS THE ONLY TRUE GOD

Jesus prayed:

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

John 17:3 — BLB

Notice the distinction.

Jesus identifies:

THE FATHER — “THE ONLY TRUE GOD”

and himself as:

“JESUS CHRIST WHOM YOU HAVE SENT.”

This provides an important foundation for investigating the identity of God's Spirit.


THE BIBLE CALLS IT “THE SPIRIT OF YAHWEH”

Consider this remarkable statement:

“Yahweh's Spirit spoke by me. His word was on my tongue.”

2 Samuel 23:2 — WEB

The Hebrew expression is:

רוּחַ יְהוָה

Ruach YHWH

“THE SPIRIT OF YAHWEH.”

Notice what Scripture actually calls it.

It is:

YAHWEH'S SPIRIT.

This language occurs throughout the Old Testament.

Rather than introducing the Spirit as another divine person alongside Yahweh, Scripture repeatedly identifies the Spirit in relation to Yahweh Himself.


GOD CALLS IT “MY SPIRIT”

God declares:

“And it will be afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…”

Joel 2:28

Notice:

“MY SPIRIT.”

Likewise David prayed:

“Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

Psalm 51:11

David calls it:

“YOUR HOLY SPIRIT.”

This language is significant.

The Spirit is repeatedly described as belonging to and proceeding from God.

The Biblical Unitarian study you supplied makes this same argument, pointing to the repeated biblical expressions “God's spirit,” “my spirit,” and “your holy spirit.”


GOD IS HOLY — AND GOD IS SPIRIT

Jesus said:

“God is Spirit, and it behooves those worshiping Him to worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:24 — BLB

God is:

HOLY.

And God is:

SPIRIT.

This has led Biblical Unitarians to understand “Holy Spirit” in some passages as a designation for God Himself, emphasizing His holiness, presence and activity. The study attached to this research explicitly develops that interpretation.

But we should be careful.

John 4:24 alone does not prove that every occurrence of “Holy Spirit” simply means “God the Father.”

Context must determine how the expression is being used.

That distinction makes our argument stronger.


ACTS 5:3–4 — DID ANANIAS LIE TO GOD OR TO ANOTHER GOD?

Peter told Ananias:

“Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart for you to lie to the Holy Spirit…?”

Acts 5:3 — BLB

Then Peter says:

“You have not lied to men, but to God.”

Acts 5:4 — BLB

Trinitarians commonly use this passage as evidence that:

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD.

That is understandable.

But notice what the passage does not say:

“THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRIUNE GOD.”

Nor does Peter say:

“THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A DIFFERENT PERSON FROM THE FATHER.”

Another interpretation is possible:

Ananias lied to God's Spirit and therefore lied to God Himself.

The Biblical Unitarian article likewise interprets Acts 5:3–4 as Peter referring to God by the designation “Holy Spirit.”

So Acts 5 establishes an extremely close identification between God's Spirit and God.

The disputed question is whether that requires a distinct divine person.


THE BIRTH OF JESUS RAISES AN IMPORTANT QUESTION

Matthew tells us:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was thus: His mother Mary having been betrothed to Joseph, before their coming together, she was found having in womb through the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew 1:18 — BLB

Luke explains:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the Holy One being born will be called the Son of God.”

Luke 1:35 — BLB

Notice Luke's parallel language:

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME UPON YOU.

THE POWER OF THE MOST HIGH WILL OVERSHADOW YOU.

And the resulting child is called:

THE SON OF GOD.

This creates an interesting question for traditional Trinitarian terminology.

If the Holy Spirit is a completely distinct third person and Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit, why is Jesus never called:

“THE SON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT”?

Instead, Scripture repeatedly identifies:

GOD THE FATHER

as Jesus' Father.

The attached Biblical Unitarian study makes essentially this argument concerning Matthew 1 and Luke 1.

However, we should not say this alone proves the Trinity false.

Trinitarians answer that conception by the Holy Spirit does not imply personal fatherhood and that the Father remains eternally Father of the Son.

So the passage contributes evidence to our investigation; it should not be made to carry the entire argument.


“THIS IS MY BELOVED SON”

At Jesus' baptism:

“And behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, ‘This is My Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased.’”

Matthew 3:17 — BLB

And at the Transfiguration:

“This is My Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”

Matthew 17:5 — BLB

The Father identifies Jesus as:

“MY SON.”

Likewise Hebrews says:

“You are My Son; today I have begotten You.”

Hebrews 1:5 — BLB

The biblical relationship repeatedly emphasized is:

GOD THE FATHER

and:

HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.


GOD ANOINTED JESUS WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

Peter preached:

“Jesus from Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power…”

Acts 10:38 — BLB

Look carefully at the structure:

GOD

anointed:

JESUS

with:

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND POWER.

And Peter concludes:

“…because God was with Him.”

This language naturally raises the question:

If Jesus himself were Almighty God and the Holy Spirit another co-equal Almighty person, why does Peter describe God anointing Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power?

The passage instead presents Jesus as God's anointed Messiah, empowered by God.

Indeed, the words Messiah and Christ refer to the anointed one.

The source article also emphasizes that Jesus' supernatural ministry is associated with God placing His Spirit upon him.


THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GIVEN

The Bible repeatedly speaks of God giving His Spirit.

Jesus says:

“…how much more will the Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those asking Him!”

Luke 11:13 — BLB

Paul likewise speaks of:

“…God, the One also giving His Holy Spirit to you.”

1 Thessalonians 4:8 — BLB

Peter says Jesus:

“…having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear.”

Acts 2:33 — BLB

Notice the sequence:

THE FATHER IS THE SOURCE.

JESUS RECEIVES FROM THE FATHER.

JESUS POURS IT OUT.

This does not sound like three indistinguishable co-equal actors.

There is an order:

GOD → CHRIST → BELIEVERS.


THE SPIRIT IS “POURED OUT”

God says:

“I will pour out My Spirit…”

Joel 2:28

Peter applies this prophecy at Pentecost.

The Bible therefore uses remarkable language concerning God's Spirit.

It can be:

given

received

poured out

placed upon people

and believers can be:

filled with it.

The attached study argues that this distributive and “liquid” vocabulary fits naturally with God's Spirit as His empowering presence and gift rather than another divine person.

Again, figurative language alone cannot settle personhood—Scripture uses metaphors freely.

But taken together with the wider biblical vocabulary, it is significant evidence.


“THE FINGER OF GOD”

Here is another fascinating comparison.

Matthew records Jesus saying:

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God…”

Matthew 12:28

Luke's parallel account says:

“But if I cast out demons by the finger of God…”

Luke 11:20

Compare them:

SPIRIT OF GOD

and:

FINGER OF GOD.

These parallel descriptions strongly associate God's Spirit with God's active power and operation.

The Biblical Unitarian study likewise highlights this comparison as evidence for understanding the Spirit as God's power in action.


BUT DOESN'T THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAK?

Yes.

And this evidence should not be hidden.

For example:

“Now the Spirit says expressly…”

1 Timothy 4:1 — BLB

And:

“And as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart then to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”

Acts 13:2 — BLB

Trinitarians reasonably point to such passages as evidence of personal agency.

But Scripture also frequently personifies things that are not separate persons.

Wisdom speaks in Proverbs.

Sin deceives.

Blood cries out.

Scripture speaks.

And God's word accomplishes God's purpose.

Therefore:

SPEAKING LANGUAGE MUST BE CONSIDERED,

but:

SPEAKING LANGUAGE ALONE DOES NOT SETTLE THE QUESTION.

The question remains whether God's Spirit speaks as an independent divine person or whether Scripture describes God Himself acting and communicating through His Spirit.


HEBREWS 10:15–16 IS PARTICULARLY INTERESTING

Hebrews says:

“And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after having said before…”

Hebrews 10:15 — BLB

Then follows:

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord…”

Hebrews 10:16 — BLB

The writer attributes the Old Testament testimony to:

THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Yet the quotation itself has:

“SAYS THE LORD.”

This is consistent with the biblical concept of God speaking through His Spirit.

It certainly does not require us to imagine God's Spirit as silent or impersonal.

God's Spirit communicates God's own words.


WHAT ABOUT JOHN 14–16 AND “THE HELPER”?

This is probably one of the strongest areas for the Trinitarian position.

Jesus promises:

THE HELPER

or Greek:

παράκλητος — PARAKLĒTOS.

Jesus says the Helper will:

teach

remind

testify

guide

hear

and:

speak.

We should not dismiss this evidence.

However, paraklētos itself means an advocate/helper and does not mean:

“THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY.”

Interestingly, Jesus himself is called paraklētos in 1 John 2:1.

The attached study interprets John's Helper passages as personification of God's gift of holy spirit, noting that personification is common biblical language.

Whether that interpretation explains every detail of John 14–16 deserves its own detailed study.

So we should not simply announce that the pronouns “prove” either theology.

We should investigate the Greek carefully.


CAPITAL LETTERS DO NOT PROVE PERSONHOOD

There is another fact many readers understandably do not realize.

The capitalization:

“Holy Spirit”

versus:

“holy spirit”

is an editorial decision in English translation.

Ancient Hebrew did not distinguish uppercase and lowercase letters in the way modern English does, and the earliest Greek manuscripts likewise do not give us an English-style capitalization distinction.

Therefore, seeing:

“Holy Spirit”

with capital letters in an English Bible does not itself prove personhood.

The attached study correctly emphasizes that capitalization is supplied by translators rather than being encoded as such in the original manuscripts.


WHY IS THE HOLY SPIRIT SO OFTEN ABSENT?

This is another question worth considering.

The New Testament repeatedly presents:

GOD THE FATHER

and:

JESUS CHRIST HIS SON.

For example:

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 1:7 — BLB

Likewise, John writes:

“…our fellowship is indeed with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

1 John 1:3 — BLB

And:

“The one abiding in the teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son.”

2 John 9 — BLB

If the Holy Spirit is the third co-equal divine person necessary to the identity of the one God, why is He so frequently absent from these formulations?

This is not conclusive proof—the New Testament certainly has triadic passages.

But the pattern deserves examination.

The source article makes this omission argument extensively, pointing to greetings, fellowship language, prayer and other passages centered upon God and Christ.


WHAT ABOUT MATTHEW 28:19?

Jesus commands baptism:

“…in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…”

Matthew 28:19 — BLB

This is one of the most important Trinitarian passages.

It undeniably places:

FATHER

SON

HOLY SPIRIT

together in a baptismal formula.

But notice what the verse itself does not say:

“THE THREE ARE ONE GOD.”

It does not say:

“THE THREE ARE CO-EQUAL.”

It does not say:

“THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE THIRD PERSON OF GOD.”

Matthew 28:19 must therefore be included in our evidence, but the doctrine of three co-equal persons in one essence requires additional theological inference.


WHAT ABOUT THE TRINITY SHIELD?

The famous Trinity diagram states:

The Father is God.

The Son is God.

The Holy Spirit is God.

But:

The Father is not the Son.

The Son is not the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not the Father.

Your original article concluded from this that Trinitarians therefore believe in “three Gods.”

That wording needs correcting.

ORTHODOX TRINITARIANS DO NOT CLAIM TO BELIEVE IN THREE GODS.

They explicitly reject tritheism.

Their doctrine says the three distinct persons share one indivisible divine essence or being.

We can certainly challenge whether that doctrine is actually taught by Scripture.

But we should challenge the doctrine as Trinitarians themselves define it, rather than saying they openly believe something they explicitly deny.

The stronger question is:

WHERE DOES SCRIPTURE TEACH THAT THREE DISTINCT PERSONS ARE EACH FULLY GOD WHILE TOGETHER CONSTITUTING ONE GOD?

That puts the burden directly on the biblical evidence.


“I AM YAHWEH, AND THERE IS NONE ELSE”

Yahweh declares:

“I am Yahweh, and there is none else. Besides me, there is no God.”

Isaiah 45:5 — WEB

Again:

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me.”

Isaiah 46:9 — WEB

Israel's faith is uncompromisingly monotheistic.

And Jesus himself affirmed Israel's confession:

“The foremost is, ‘Hear this O Israel: The Lord our God is One Lord…’”

Mark 12:29 — BLB

Any doctrine concerning the Father, Son and Holy Spirit must therefore be reconciled with this foundational biblical declaration:

GOD IS ONE.


SO WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

After examining the biblical evidence, I believe Scripture uses Spirit-language in closely related ways.

First:

GOD'S OWN SPIRIT — HIS PRESENCE AND ACTIVITY.

Scripture speaks of:

Yahweh's Spirit

God's Spirit

My Spirit

and:

Your Holy Spirit.

Second, Scripture speaks of:

GOD GIVING HIS SPIRIT TO PEOPLE.

God's Spirit empowers, guides, reveals, strengthens and works through His people.

The Biblical Unitarian study similarly proposes two principal uses: “Holy Spirit” as a designation for God and “holy spirit” as God's gift/nature given to believers.

I would phrase the conclusion slightly more cautiously:

Context must determine precisely how Spirit-language functions in each passage.

But throughout Scripture, the Spirit is unmistakably:

GOD'S SPIRIT.


QUICK FACTS

The Bible speaks repeatedly of “the Spirit of Yahweh” and “the Spirit of God.”

God calls it “My Spirit.”

David calls it “Your Holy Spirit.”

God gives His Spirit.

God pours out His Spirit.

Jesus receives the promised Holy Spirit from the Father.

God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power.

Matthew 12:28 and Luke 11:20 parallel “Spirit of God” with “finger of God.”

The Spirit speaks, teaches and guides—evidence that must genuinely be considered.

The Bible never uses the expression “third person of the Trinity.”

The Bible never explicitly states “God is three persons.”

Paul explicitly says, “there is one God, the Father.”

Jesus calls his Father “the only true God.”

Therefore the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is a separate, co-equal, co-eternal third divine person must be demonstrated from Scripture rather than assumed from later terminology.


FINAL CONCLUSION

The question is not:

DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT EXIST?

Of course God's Spirit exists.

Nor is the question:

DOES GOD'S SPIRIT ACT, SPEAK, TEACH AND EMPOWER?

Scripture plainly describes these things.

The real question is:

DOES SCRIPTURE IDENTIFY THE HOLY SPIRIT AS A SEPARATE THIRD PERSON WITHIN A TRIUNE GOD?

After examining these passages, I do not believe Scripture explicitly teaches that doctrine.

Instead, I find the Bible continually speaking about:

YAHWEH'S SPIRIT.

GOD'S SPIRIT.

HIS SPIRIT.

MY SPIRIT.

YOUR HOLY SPIRIT.

And above all, Scripture gives us this remarkably simple confession:

“yet to us there is one God, the Father…”

1 Corinthians 8:6 — BLB

And Jesus himself prayed:

“…that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

John 17:3 — BLB

Therefore I believe we should allow Scripture itself—not later creedal terminology—to define God, His Son, and His Holy Spirit.

ONE GOD — THE FATHER.

ONE LORD — JESUS CHRIST.

AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD — GOD'S OWN HOLY SPIRIT, THROUGH WHICH HE IS PRESENT AND POWERFULLY AT WORK.


RELATED ARTICLES:

Research by Simon Brown

wwwrealdiscoveriesorg-simon.blogspot.com

READ MY FULL STUDY

OLD ARTICLE: What Is the Holy Spirit?

Research by Simon Brown

wwwrealdiscoveriesorg-simon.blogspot.com

Quick Facts: John 3:16 — What Does “God Gave His Only Begotten Son” Really Mean?

John 1:1

Hebrews 1:10 – Did God Really Say to the Son, “You Laid the Foundation of the Earth”?

Bible study examining whether the Holy Spirit of Yahweh is taught in Scripture as a separate third person or as God's own Spirit, presence and power.

Sunday, 16 August 2026

1 Corinthians 8:6 – One God the Father and One Lord Jesus Christ


1 Corinthians 8:6 infographic comparing the original Greek with Bible translations that add words such as created, Creator and Jehovah, showing Paul’s statement about one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ.

This detailed Bible research infographic examines 1 Corinthians 8:6 in Greek and compares it with several English translations. It highlights Paul’s words, “one God, the Father, from whom are all things” and “one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things,” while examining translations that introduce words such as “created,” “were created,” “Creator,” and “Jehovah” that are not explicitly written in the Greek text.

QUICK FACTS: 1 CORINTHIANS 8:6

WHAT DOES THE GREEK TEXT REALLY SAY?

1 Corinthians 8:6 is one of Paul's clearest statements concerning the identity of the one God and the one Lord Jesus Christ.

The Berean Literal Bible reads:

“Yet to us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and we through Him.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:6, BLB

Notice exactly what Paul says:

ONE GOD — THE FATHER

and

ONE LORD — JESUS CHRIST

But when we compare this simple Greek wording with several English translations, we discover that some translations add interpretive words concerning creation that are not explicitly present in the Greek text.

Let's examine them.


THE GREEK TEXT

The relevant Greek reads:

ἀλλ’ ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατήρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν· καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς δι’ αὐτοῦ.

The important expressions are:

ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα

“from whom are all things”

and:

δι’ οὗ τὰ πάντα

“through whom are all things”

The Greek text itself does not explicitly contain the words:

“CREATED”

or:

“WERE CREATED.”

Those words are interpretive additions supplied by certain translators.

That does not automatically prove dishonest intent, but readers should know when a translation has moved from translating the Greek into interpreting what the translators believe Paul meant.


THE ARAMAIC BIBLE IN PLAIN ENGLISH

The Aramaic Bible in Plain English reads:

“To us, ours is one God The Father, for all things are from him and we are in him, and The One LORD JEHOVAH Yeshua The Messiah, for all things are by him, and we are also in his hand.”

Immediately notice the expression:

“LORD JEHOVAH YESHUA THE MESSIAH”

But “Jehovah” is not present in the Greek text of 1 Corinthians 8:6.

The Greek simply says:

Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

meaning:

“Lord Jesus Christ.”

Therefore, inserting “JEHOVAH” into the English wording goes considerably beyond what the Greek text actually says.

Whatever someone believes theologically about Jesus, the reader deserves to know that Paul did not write the Greek equivalent of “Jehovah” in this verse.


THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE

The Amplified Bible reads:

“…one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things [that have been created]…”

Notice the brackets:

[THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED]

Those words are not explicitly present in the Greek.

The Greek says:

“through whom are all things.”

The Amplified Bible is deliberately explanatory, and its brackets indicate supplied explanatory material. Nevertheless, that addition introduces a specific creation interpretation that the Greek phrase itself does not spell out.


NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

The NLT reads:

“There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created…”

and concerning Jesus:

“…through whom all things were created…”

Again, the Greek does not explicitly say:

“ALL THINGS WERE CREATED.”

Paul writes:

“from whom are all things”

concerning the Father, and:

“through whom are all things”

concerning Jesus Christ.

The NLT has therefore interpreted Paul's statement specifically in terms of creation rather than translating the expression more literally.


CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION

The CEV reads:

“We have only one God, and he is the Father. He created everything…”

and:

“Jesus Christ is our only Lord. Everything was made by him…”

Once again, expressions such as:

“HE CREATED EVERYTHING”

and:

“EVERYTHING WAS MADE BY HIM”

are interpretive expansions.

The underlying Greek expressions remain:

“from whom are all things”

and:

“through whom are all things.”


GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

The Good News Translation similarly reads:

“…the Father, who is the Creator of all things…”

and:

“…Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created…”

But Paul does not actually use the Greek word for “Creator” here, nor does the sentence explicitly contain the verb “created.”

Those ideas have been supplied by the translators as their interpretation of Paul's meaning.


WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Because there is a substantial difference between translation and interpretation.

Paul's actual distinction is remarkably simple:

ONE GOD, THE FATHER

FROM WHOM ARE ALL THINGS

and:

ONE LORD, JESUS CHRIST

THROUGH WHOM ARE ALL THINGS

We should first allow Paul to speak using the words he actually wrote before inserting theological explanations into his sentence.


PAUL IDENTIFIES THE ONE GOD

The most striking part of this passage is sometimes overlooked.

Paul does not say:

“For us there is one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

Instead, he explicitly identifies the one God:

“ONE GOD, THE FATHER.”

This agrees with Jesus' own words:

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
— John 17:3, BLB

Jesus distinguishes between:

“YOU, THE ONLY TRUE GOD”

and:

“JESUS CHRIST, WHOM YOU HAVE SENT.”

Paul likewise distinguishes between:

ONE GOD — THE FATHER

and:

ONE LORD — JESUS CHRIST


AN IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT “ALL THINGS”

We should also be careful not to make the opposite mistake.

The absence of the explicit Greek word “created” does not, by itself, prove that creation has nothing to do with Paul's statement.

The phrase τὰ πάντα — “all things” must be interpreted from Paul's context and wider theology.

Therefore, the strongest textual argument is not:

“THE GREEK PROVES THIS CANNOT REFER TO CREATION.”

Rather, it is:

“THE GREEK DOES NOT EXPLICITLY SAY ‘ALL THINGS WERE CREATED.’”

That distinction makes the argument more accurate and much harder to dismiss.


WHAT HAVE WE DISCOVERED?

The facts are straightforward:

1. Paul explicitly identifies the Father as “one God.”

2. Paul identifies Jesus Christ as “one Lord.”

3. The Greek says all things are “from” the Father.

4. The Greek says all things are “through” Jesus Christ.

5. The Greek text of this verse does not explicitly contain “created,” “were created,” or “Creator.”

6. The Greek text does not call Jesus “Jehovah.”

7. Therefore, translations that introduce these expressions are giving readers an interpretation of Paul's words rather than reproducing those particular words directly from the Greek.


FINAL CONCLUSION

When we remove the interpretive additions and return to Paul's Greek wording, his statement is remarkably clear:

“Yet to us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and we through Him.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:6, BLB

ONE GOD — THE FATHER.

ONE LORD — JESUS CHRIST.

Before building doctrine upon words such as “Jehovah,” “Creator,” or “all things were created,” we should first ask a simple Berean question:

ARE THOSE WORDS ACTUALLY IN THE GREEK?

In 1 Corinthians 8:6, they are not explicitly there.

That does not settle every theological question surrounding the verse, but it does tell us something extremely important:

LET PAUL'S OWN WORDS SPEAK BEFORE ADDING WORDS FOR HIM.

Research by Simon Brown

wwwrealdiscoveriesorg-simon.blogspot.com

Related articles:

Monday, 10 August 2026

Quick Facts: Does Paul’s Teaching Support the Trinity?

Quick Facts Bible study examining whether the Apostle Paul’s teachings support the Trinity, including 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Timothy 2:5 and 1 Timothy 6:15–16.

What did the Apostle Paul really teach about the identity of God? This Quick Facts study examines key passages including 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Ephesians 4:5–6 and 1 Timothy 6:15–16, inviting readers to carefully examine Paul’s distinction between the one God, the Father, and Jesus Christ.

QUICK FACTS: DOES PAUL’S TEACHING SUPPORT THE TRINITY?

PART 1

What did the Apostle Paul actually teach about God?

Did Paul teach that the one God is three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Or did Paul repeatedly identify the ONE GOD as THE FATHER, while distinguishing Jesus Christ as God’s Son, Lord, Messiah and mediator?

Rather than beginning with a later theological doctrine, let us begin with Paul’s own words.

Here are the QUICK FACTS.

QUICK FACT 1 — PAUL SAID THERE IS “ONE GOD”

Paul wrote:

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
— 1 Timothy 2:5

Notice carefully that Paul identifies two parties:

ONE GOD

and

ONE MEDIATOR — CHRIST JESUS

A mediator stands between parties.

Paul does not say:

“There is one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

Instead, he distinguishes the ONE GOD from the man Christ Jesus, who is the mediator between God and mankind.

This raises an important question:

If Jesus is Himself the one God in this statement, between whom is Jesus mediating?

QUICK FACT 2 — PAUL IDENTIFIED THE “ONE GOD” AS THE FATHER

Paul becomes even more specific:

“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ...”
— 1 Corinthians 8:6

Look carefully at Paul’s words:

ONE GOD = THE FATHER

ONE LORD = JESUS CHRIST

Paul does not identify the “one God” here as three persons.

He explicitly says:

“ONE GOD, THE FATHER.”

At the same time, Paul gives Jesus the exalted title “one Lord.”

The Father and Jesus are both central to Paul’s faith, but Paul distinguishes them rather than identifying both as the one God.

QUICK FACT 3 — PAUL AGAIN SAID “ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL”

Paul wrote:

“One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
— Ephesians 4:5–6

Again Paul identifies:

ONE LORD

and

ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL.

Notice also Paul’s extraordinary statement that the one God and Father is:

“OVER ALL.”

Paul’s language is remarkably consistent.

The ONE GOD is repeatedly identified as THE FATHER.

QUICK FACT 4 — PAUL DESCRIBES THE “ONLY SOVEREIGN”

Now consider one of the most remarkable passages in Paul’s writings:

1 Timothy 6:15–16.

Paul speaks of:

“the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.”

Four expressions deserve very careful attention:

  1. ONLY SOVEREIGN

  2. KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

  3. WHO ALONE HAS IMMORTALITY

  4. WHOM NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN OR CAN SEE

Who is Paul describing?

That is the question we need to examine from Scripture rather than simply assuming the answer.

QUICK FACT 5 — WHAT DOES THE GREEK ACTUALLY SAY?

The Greek wording behind 1 Timothy 6:15 includes:

βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων

King of those reigning as kings

and:

κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων

Lord of those exercising lordship.

This is naturally expressed in English as:

“KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The Greek construction emphasizes supremacy.

This individual stands above every king and every lord.

That agrees with the preceding description:

“THE BLESSED AND ONLY SOVEREIGN.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO PART 2

But Paul has not finished.

In Part 2 we will examine one of the most important statements in this entire passage:

“WHO ALONE HAS IMMORTALITY.”

We will then compare this with Jesus’ remarkable statement that:

THE FATHER “GRANTED” THE SON TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF.

— John 5:26

If the Father granted the Son life in Himself, what does this tell us about the relationship between God and Jesus?

And what did Jesus mean when He called His Father:

“THE ONLY TRUE GOD”?

— John 17:3

Continue to Part 2 as we allow the Bible to speak for itself.

Research by Simon Brown

REAL DISCOVERIES

https://wwwrealdiscoveriesorg-simon.blogspot.com/