1 Corinthians 8:4-6
The one true God and the one Lord Jesus Christ define reality for the believer.
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one.
5 For though there are things that are called “gods”, whether in the heavens or on earth; as there are many “gods” and many “lords”;
6 yet to 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 we live through him.
The one true God and the one Lord Jesus Christ define reality for the believer.
Paul clarifies the theological reality behind idol food by affirming that idols have no true existence and by reaffirming the exclusive lordship of the one God and the one Lord, Jesus Christ.
After warning about prideful knowledge, Paul now acknowledges the theological claim some Corinthian believers were making. They were correct that idols are not real gods and that there is only one true God. However, Paul reframes this knowledge within a distinctly Christian confession that centers both the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This section forms the theological foundation for Paul's later argument about Christian liberty and the responsibility to protect weaker believers.
In the pagan environment of Corinth, idols and temple worship were integrated into civic life. Christians were confronted with questions about how their confession of the one true God affected their participation in social and economic structures tied to idol worship.
Knowledge, Love, and the Weak Brother in a World of Idols
Christian knowledge and freedom must always be governed by love, so that believers do not use true doctrine in a way that wounds the conscience of a weaker brother for whom Christ died.