One God. One Dad. And He's ALL That!

One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph 4:6).

All alone in a dark Roman dungeon, the Apostle Paul paints a fabulous portrait of the unity of the Godhead and His church.  With a crystal clear picture of who He is, what He's done and the unbreakable bond we have in Him, there's absolutely nothing can tear us apart.  In Ephesians 4:4-6, he explodes in wonder over how the Father, Son and Spirit are completely integrated and intertwined with the church.  The man from Tarsus has already introduced two Members of the Trinitarian starting lineup: the Spirit (Eph 4:4) and the Lord Jesus (Eph 4:5).  Last but not least, he announces the third Member: "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (v6).  

In one flick of his pen, Paul goes from distant and omnipotent God over the universe to intimate and loving Dad in the home.  Not one OR the other.  He's both.  God is the ultimate sovereign deity ruling and reigning over His creation.  And He's also the caring and personal Dad who we can run to when we need Him.

One God.  One Dad.  He’s ALL that!

Throughout this entire passage, Paul repeatedly uses one word.  "One."  Seven times.  This is the little Greek word heis.  It means one only, a single one or a certain one.  The apostle doesn't want his Ephesian friends to forget that we worship "one God" (v6).  A single God.  God, the One and Only.  

The writers of both the OT and NT make it VERY clear that there is one and only one God.  This is the idea of monotheism.  It's kind of a big deal.  OK, it's a REALLY BIG DEAL!  Don't believe me?  Let's drop in on the Israelites just after God sprung them from pulling a 400 year shift as slaves in Egypt.  Fresh back from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments hot off the presses, Moses announces to God's people, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Dt 6:4). God, the One and Only.  Jesus backs that up when challenged one which one of God's commands is the most important (Mk 12:29).  God, the One and Only.  King David prays, "There is none like You, and there is no God besides You" (2Sam 7:22; 2Chr 17:20).  God, the One and Only.  David even writes a song about it, "You alone are God" (Ps 86:10).  God, the One and Only.  And the list goes on and on and on and on: Dt 4:35; 32:39; Ps 83:18; Is 43:10; 44:6; 45:14, 18; 46:9; 1Cor 8:4-6.  God, the One and Only.

But our one and only God is not some distant deity who cranked up His creation and headed off on a long vacation.  He's our "Father" (v6).  He's intimately involved with caring for you and me.  He becomes our heavenly Dad when we place our trust in His Son Jesus.  It was Jesus' talk of God as His Dad that got Him in hot water with religious muckity mucks of the day.  All the top Jews hit the ceiling when this crazy talking Carpenter from the boondocks claimed Yahweh was His Father.  And Jesus took this idea of God as Father even further when He taught His crew to pray to their heavenly Dad (Mt 6:9).  The First Member of the Trinity is not just Jesus' Dad but our Dad too!  Just as our Big Brother called His Dad by the intimate nickname "Abba" (Mk 14:36), so can we (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6).  He's our Dad, the One and Only. 

One God.  One Dad.

Then Paul writes a phrase that seems, well, kinda weird.  He tells us that God is the "Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (v6).  I don't know about you, but that's a little tough for me to wrap my tiny brain around.  Clearly, the key word is "all."  The apostle pulls the trigger on his machine gun and fires it off four times.  This is the Greek adjective pas.  It describes the totality of something, the entirety, the complete number or amount.  Everyone.  Everything.  Absolute.  The highest degree.  

The dude from Tarsus contrasting our singular, one and only God and Father with the totality of His intimate presence and involvement with His church and His creation.  Over how much of the universe does God rule over?  Every last inch.  Throughout how much of the universe is God involved?  Every last inch.  In how much of the universe is God present?  Every last inch.  Think of it this way.  Take a look around.  Our All Over God has His divine fingers in every bit of what you see.  The sky.  The stars.  The grass.  Your neighborhood.  Your workplace.  Your home.  All of it. 

One God.  One Dad.  He’s ALL that!

This isn't the only time Paul mentions this idea.  "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" (1Cor 8:6).  And in some of the last words he wrote before his own execution, the apostle wanted his buddy Tim to know the critical importance our one and only God.  "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus" (1Tim 2:5).

He is the sovereign God high above His creation.  He is our loving and intimate Father.  Not one or the other.  He's both.  

One God.  One Dad.  And He’s ALL that!