Ephesians 4:6

One God and Father of all, &c.— Though God may be stiled the Father of all things universally, who is above, through, and in them all, as he created and upholds them, and has supreme dominion over them: and as in him we live, and move, and have our being; yet the father of all, &c. in this place, evidently means something more peculiar and distinguishing, withspecial relation to all his believing people, and to his gracious operation in them: for this best suits the design of the Apostle's argument, and is most agreeable to all the other instances of union before recited, which, undoubtedly, have a particular and restrained reference to the church; and the all here intended, admits of a very easy construction, as answering to the one body, Ephesians 4:4 and to you all in the close of this verse. But when the Father of all true believers is said to be one God, this no more excludes the Son and Spirit from being God, together with the Father, than Christ's being called one Lord, and the Holy Ghost one Spirit, Ephesians 4:4 excludes the Father from being Lord and Spirit together with them: and what is here said of God the Father as over or above all, (επι παντων), is said of Christ, as over all, (επι παντων) God blessed for ever (Romans 9:5.) and as the Father is through and in all believers, and all things that refer to them as believers; so it is said of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all things are by him, or through him, (δι ου τα παντα), 1 Corinthians 8:6 and that he fills all in all, Ephesians 1:23 and believers are the temples of the Holy Ghost, in whom the Spirit of God dwells, (1 Corinthians 3:16.) Therefore one God and Father of all may be considered either as a personal character, and so the meaning is, that there is but one God the Father, in distinction from one God the Son and Spirit; or as an essential character, and so there is but one true God, inclusive of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to whom we are devoted in our baptism, Ephesians 4:5 in opposition to all false Gods; and with just the same propriety it may be said, there is one God the Son, and one God the Spirit, to distinguish them personally from the Father, and essentially from all false gods.