Scripture presents to us a God who is truly the Most High, El Elyon, the ultimate source of all things, the one to whom all authority belongs and to whom all creation must return. Time and again, the testimony of the apostles and the teaching of Jesus emphasize this monarchy of the Father. Jesus himself prays to the Father, calls him the only true God, and submits to him in all things. Paul declares, “For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist,” and at the consummation, the Son himself will be subjected so that God may be all in all. This hierarchy is not a human invention; it is woven into the very fabric of the gospel story. The Father alone is El Elyon, the source and goal of all life, the one whose authority and glory are supreme.
Yet Scripture also reveals to us the Son, the Word made flesh, preexistent, sent by the Father, and perfectly obedient to the Father’s will. In Jesus Christ we encounter the highest of the elohim, the one uniquely consecrated and commissioned by the Most High, through whom all things were made, and who is given universal lordship. He is called Lord and worshiped, yet always in a manner consistent with the Father’s supremacy. He repeatedly affirms the Father’s greatness, receives authority, and at the end hands the kingdom back, so that God may be all in all. The glory of the Son never threatens the monarchy of the Father; rather, it flows from the Father, serves the Father, and returns to the Father. Scripture consistently preserves this distinction, presenting both the true divinity of the Son and his functional subordination to the Father.
Psalm 82 gives us the clearest picture of this hierarchy. The psalm speaks of El Elyon standing in the divine council, judging the lesser gods, the sons of the Most High, who are called “gods” yet are held accountable and will die like men. Authority and honor can be granted and even called divine, but ultimate sovereignty remains with the Most High. When Jesus appeals to this very psalm in John 10, he is careful to avoid any claim of identity with El Elyon. He grounds his claim in Scripture, showing that being set apart and sent by the Father justifies his title as Son of God and Lord. He does not make himself the Most High, nor does he contravene the commandments, nor invite blasphemy. Rather, he demonstrates perfect obedience and fulfills the Father's will, revealing the Father to the world without ever undermining the Father’s supremacy.
The apostles follow this pattern. Paul calls Jesus “Lord,” not Elyon, and prays to him, blesses in his name, and encourages the church to honour him — yet always in a way that glorifies the Father who exalted him. The letters are full of this careful balance: the Father is the source, the Son is exalted, and the Spirit proceeds to testify and glorify, all according to the Father’s will. This pattern safeguards monotheism and honors the commandments. Early Jewish Christians, deeply formed by the Shema and by Israel’s law, would never intentionally risk blasphemy. Even Gentile Christians under Rome, who exercised practical authority in the empire, could not change the underlying truth that the gospel forbids any violation of the First Commandment. To honor Jesus is not to replace or rival El Elyon; it is to obey and worship in the pattern revealed by Scripture, giving the Father the glory through the Son.
The gospel does not teach confusion or rivalry, nor does it invite the breaking of commandments. It reveals a majestic and ordered harmony: the Father is the Most High, the ultimate source; the Son must reign above all except the Father, exalted and worshiped, yet obedient and deriving glory from the Father; and the Spirit glorifies both according to the Father’s will. Worship, honor, and obedience flow through this hierarchy, preserving monotheism and the commandments. From the Most High, through the Son, and back to the Most High, all things exist, are redeemed, and will ultimately be restored. To honor the Son as Scripture commands is not blasphemy; to obey the commandments and acknowledge the Father’s supremacy is not optional. Let us, therefore, in our worship and teaching, proclaim Jesus as Lord, honor the Father as El Elyon, and hold fast to the gospel that keeps the glory of God intact, the commandments fulfilled, and our hearts rightly aligned with the Most High. Amen.
AI as prompted by Stephen D Green
