"ThursdayReflection"
22nd February 2024
'Aaron Berry asks'
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"What Is the Meaning of the Promise 'With God All Things Are Possible'?"
"Jesus looked at them and said,
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
You've seen it cross-stitched on pillows and hung on walls.
You've heard it recited before the Regional Championship and whispered before a big job interview:
This phrase speaks of God's omnipotence - his absolute power to what he pleases.
It's a theme that is echoed all throughout Scripture.
When Sarah and Abraham doubted God's promise to give them a son, God said,
"Is anything too hard for the LORD?".
When God displayed his absolute sovereignty to Job in his distress, Job replied,
"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted".
Jesus himself, when he prayed to his Father in the garden before he was crucified, cried out,
"Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me".
This phrase, "with God all things are possible," proclaims the absolute sovereignty and uncontested power of God.
I fear, however, that we have hijacked this profound phrase in Scripture and have turned it into a slogan for the power of positive thinking.
So, before we discuss what the meaning of this promise is, we should clarify what it does not mean.
"With God All Things Are Possible" is not a Good Luck Charm
Here's how we typically interpret this phrase: we transform "with God all things are possible" into "since God is with me, all things are possible ... for me."
In other words, since God is on my side, I can accomplish anything I want to do.
We claim God's power as a lucky rabbit's foot that gives us the ability to chase any dream or accomplish any task we want.
But this couldn't be further from the truth. God is not at our bidding - we are at his.
Although it is true that God is always with his children and gives them strength, he does not guarantee that we will succeed in every venture.
Sometimes, it is God's will for us to miss out on that job opportunity or lose that state championship.
Does that mean that God really isn't all powerful?
Does that mean that God somehow failed you?
Not at all.
When we hijack this phrase, we set ourselves up for frustration, doubt, and sorrow.
God is all-powerful, but he does not give us the right to claim that power for whatever we want.
When Jesus prayed to his Father in the garden before he was taken to the cross,
"all things are possible for you," he concluded by saying,
"Yet not what I will, but what you will."
The reality of the Father's absolute power compelled Jesus to submit to the Father's will, not to hijack that power to accomplish his own will.
If Jesus responded to his Father's power this way, shouldn't we respond in the same way?
We must go to the passage in which the phrase is found, since best safeguard against the misuse of Scripture is to understand Scripture within its given context.
Matthew 19:16-30 is the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking what he must do to have eternal life (v. 16).
Jesus responds by saying that he must not only follow all the commandments, but also give up all his possessions to the poor and follow him (vv. 17-22).
Far from preaching a works-bases salvation, Jesus was exposing the young man's treasures that were keeping him from a devotion to Jesus.
Upon hearing this radical command, the rich young ruler goes away "sorrowful, for he had great possessions".
We see that, within its original context, the phrase "with God all things are possible" was applied to the issue of salvation.
Humanity is completely unable to achieve salvation through personal effort - only God can save, because "all things are possible" for God.
It is the ultimate example of man's will contrasted to God's will.
The rich young ruler did everything he could to earn eternal life, but it wasn't good enough.
It is only through God's grace that one can receive eternal life.
><(((°>
Un-edited version, (MUCH MORE) available on request
(and Bible references)
Aaron Berry
Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
is a co-author for the Pursuing the Pursuer Blog.
You can read more articles from Aaron and his colleagues by subscribing to their blog or following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Aaron currently resides in Allen Park, MI with his wife and daughter, where he serves in his local church and recently completed an MDiv degree at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary.
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