"All" Isn't Not All

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

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I Peter 5:6-7

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

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I John 2:15-17

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

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Romans 3:21-23

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

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Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

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II Timothy 3:16-17

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

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Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

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Romans 15:13

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

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I’m endeavoring, as I read the Bible, to give specific and special attention to all the individual words in any given verse. Over the last several years, I’ve actively slowed down my reading. This has allowed me to meditate more upon the “words” rather than just grasp the general thought concept of what I’m reading.

And because of that, I’ve discovered:

“All” Isn’t Not All.

Meaning —

All means ALL. It doesn’t mean some; it means all. It doesn’t mean: “Well, not really “all” but pretty much all, most of the time.” It doesn’t mean “all” and “not all” at the same time.

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In contemplating Romans 15:13, the little word “all” has latched onto me. It has opened up an aspect of the verse I hadn’t considered before.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

I’ve asked myself several times: Is it really possible to have “all” joy and peace?

And …

I’ve come to the conclusion that the answer is yes. It just has to do with focus.

The verse doesn’t say we’ll have “all joy and peace” when our circumstances are just how we want them. It doesn’t say we’ll have “all joy and peace” because we live in America. It doesn’t say we’ll have “all joy and peace” when we have enough money to pay for our needs.

So then …

From whence does this kind of “all joy and peace” stem?

It stems from a basis of belief: “In believing.” All joy and peace is, and only is, possible as we live within the dynamic of our faith in Christ our Saviour.

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Here’s my personal, practical application.

Because I have agonizingly persevered through the Bible translations issue, the blessing for me has become an unequivocal assurance that the King James Version is THE Word of God. And as such, all of the words in it are specifically precious, powerful, and pertinent to my daily walk and life as a believer in Christ.

* I no longer have nagging doubts as to what the “ancient and best” manuscripts may or may not say about any particular verse. Nor do I have to wonder if more “ancient and best” manuscripts will be discovered sometime in the future.

* I don’t have to check to see what the scholars have to say or not say.

* I don’t have to keep buying the newest edition of the favorite translation that I choose to use.

* I am off the translation squirrel cage that keeps spinning out new editions.

And …

* I am not wondering when the next Dead Sea type manuscripts will be found and/or if there should be 67, 68, 69+ books in the Canon of Scripture.

Therefore:

A small word like “all” stands out with greater clarity and impact. And with that I’ve come to realize that —

“All” Isn’t Not All … “All” really IS ALL.

Therefore we can be assured that —

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

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Perhaps you can find some of your own “all” verses that will impact you as the ones I’ve shared have impacted me.

I trow that we all want all of God’s Word to impact us in all aspects of our life all of the time … not just some of the time.