I like to look at the big picture of life. While I love to study the details of the Word, I am more of a strategist than and tactician: more of a leader than a manager. I didn’t all of a sudden decide that is what I wanted to BE, I just discovered that was who I WAS! It’s so much easier when you’re not trying to make something fit you: rather, it’s best that you step into what fits Him- your Maker.
II Peter 3:16 cautions us to not twist the Scriptures to make them fit what we want them to fit. The problem is that the second we begin reading the Word, we’re interpreting it. We can’t NOT do that- see with the paradigms, prejudices, and lens that we in fact are.
Bill Clinton brought all this back to us when he broke down the many meanings of “IS“. What does one mean when they say IS? You didn’t know it was all that difficult did you? But, while we poke fun at Willy, what about us?
What does the word ALL mean?
Does the word ALL mean ALL or does ALL mean SOME? I guess it depends upon the lens you look through now doesn’t it. Let’s take Romans 5:18 as an example. Pick a translation, it doesn’t matter. The basic statement, simply put, reads as follows: ”By one man’s sin (Adam) ALL are lost, but by one man’s righteousness (Jesus) ALL are saved.
My denomination taught me that the first ALL really meant ALL, but that the second ALL didn’t really mean ALL. The second all really meant just a few, a minority.
I’m struggling with that. How about you?
Hmmmmm. Interesting question. Verrrry interesting.
And then there’s “whosoever will” and “not willing that any should perish”.
Paradoxes all! And Richard Rohr comes to teach us on the paradoxes in January- Holding The Tension or opposites.
Since He is all, I’m happy to be in Him and it takes away fear
It is interesting that we all AGREE that adam was
successful, and that death passed to ALL! Yet, people
wonder, “Did Christ Fail to accomplish What He desired
to do?” Victory is a gift! Jesus everliveth to make
intercession for us! I know that His Prayer is “Make Us
One” and not exclude any from the ALL! Jesus absolutely
and without shadow of Doubt did exaclty what He desired to
do, and yet the Church argues to this day as if the work
of Christ was in vain for some individuals!