Kimberly Griffith Massey | Kimberly Griffith Anderson, Author
Mother. Wife. Aunt. Sister. Daughter. Friend. Teacher.
Student. Doula. Writer. Believer. Meet Kimberly Griffith Anderson.
Student. Doula. Writer. Believer. Meet Kimberly Griffith Anderson.
All Means All
April 24, 2022
April 24, 2022
In Scripture we find a plethora of words that are repeated throughout. Like any repetition, it is done for emphasis. As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, I wanted to point out a comprehensive 3-letter word that we find throughout the Bible. That word is ALL. If we go back to the Old Testament, we see that at the end of the sixth day of Creation, God saw all that He had made and it was very good. (Gen. 1:31) This was prior to the sin of Adam and Eve, so before the fall of man. We read a few chapters and a few generations later that, “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” (Gen. 6:5) He later sent a flood that destroyed every living thing and all mankind, except Noah’s family and the animals that boarded the ark with them. Sin, however, was not destroyed. Man has persisted in sin.
Due to God’s unfailing love for those He created in His own image, He sent His one and only Son to the earth to live and experience life in the flesh as a mortal human being - while maintaining His deity. Jesus didn’t come to earth because some people had committed a sin. He didn’t come because a few people lived a sinful lifestyle. He didn’t come because occasionally most people would inadvertently sin. He came because “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23)
All have sinned. This seems past tense, but sin is happening in the present, it is happening right now. Remember, generations ago, God said “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” We have not improved. We have more sophisticated ways of bearing false witness and lying, we murder on social media, we tell lies and use photoshop to prove it. We post about our sin, and our friends comment to help us justify our sinful motives, actions, and reactions. Rather than apologize, we sulk, hold grudges, and spread rumors. Rather than take time to reflect, which might reveal our own failing and maybe lead us to repentance, we blame. How many sins does it take to make someone a sinner? James 2:8-10 says, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
Jesus didn’t come to earth to take on the sins of some. He came that all sin for all people could be forgiven. He can sympathize with everything we ever feel. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” While His love and salvation are available to all, we must individually choose to believe. We must choose to live by His example. To expand Paul’s words in Romans 3:22-24, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
All can have eternal life, and it is a free gift, but this gift must be accepted and embraced. He cannot be tricked, He knows our hearts. ”You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13) "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:6) You may think this is difficult, and it would be impossible to do it on your own, but Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Amen.
Due to God’s unfailing love for those He created in His own image, He sent His one and only Son to the earth to live and experience life in the flesh as a mortal human being - while maintaining His deity. Jesus didn’t come to earth because some people had committed a sin. He didn’t come because a few people lived a sinful lifestyle. He didn’t come because occasionally most people would inadvertently sin. He came because “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23)
All have sinned. This seems past tense, but sin is happening in the present, it is happening right now. Remember, generations ago, God said “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” We have not improved. We have more sophisticated ways of bearing false witness and lying, we murder on social media, we tell lies and use photoshop to prove it. We post about our sin, and our friends comment to help us justify our sinful motives, actions, and reactions. Rather than apologize, we sulk, hold grudges, and spread rumors. Rather than take time to reflect, which might reveal our own failing and maybe lead us to repentance, we blame. How many sins does it take to make someone a sinner? James 2:8-10 says, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
Jesus didn’t come to earth to take on the sins of some. He came that all sin for all people could be forgiven. He can sympathize with everything we ever feel. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” While His love and salvation are available to all, we must individually choose to believe. We must choose to live by His example. To expand Paul’s words in Romans 3:22-24, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
All can have eternal life, and it is a free gift, but this gift must be accepted and embraced. He cannot be tricked, He knows our hearts. ”You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13) "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:6) You may think this is difficult, and it would be impossible to do it on your own, but Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Amen.
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This is a great read. The story line gives you a lot to think about as a young adult, a parent and a believer. Trusting our Heavenly Father and discerning his will for our lives can prove very challenging. I enjoyed reading this short story very much.
~Lisa Robinson |
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