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Thoughts of...All or Nothing
The Word of God clearly presents the contrasts between unregenerate man and God. God and man could not possibly be further apart in nature. God is love, light, living, true, holy, pure, righteous, just, longsuffering, gentle, kind, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, eternal. Natural man is the complete opposite of all of those. The chasm between Creator and creature could not be wider.
That chasm is as wide as the chasm between “all” and “nothing.” “All”, which appears 5,478 times in the Bible, could be simply defined as “all less nothing.”
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are ALL they that put their trust in him. (Ps 2:12)
They are ALL gone aside, they are ALL together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have ALL the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD. (Ps 14:3-4)
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with ALL my ways. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. (Ps 139:3, 16)
And Jesus went about ALL Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing ALL manner of sickness and ALL manner of disease among the people. (Matt 4:23)
But the very hairs of your head are ALL numbered. (Matt 10:30)
ALL things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, ALL ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matt 11:27-28)
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God ALL things are possible. (Matt 19:26)
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang ALL the law and the prophets. (Matt 22:37-40)
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that ALL things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. ALL things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)
He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above ALL: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above ALL. (John 3:30-31)
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us ALL things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. (John 4:25-26)
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men unto me. (John 12:32)
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you ALL things, and bring ALL things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)
After this, Jesus knowing that ALL things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:28-30)
Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon ALL men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon ALL men unto justification of life. (Rom 5:18)
Nay, in ALL these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Rom 8:37)
For as in Adam ALL die, even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive. (1 Cor 15:22)
For ye are ALL the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26)
These but scratch the surface of “all.”. As in other small and common words in the Bible such as “but”, “do”, “full”, “will”, and “if”, the power and love of God can be found in “all.” Words we take for granted because they are so common are packed with deep meaning.
The power and love of God can also be seen in “nothing.” “Nothing”, which appears 223 times in the Bible, could, be simply defined as “all less all.”
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and NOTHING shall escape them. (Joel 2:1-3)
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of NOTHING; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (Rev 3:17)
Surely the Lord GOD will do NOTHING, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for NOTHING, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. (Matt 5:13)
For with God NOTHING shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37)
For NOTHING is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. (Luke 8:17)
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do NOTHING. (John 15:5)
For we brought NOTHING into this world, and it is certain we can carry NOTHING out. (1 Tim 6:7)
Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is NOTHING too hard for thee: (Jer 32:17)
We can readily see the power and love of God in the miraculous. We can also see His power and love in the common. Read the Word of God carefully and thoughtfully, being sensitive to the power and the love of God in the common things.
The Lord God Almighty, the God we serve, is the God of “all” and the God of “nothing.”
Pastor Doug
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