The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum The use of "all"

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]I remember when my mother would come into my bed room when I was young and would say: "I want all your clothes picked up . . . the socks, the pants, the shirts." Do you think I could get away with not putting away my coat on the floor and underwear etc? After all, she qualified the term "all your clothes" with just groups or classes of clothes. But we know she really meant "all of the clothes" and should I be derelict, I may not get disciplined.<br><br>Paul is using the same logical construction is he not?</font><hr></blockquote><p>[img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/nope.gif" alt="nope" title="nope[/img] Sorry, he is not using the same "logic" in that text as you have offered in your illustration. A better and far more accurate illustration might be this: You are sitting in your History class with your other classmates and at the end of the period, the teacher says, "I want all/everyone to write a 6 page paper on the history of the Visigoths and on my desk by Monday morning at 9:00 a.m." Does this mean that "all/everyone" in the entire school is to write this paper? Well, hardly! [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/laugh.gif" alt="laugh" title="laugh[/img] And how do we know this? Because the CONTEXT reveals how his words are to be understood. The "all/everyone" is qualified by grammar, circumstance, audience, etc. Here are some biblical examples:<blockquote>Matthew 8:16 (KJV) "When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with [his] word, and healed [color:red]all</font color=red> that were sick:" (Did Jesus heal EVERY sick person that ever existed?)<br><br>Matthew 10:22 (ASV) "And ye shall be hated of [color:red]all</font color=red> men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." (Did Jesus mean every single man that ever lived shall hate those who follow Him? Certainly not. For all Christians are to love one another.)<br><br>John 12:19 (ASV) "The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Behold how ye prevail nothing: lo, the [color:red]world</font color=red> is gone after him." (Are we to understand that every last man, woman and child followed Christ? Hardly, for the Pharisees who spoke those words didn't follow him.)<br><br>Mark 1:37 (ASV) "and they found him, and say unto him, [color:red]All</font color=red> are seeking thee." (Did every single individual seek after Jesus? Not according to Paul in Rom 3:11 they didn't.)<br><br>Mark 11:32 (ASV) "But should we say, From men--they feared the people: for [color:red]all</font color=red> verily held John to be a prophet." ("All" here can't mean every man without exception, for the Pharisees didn't esteem John the Baptist a prophet.)<br><br>John 3:26 (ASV) "And they came unto John, and said to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and [color:red]all men</font color=red> come to him." (Did every man in the entire world, even those who were living at that time, submit to John's Baptism?)</blockquote>I hope you get the point here? [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/evilgrin.gif" alt="evilgrin" title="evilgrin[/img] The text clearly qualifies:<ol>[*]The meaning of "desires", which is God's preceptive will, that is what man is called to do as their responsibility: "to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth."</li>[*]The extent and meaning of "all men", i.e., all types of men, e.g., "kings and all that are in high place" as opposed to just common men.</li>[/LIST]Lastly, there are simply far too many passages which speak DIRECTLY of the extent the purpose of God in sending forth Christ and His atonement as being for the "sheep", "those whom the Father has given Me", etc., etc.... which would thus be found to contradict an interpretation that would make [color:red]all men</font color=red> to mean, every man, woman and child that has ever lived, is living and who will ever live.<br><br>In His Grace,