Vain Jangling
All means all and that’s all all means.
Sometimes in theology—especially within the scope of salvation—we hear such statements as, “All means all.” It is literally what the text says and we want to be true to the text. Right?
However, when we read such texts as:
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” — we claim it really means “mature” not “perfect”.
Matthew 5:48
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” — we claim it really means “awe” or “reverence” not “fear”.
Psalm 111:10a
We must be mindful not to base our choice of the strict or variant use of texts (or terms within texts) merely when it does or does not suit our personal theology. All does mean all, but its context determines whether it is all in the classroom, all who dwell in the city, all who reside in the state, all citizens of a country, or all peoples (not necessarily all individual persons) of the world.
Vain Janglings 