What is Impossible for Man but Possible for God!

Matthew 19:25-26–"When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, 'Who then can be saved?' But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

Throughout the New Testament, particularly in the mouth of Jesus, the limits of man are stated, affirmed, restated, reaffirmed, declared, exhorted, taught, and asserted.  And the chief limitation of man is in the highest: that man is wholly unable to achieve or earn a morally right standing before a holy God.  In more clear words, the human being possesses no strength of will or fortitude of character so powerful as to be able to earn or merit salvation upon himself.

The Jews of Jesus' day thought that if the laws were understood or articulated sufficiently then the human being could pull himself up by his moral bootstraps, so to speak, and be righteous.  Jesus, however, asserts an entirely different position: that man is wholly unable to please God in His flesh–remember these two statements: the flesh counts for nothing (John 6:63-65), and that man must be born again (John 3:3).

Quite plainly, it is impossible for the natural man to claim any righteousness or holiness of his own volition; it is not merely improbable to be so holy of character and will, it is utterly impossible.  This is central both to understanding the necessity of Christ but also for the human person to recognize the reality of his or her actual spiritual condition.  The great distance between the holiness of God and the depravity of man is not merely a difference of degree as much as it is a complete dissonance of constitution and kind.

We cannot please God because we are wholly unable to please or even choose to please Him apart from a primary Divine intervention that transforms and compels our beings to become inclined towards Him–again, remember that no one can come to God unless or until God Himself grants him or her to do so (John 3:27; 6:44, 65).

In no ambiguity, then, the whole of Christianity rests upon what God has done first.  Our election, our predestination, our conversion, our faith; its framework and impetus rests solely upon God's intervening in our beings and transforming our natural inclinations away from the flesh and to Him.  To be sure, this calls for nothing less than absolute praise at the overwhelming grace of God, and our complete devotion to His majesty.  After all, a miracle has occurred!  This is why it is such a profound thing to think that what is an impossibility for man is not only possible for God, it is amazing!

God of Impossibilities

To say that nothing impossible to God is an unfathomable distinction for us to comprehend.  But this is exactly the statement made throughout Scripture, of particular importance is Jesus saying it Himself (Matt 19:26).  While as an assertion it is logical and coherent, we struggle against the very tensile limits of language and thought to grasp its fullness and meaning.

The classical argument against runs something like this: 'can God create an object so large that He Himself cannot move it?"

While it may seem at first glance that this question has, in a sense, put God in a logical box that He cannot escape, I assure you that this question betrays itself.  Let me explain.

When we, as humans, think of possibilities we, because of our nature, are forced to think of it in terms of limitations.  In fact, our whole world is defined by limits.  After all, how would I be able to write this coherently if not for the limits of the english language; or how would I know that I am not the person next to me if not for the spatial limitations of my body (the list goes on and on).  These can be limitations of engineering, of language, of creativity, of resource, et al.  Because of this, we cannot fully fathom anything at all that is not defined by limit.

But God does not in any sense whatsoever possess limitations akin to our own.  His limitations are not based upon anything other than His own character.  For instance, He cannot do something unholy.  This is not a limitation but is the very essence of perfection, because when something is perfect it cannot at anytime or in anyway do or possess any imperfection.

In reference to the question about creating a giant object, we must recognize that not only does God not create in the same way as us (He creates by the very power of His word), but also He is never constrained to potentiality.  This is to say that God does not deal in that which may or may not be.  He is the ultimate reality; therefore, everything He does is.  He speaks and it occurs.  There are no constraining limitations to this method.  So in a real sense, the realest sense, nothing is impossible for God.

However, a small disclaimer must be asserted for fear of misunderstandings.  Although there is nothing impossible for God, in one sense there is a limit to what is possible.  That limit is, quite frankly, His very nature and character.  Because He is God, He is restricted to be God.  He cannot, as it were, do or be anything other than God in character and in nature.

We implicitly know this.  That is why the incarnation can be such a difficult thing for us to grasp.  But it is also this fact that makes the incarnation both a necessity as well as a true statement to the utter depths of God's love for us.  It shows us how far He was willing to go to vanquish sin from this world.  Jesus, the Son of God Himself incarnate, emptied Himself of His eternal power as he condescended to the form of a servant and a creature, and by His own volition was killed on our behalf so as to save mankind from the eternally destructive force of sin.

In the end, all we can say is: Amen!  And praise be to God!!!