A man's limitations are not the things he wants to do and can't;
they are the things he ought to do but doesn't.
The difficult we will do eventually,
the impossible will just take a little more time.
- Unknown
While on the way to town to run some errands, I was talking to Mom about impossibilities. Several hours later, on our way back home, she had me flip through a recent purchase of hers: an 832-page, hard-covered book entitled, "Family Guide to the Bible". I opened it randomly, and of all the pages I could have turned to, it was page 387 - which read, "IMPOSSIBLE". I laughed at the irony and began to look up the passages of Scripture listed under the word.
After using Strong's and Young's Concordances, I discovered that when "impossible" is used in the New Testament, it is being translated from 1 of 3 Greek words: aduna (or adunateo which is from adunatos), adunatos and anend.
Aduna means to be powerless, weak or impotent and is the word used in Luke 1:37 and Matthew 17:20:
- Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be aduna [impotent: unable to take effective action; helpless or powerless].
- Matthew 17:19-20 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be aduna unto you [you will not be powerless: without ability, influence, or power].
Adunatos means powerless, weak, or impossible and is the word used in Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27, Luke 18:27, Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 6:17-18 and Hebrews 11:6.
- Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is adunatos [impossible: not able to occur, exist, or be done]; but with God all things are possible.
- Mark 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is adunatos [impossible: not able to occur, exist, or be done], but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
- Luke 18:27 And he said, The things which are adunatos [impossible: not able to occur, exist, or be done] with men are possible with God.
- Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is adunatos [powerless: without ability, influence, or power] for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
- Hebrews 6:17-18 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was adunatos [impossible: not able to occur, exist, or be done] for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
- Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is adunatos [impossible: not able to occur, exist, or be done, powerless: without ability, influence, or power; weak: lacking the power] to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Anend means not to be received or not to be accepted and is the word used in Luke 17:1.
- Luke 17:1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is anend [not to be received: suffered or experienced] but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
Labels: FAITH, MUSIC, WORD STUDIES
