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The Impossible
“Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
I wonder if my readers remember the context in which the Savior spoke these words. It was in answer to the question raised by the disciples, “Who then can be saved?” (verse 25).
The answer makes it certain that salvation is not a work of man himself, but is a work of God alone. It cannot be brought about by anything within the sphere of human effort. No person can in any way save himself. Nor can they save their fellow man. Good works and charity are powerless; clean living cannot cause it to occur; it is not by baptism, joining a religious organization, or any other ordinance or ceremony. By nature, we are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).
Nothing but the work of God in the power of the Spirit can break the power of sin, give life, and set the sinner free. Remember, what is impossible humanly-speaking is indeed possible with God, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:14).
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