When Does “all” not mean “all”? March 10, 2014
Question: When does “all” not mean “ALL”? Answer: InRomans 5:18.
Here’s theverse as it reads in the ESV: “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnationfor all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life forall men.” Could Paul possibly be saying every single person will be justifiedand granted eternal life? It might seem like it. We might paraphrase the verse:“Just as Adam’s sin brought God’s judgment upon everyone, so also Jesus’righteousness brings salvation to everyone.” But is that really what Paulmeans? No.
First, themeaning of the word “all” actually does change based on its context. Sometimesit means “everyone everywhere,” and sometimes it means “just the people in ourgroup.” We know this intuitively, and it’s no trouble for us to tell thedifference. For example, if I were to stand up at the beginning of our meetingthis morning and ask, “Are we all here?”, none of you would be confused. Youwould know I’m asking about “all our congregation,” not “all 7 billion peopleon Planet Earth.”
Second,Paul makes very clear in the prior verse that eternal life is only for thosewho receive it: “those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift ofrighteousness [will] reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (v17). Andin the very next verse, he distances himself from a universalistic sense of“all” by saying “the many will be made righteous” (v19).
Third,throughout this whole section (vv 15-21), Paul has labored to demonstrate theparallels in contrast between Adam and Jesus. In several statements, he keepsthe terms of the comparison identical at the (slight) expense of a literaltheological point. For example, in verse 19 Paul says “by the one man’sdisobedience the many were made sinners,” when we know full well that Adam’ssin spread to everyone, not just “the many.”
And fourth,each assertion Paul makes in this section applies only to those who are underthe domain of the two figures he is contrasting. In Adam’s case, “all” includesevery single person ever conceived, since every human being is “in Adam.” Butin Jesus’ case, “all” refers only to those who have responded favorably to Hiswork and are thus “in Christ.”