Matthew 19:26: With God, All Things Are Possible

The phrase “with God, all things are possible” is a very popular one amongst the folds of Christians today. We’ve seen it on banners, framed pictures, and maybe even used it ourselves a number of times.  It was also adopted as the motto of the U.S state of Ohio in 1959.

Like other popular Bible verses, it’s easy for overfamiliarity to set in over a piece of Scripture and we forget the meaning behind it. This phrase in particular is one that is very powerful when the deep meaning behind is fully understood.

For further context, this article seeks to help us become aware and refresh our memories by explaining the significance of this verse, its meaning, and how we can utilize it in our lives today.

What Scripture Says With God All Things Are Possible?

This phrase is found in Matthew 19:26. It says, 

“But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Understanding the context of this verse would mean going a few verses back to explore the story that leads up to this verse.

Matthew 19:16 starts with a young man approaching  Jesus to ask Him what he must do to get eternal life. Jesus replied by telling him that he must keep the commandments. The young man asked which ones and Jesus listed a few like, 

“You shall not murder,

You shall not commit adultery,

You shall not steal, 

You shall not bear false witness,

Honor your father and mother, and,

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The young man replied that he had kept all those commandments since birth and asked what else he needed to do. Jesus, seeing that he spoke the truth, told him in Matthew 19:21, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Hearing this, the young man left, because he was very rich and he couldn’t bear to let go of his wealth. Jesus then told His disciples that it would be very difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He even emphasized it by saying that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.

On hearing this, His disciples were very troubled and wondered who would be saved if it was that hard to enter into God’s kingdom. 

Jesus, knowing their heart, told them that it would be normally impossible if they relied on themselves, but with God, all things are possible.

What Is The Meaning Of Matthew 19:26?

This verse doesn’t aim to alarm us about how hard God’s kingdom is to enter but to give us a promise of possibility.

First of all, we could see from the young man’s attitude that he believed that he could earn entrance into God’s kingdom through his good works. By telling him of all the commands that he was supposed to follow, Jesus wasn’t actually trying to give him tangible commands to follow. If he did, He would have probably handed everyone that came to Him a handbook titled ‘Six Steps To Entering The Kingdom of God’.

In reality, He was trying to help the young man understand how futile it was to try to access God’s Kingdom by relying on our strength and our works alone.

Today many people believe that they are saved because they do all the right things like feeding the poor or going to church every Sunday. But this verse helps us know that these things do not matter if we don’t accept the grace made available to us by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Jesus died and rose for us to have access to God’s Kingdom, simply by believing, and not by toiling to get there.

Of course, there’s a place for holiness and staying away from sin. But even this can only be achieved with the help of the Holy Spirit at work in us. He cultivates good fruits like love and patience in us that will then reflect in the way we act. Trying to live a Christ-like or God-like life (Christianity) without the help of God Himself will always be futile.

Apart from this, the promise “with God all things are possible” also applies to everything else in our lives. When sorrows and misfortunes hit us and it seems like we have no hope left, we have to remember that with God, bouncing back is possible.

In times of sickness and diseases that threaten to take our lives, we must hold fast to the promise that healing is possible. In every situation that seems hopeless we must stick to the promise that with God, anything is very possible!

What Miracles Did God Or Jesus Do?

The miracles of Jesus are further proof of His ability to solve impossible problems. His healing miracles were:

• Cleansing the Lepers: Matthew 8:1–4.
• Healing the blind:  Matthew 9:27–31; Mark 8:22–26; 10:46–52, Luke 18:35–43; John 9:1–38.
• Healing of Peter’s mother-in-law: Mark 1:29–31.
• Healing the paralyzed man: Matthew 9:1–8, Mark 2:1–12.
• People touching Jesus’ clothing are healed: Matthew 9:20–23, 14:35–36; 
• Healing of the deaf and mute man: Mark 7:31–37.
• Cut-off ear is repaired: Luke 22:47–53.
• Demons are cast out and their ailments healed: Matthew 9:32–33, 17: 14-18.
• Healing multitudes: Matthew 9:35; 15:29–31, Mark 1:32–34, 3:9–12, Luke 6:17–19.
• Raising the dead to life: Matthew 9:18–26, John 11:1–45.

Other miracles He performed include:

• Feeding of the multitudes: Matthew 14:13–21; 15:32–39.
• Walking on water: Matthew 14:22–33.
• Calming the storm: Matthew 8:22–25.
• Filling nets with fish: Luke 5:1–11, John 21:1–14.
• Turning water to wine: John 2:1–11.
• Cursing and withering of the tree: Matthew 21:18–22.

Final Thoughts

The validity of a vow or promise is very much dependent on the person who gave it. And who said, “with God all things are possible”? Jesus Himself who is God said it. From Scripture, we know that God doesn’t lie or even exaggerate. He keeps to His word. This is our extra confidence.

We serve a God who specializes in impossibilities. If He can part an ocean, raise the dead and come back to life, heal those who had been lame or blind since birth, and feed thousands of people from almost nothing, what wouldn’t He do for those He loves? He has promised us that nothing is impossible with Him, so we must believe that promise.