He Is Able To Do All Things

Feature 2 – June 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

He Is Able To Do All Things

This article could be completed in just one statement: “He is able to do all things.” But let’s take a few moments to consider a number of things individually.

Keep Us From Falling
Jude 24 (KJV) says, “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” The first of the two things in this verse that the Lord is able to do for His saints is to keep us “from falling.” We usually stumble before we fall. He is able to keep us not only from falling but also from stumbling! This is part of that which He is doing now as our Great High Priest.

Present Us Faultless
The second thing given in Jude 24 the Lord is able to do is “to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” This too is part of His present ministry. Consider Ephesians 5:26-27, as Paul wrote about the assembly: “That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” The ministry of the Word that is going on in the assemblies, which is done in the power of the Holy Spirit, is one thing being used of the Lord to accomplish this work of preparation. In due time, believers will be presented faultless before the presence of His glory – a glorious Church. 

Cause Us To Stand
In Romans 14:4 we read: “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” This verse teaches us that we are individually accountable to our Lord and Master. Therefore, one servant of the Lord should not judge another as to how he or she does the work the Lord has given to that other servant. We can encourage to greater excellence – each servant seeking to complement and build up the other.

The day is coming when every man’s works shall be tried. “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1 Cor. 3:13). The Lord will carry out this judgment Himself.*

Strengthen, Encourage And Uplift
Throughout the centuries we see where God has strengthened, encouraged and uplifted the spirit of His servants. A few names come to mind:

• David went out to war against the Philistines and became faint. Ishbibenob, a giant of the Philistines, would have killed David, but God intervened and used Abishai to help David (2 Sam. 21:15-17).
• Elijah became discouraged, but the LORD encouraged and used him afterward to anoint kings and a prophet (1 Ki. 19).
• John was exiled on the Island of Patmos, but the Lord went to him. He encouraged and strengthened the apostle, saying to him, “Fear not; I am the First and the Last” (Rev. 1:17).
• Paul was ministered to by the Lord on numerous occasions and in various ways, on land and at sea (Acts 18:9-10, 22:17-21, 27:22-25).
• Peter was singled out by name by the Lord Jesus after His resurrection: “Go your way, tell His disciples and Peter” (Mk 16:7). This was an encouragement, for the report could be made, “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon” (Lk. 24:34) – Simon being another name for Peter (Mt. 4:18). Later, in John 21, we see how the Lord restored Peter in the presence of his brethren, telling him to “Feed My lambs” and “Feed My sheep” (vv.15-17), and that he should follow Him (vv.19,22). God is very well able to cause His servants to stand!

Supply Our Needs
In 2 Corinthians 9:8 we are told, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” Whether we speak of the Christian graces or the virtues that are needed to carry on the work of God, such as love, patience, compassion or kindness, God is able to supply it all. If we speak of daily necessities like food and clothing, money and shelter – or even motor vehicles to travel in the service of the Lord – the verse still holds true. Again, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” He is able to amply supply, or more than satisfy, all our needs. He, who fed the multitude of over 5,000 men besides woman and children with only five loaves of bread and two small fishes (Mt. 14:14-21), can certainly supply the needs of His saints. 

Keep
When we come to 2 Timothy 1:12 we see that He is able to keep, for we have these words: “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless, I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” We may wonder what the apostle Paul committed to the Lord for safekeeping. Was it his work, the teaching? What about the assemblies or the saints? God knows. He is not only a revealer of secrets but also a keeper of secrets. 

Build Us Up
“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). The Word of God is able to build us up, that we may be strong and healthy believers, able to build up one another in the Lord by the same help we have received from the Scriptures. 

Change Us
In Philippians 3:21 we have these words: “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.” The Lord will, in a soon-coming day, change these bodies of ours which are subject to pain, suffering and death, and fashion them like unto His glorious body. What a change! It is beyond our comprehension that we will be taken from a body of dust to a body of glory.

Do More Than We Ask
Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory.” Verse 20 implies that up until now we have not asked for great things from the Lord. Yes, we have often asked for things related to everyday affairs and the sick and needy, but have we asked for hard things? Consider some of the requests we find in the Bible.

• Moses asked to see God’s face, but the LORD told him that it was not possible. Yet, the LORD allowed Moses to see His back (Ex. 33:18-23).
• Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and received it (2 Ki. 2:9-14).
• James and John, two brothers who were apostles, asked that the one may sit on the Lord’s right hand and the other on the left in His kingdom, but it wasn’t for the Lord to give (Mk. 10:35-40).
• Peter asked the Lord to command him to walk on water, and it was granted (Mt. 14:25-33).

We should not let our human limitations cause us to try to limit His almighty power. Will not He who divided the Red Sea, rolled back the Jordan River, fed the nation of Israel for 40 years in the desert, defeated seven strong nations with powerful armies, and did so many other incredible acts recorded in Scripture take care of you and me?

Save Forever
A final word on His being able comes to us from Hebrews 7:25. There we read: “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” The salvation of God is an eternal salvation. He saves completely and forever. Throughout the furthest stretches of time and eternity – which has no end – we shall still be saved!

ENDNOTE
*Please be reminded that I am not here speaking of the judgment that ought to be carried out in the assembly. That is another matter.

By Milton Jamieson