A reader posed a challenging question based on the following verse …

1 Corinthians 15:22 - For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

He Asked the Following Question

“Both instances of ‘all’ here are the Greek word ‘pas’ … how would you explain to someone that the same word in the same sentence means something different?”

My Three Part Response

All does not always mean everyone.

I am not a Greek scholar, but if one looks at other instances of Strong’s 3956 (1248 instances of the word “pas” in the Bible), I think it becomes clear that “all” is not to be taken as literal in every case.

There are many places in Scripture where hyperbole is employed to make a point. For example…

Mark 10:25 - It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

Matthew 5:29-30 - If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

So there is some latitude in the use of the word “all” to mean a group of people, but not everyone, when considering who has been “made alive,” if that is a reference to salvation (Ephesians 2:4-5). The Bible is clear that salvation is limited to those who confess Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9). The gate to Heaven is narrow and sadly few will find it (Matthew 7:14).

However, when referring to our inheritance of the sin of Adam, the word “all” does mean all of mankind, since that view is supported in other places in Scripture (Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5).

All could mean everyone.

The apostle Peter made the point that “the Lord does not wish anyone to perish, but all to reach repentance,” (2 Peter 3:9). From that perspective, there is a desire for universal salvation. But again, this must be considered hyperbole based on the abundance of verses to the contrary, and the general observation of humanity which clearly rejects any form of universal repentance. Verses such as John 14:6 and Romans 10:9 clearly limit salvation to those who know Christ.

Perhaps All means General Revelation

There is the theological concept of general revelation where all of mankind can look around us and see the hand of a Creator God. In that sense, we have “all been made alive.” However, only a narrow few (Romans 1:20) transition to special revelation, which is salvific.

Conclusion

It is one thing to walk through human logic, as a Biblical Christian … viewing Scripture from various angles in an attempt to understand God’s use of the term “all” expressed differently in the same verse. As a former atheist, my attempt above to make rational sense of this difference would be totally unacceptable if offered to my former self, on so many levels.

In the end, Biblical inerrancy and submissive exegetical study can come only from a position of faith (Hebrews 11:16). So the question of how a believer would explain the use of the word “all” being different in the same verse begins with an understanding of the audience.

1 Corinthians 1:18-19 - For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”