D) All the Above
By Lexi Cole
"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Philippians 4:19-20
"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Philippians 4:19-20
“Don’t discriminate against ‘D,’” my professor joked. I was learning about test-writing in one of my teaching methods classes. While validity and reliability are important, the whole reason we assess children is to see if they fully understand. Oftentimes, multiple choice questions have choice “D” as the infamous “all the above.” More often than not, the answer is not “D”… it’s not “all the above.”
That makes sense. There aren’t many things in life that are completely absolute - - or “all the above.” Yet, we serve a God whose character is big enough to be everything - - He is the true epitome of “all the above.” He is powerful, yet personal. He is mighty, yet intimate. He is great and Creator-of-the-Universe, yet near enough to know our every thought and hear our very prayer. He is everything good and perfect and holy.
After being drafted into the German army during World War II, theologian Jürgen Moltmann spent most of the war as a prisoner interned in Belgium and the UK. It was there he learned the horrors of the German concentration camps that “his side” was operating. As a man of faith, he knew he served a God who was for the oppressed, and believed God sent His Son to liberate the oppressed. Now, he was left with the immense guilt of knowing he was aligned with the oppressors’ side. Moltmann’s liberation theology asked a very simple question: Could the God he served save the oppressor as well? He concluded that Christ did not come to die for just the oppressed, but also the oppressor. That’s the beauty of God’s magnitude - - He saves all people who put their trust in Him and through His love reconciles all who ask in faith. Whom does God redeem? D) all the above.
Our God is complete in His character, and redeems everyone who turns to Him. He is “all the above” in who He is, and He is “all the above” in whom He saves. I love that He is big enough to be the redeeming God of those who cry out to Him in oppression and those who cry out to Him for forgiveness for oppressing. As a teacher, I’ll try to “not discriminate against the ‘D,’” but I am so thankful for a God who - - in His character and in whom He saves - - is truly “all the above."
Going Deeper:
1. Reflect on God's character. What are some other attributes of God you've seen in your life? Before your day gets busy, talk to our Creator and thank Him for being "all the above."
Further Reading:
Psalm 40:5; Psalm 107:1-2
Lexi is an Elementary Education major at Bethel University…and is busy planning her 2012 wedding to fiancé, Andrew.
