Living in a fast-paced society, bombarded with information and news concerning almost every facet of life, one can overlook the small things that occur as if insignificant. Scripture is filled with words having few letters but tremendous meaning.
These words often contain only two or three letters, yet they convey great biblical truths.
Paul and Silas were in jail for having cast out a demonic spirit from a slave girl who was bringing her owners much money. Though Paul and Silas could have been complaining, and protesting their plight, Scripture indicates that the opposite was occurring and God was about to intervene in the situation.
“And about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.
The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house” (Acts 16:31-33 NIV). Note the answer given to the frantic jailer.
There are two words which have great importance. The first one, “in” has only two letters. Faith had to be placed in the very One who took upon Himself the sins of that slave girl, her owners, the jailer and those of all humanity. Knowing “about” the Savior would not bring eternal life, for no doubt, as is still true today, many know of the death of Christ on the Cross. However, it was not until the jailer believed the facts of the gospel … “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4 NIV) and made it personal, that he had eternal life.
A second word surfaced in the answer Paul and Silas gave. It was the word “all.” No prisoner had attempted to escape — they were all there. Paul and Silas shared the message of Christ with the jailer and all of his household.
Though just a three-letter word, “all” appears nearly five thousand times in Scripture. Concerning the depravity of man, Paul wrote “… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23 NIV). He told the believers in Ephesus … “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:1-6NIV).
The Apostle Peter wrote … “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18 NIV). In his first epistle, John reiterated God’s unlimited love and grace toward the human race … “He [Christ] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins [believers], and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2 NIV). No one is excluded. All may come to God by faith in Christ and have eternal life.