No word from God will ever fail.

Merry Christmas everyone.

This amazing promise is made to Mary in Luke 1:37. It caught my attention this year as we were working through the Christmas accounts. Frankly, I did not remember it being there before! And for good reason. Ever since the King James Version came out a few years ago (like 400), most English translations rendered this verse like this: "for nothing is impossible with God."

For the last number of years I have been using the TNIV, which was an update of the hugely popular NIV, which you probably use. This year (2011), the NIV underwent a revision, now called NIV (2011), and they no longer print the TNIV or the older version NIV. Anyway, the TNIV, and now the NIV (2011) render this verse, not like the KJV did, but instead they say, "No word from God will ever fail."

So what does the verse really say, and more importantly,what does it mean?

OK, bear with me here. There are two things in question regarding the meaning of the verse.

First is how to read the word translated "word" and which seems not even to be present in the KJV translation, but it is. The Greek word lying behind our translation is rhema. Rhema is one of two primary words for "word" in Greek, the first one being logos. In John 1 when we read "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God", it is logos. Logos means something like "expression" or "thought" or "reasoning." We get the English word "logic" from this word. But in Luke 1:37, when the angel speaks to Mary, she uses another Greek word for word: rhema. Rhema refers more so to a specific word or expression. It refers to something specific which is said, or even to a specific thing that is done. When the shepherds say, "let us go to Bethlehm and see this thing that has happened" (Luke 2:15), "thing" is a translation of rhema. Also when Mary pondered all these "things" it is rhema.


Rhema is often used, however, to record a specific word or command that God brought to someone for a specific task or need. In Ephesians 6, when we are told to put on the whole armor of God and to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It is rhema. In other words, we need the Bible all the time, but in the heat of battle we need the specific word (think the right ammunition) in order to be victorious in that moment, facing that specific situation. We need a rhema word from God.

These verses are examples of rhema as a specific word from God to a person: Matt 4:4, 26:75; Luke 1:38, 2:29; 3:2, 5:5, 24:6 (and more, but I do not have the time right now).

So the first question is whether or not to read rhema as "word" or "thing" The NIV (2011) chose "word" and the older NIV chose "thing," implied in "Nothing (no thing) is impossible with God." It seems most natural to read it as "word." The angel had just delivered an amazing prophetic word to Mary and she asked, "How can this be?" The angel explained about the agency of the Holy Spirit and then said, "no Word from God will ever fail."

Second is a decision whether or not to read the verb as present or future tense. The verb in the sentence is "impossible." The Greek word is future tense, active voice, indicative mood. There is really no reason not to read it as future. The translators who chose present tense (as in, Nothing is impossible) do so, I think from what I have read, simply because they think the context warrants it. In other words, the angel is speaking to Mary about her experience in that moment. However, it seems to me that the angel is also assuring Mary of events that will happen--she will conceive, give birth to the Messiah, etc.

So with these things in mind, we have a major shift in the way this verse is rendered: from the old translation; "Nothing is impossible with God" to the newer one "No word from God will ever fail." The meaning is not that much different; certainly the older rendition is true. However, the newer one is much more accurate, it seems to me, and opens up for us some new thoughts, which I explored in my Christmas morning meditation.

One of those thoughts for me is simply this: When God comes to me with a Word--a command, a promise, an encouragement--and I truly know it is God--that Word will never fail. It will happen, sooner or later. And, that Word, as hard as it may seem to me, will not be impossible for me to accomplish, or bear, or fulfill. I can do what God asks me to do. No doubt Mary wondered--am I up to this task, can I do this, will I be strong enough. Where God guides he provides. We can do the things God asks us to do.

Isn't God grand!

Thanks for digging deeper.