With God All Things Are Possible — Matthew 19:26
Quick Answer
The phrase "with God all things are possible" comes from Matthew 19:26, where Jesus says: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27 records the same saying.
Matthew 19:26 in Five Translations
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”— Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”— Matthew 19:26 (ESV)
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.— Matthew 19:26 (KJV)
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”— Matthew 19:26 (NLT)
And looking at [them] Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”— Matthew 19:26 (NASB)
Read the full chapter: Matthew 19
The Context: What Jesus Was Answering
The line is not a standalone slogan. It closes a conversation in Matthew 19 that begins when a wealthy young man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and give to the poor. The man leaves grieving, because he has great wealth.
Jesus then tells the disciples 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. That is what astonishes them, and it is their reaction that prompts the verse.
So the disciples ask the question the verse answers: "Who then can be saved?" Jesus's reply is about salvation — something no one can accomplish for themselves, and God can. The impossibility He names is a human one, and the possibility He offers is God's.
The passage in context (NIV)
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
What the Verse Means
Read in context, Matthew 19:26 is a statement about God's power to save people who cannot save themselves. The disciples had just concluded that if wealth is an obstacle, salvation must be out of reach. Jesus does not soften the difficulty — He agrees it is impossible for people, and locates the possibility entirely in God.
The Greek phrase behind "all things are possible" (panta dynata) attaches the possibility to God rather than to the person praying. The emphasis falls on who God is, not on what the believer can unlock.
Mark 10:27 preserves the same saying from the same episode with slightly different wording, and Luke 18:27 records it as well. Luke 1:37 and Jeremiah 32:27 express the same conviction in other settings, which is why they are often quoted alongside it.
How the Verse Is Often Misused
Matthew 19:26 is frequently quoted as a promise that any specific outcome a person wants — a job, a healing, a relationship, a financial goal — will happen if they believe hard enough. That reading detaches the sentence from the question it answers.
Jesus is not saying every human wish becomes achievable. He is saying that entering the kingdom of God, which no amount of wealth or effort can buy, is possible because God accomplishes it. The verse is about God's capacity, not a guarantee about our circumstances.
This distinction matters pastorally. Read as a blanket promise, the verse can leave people feeling that unanswered prayer is a failure of their faith. Read in context, it says something more durable: the thing you most need and cannot achieve is precisely what God can do.
Related Verses
Mark 10:27
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
The same saying, from the same conversation, in Mark's account.
Luke 18:27
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
Luke's record of the same exchange.
Luke 1:37
For nothing is impossible with God.
The angel Gabriel to Mary — the same conviction at the Annunciation.
Jeremiah 32:27
“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
God's own question to Jeremiah, the Old Testament parallel.
Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Often paired with it, though Paul is writing about contentment in need and plenty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Bible verse says "with God all things are possible"?
Matthew 19:26. In the NIV it reads: "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Mark 10:27 and Luke 18:27 record the same saying from the same conversation.
Is "with God all things are possible" in the Old Testament?
The exact phrase is from the Gospels, but the same conviction appears in the Old Testament. Jeremiah 32:27 has God ask, "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Genesis 18:14 asks the same question to Abraham and Sarah.
What is the difference between Matthew 19:26 and Philippians 4:13?
They are different sayings by different speakers about different subjects. Matthew 19:26 is Jesus explaining that God can save people who cannot save themselves. Philippians 4:13 is Paul describing how he endures both abundance and need through Christ who strengthens him. They are frequently quoted together, but Philippians 4:13 is about contentment in changing circumstances rather than unlimited possibility.
Does Matthew 19:26 mean God will give me anything I ask for?
Read in context, no. The verse answers the disciples' question "Who then can be saved?" and speaks to God's power to accomplish salvation. It is a statement about what God is capable of, not a guarantee that every specific request will be granted.
Who was Jesus speaking to in Matthew 19:26?
His disciples. The rich young ruler had already walked away, and the disciples were astonished at Jesus's teaching about wealth and the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:25 records them asking, "Who then can be saved?" — and verse 26 is His answer.
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