Topical Encyclopedia
The concept of "total" in the Bible often relates to the idea of completeness, wholeness, or the sum of all parts. This notion is woven throughout Scripture, reflecting God's nature, His creation, and His expectations for humanity.
Total DepravityIn Christian theology, particularly within Reformed traditions, "total depravity" refers to the extent of sin's impact on humanity. It suggests that every part of human nature is tainted by sin, though not to the utmost degree. This concept is rooted in passages like
Romans 3:10-12, which states, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." This totality of sin underscores the need for divine grace and redemption through Jesus Christ.
Total CommitmentThe Bible calls for total commitment to God, emphasizing that believers should love and serve Him with their entire being.
Deuteronomy 6:5 commands, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." This total devotion is reiterated by Jesus in the New Testament as the greatest commandment (
Matthew 22:37-38). The call to total commitment is a recurring theme, urging believers to prioritize their relationship with God above all else.
Total ForgivenessThe concept of total forgiveness is central to the message of the Gospel. Through Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection, believers receive complete forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 2:13-14 explains, "When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses, having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross." This total forgiveness is a gift of grace, not based on human merit but on Christ's atoning work.
Total RestorationThe Bible speaks of a future total restoration of creation, where God will make all things new.
Revelation 21:5 declares, "He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'" This promise of total restoration includes the eradication of sin, suffering, and death, culminating in a new heaven and a new earth. The prophetic vision of total restoration offers hope and assurance to believers, affirming God's sovereign plan to restore His creation to its intended glory.
Totality of God's SovereigntyScripture affirms the totality of God's sovereignty over all creation.
Psalm 103:19 states, "The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all." God's total sovereignty means that He is in control of all events, both great and small, and His purposes will ultimately prevail. This understanding of God's total sovereignty provides comfort and confidence to believers, knowing that their lives are in the hands of a just and loving God.
Totality in WorshipThe Bible encourages totality in worship, where believers are called to worship God with their whole being.
John 4:23-24 highlights this, saying, "But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth." Total worship involves not just outward expressions but an inward devotion and sincerity that honors God fully.
In summary, the concept of "total" in the Bible encompasses various aspects of faith and life, emphasizing completeness and wholeness in relation to sin, commitment, forgiveness, restoration, sovereignty, and worship. These themes reflect the comprehensive nature of God's work and His expectations for His people.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Whole; not divided; entire; full; complete; absolute; as, a total departure from the evidence; a total loss.
2. (n.) The whole; the whole sum or amount; as, these sums added make the grand total of five millions.
Greek
706. arithmos -- a number... a number. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: arithmos Phonetic Spelling:
(ar-ith-mos') Short Definition: a number,
total Definition: a number
...1577. ekklesia -- an assembly, a (religious) congregation
... 1577 (from 1537 , " and " and 2564 , "to call") -- properly, people the world and
to God, the being the (the mystical ) -- ie the universal (total) body of...
1692. emeo -- to vomit
... 1692 -- properly, vomit (); (figuratively) repulsed, showing utter rejection (desiring
total separation); "to reject with extreme disgust" (, 6, 321)....
1839. existemi -- to displace, to stand aside from
... to remove from a standing (fixed) position," put out of place; ie "beside oneself,"
showing someone as flabbergasted (completely stupefied); at atotal loss to...
4166. poimen -- a shepherd
... 4166 -- properly, a ("pastor" in ); (figuratively) someone who the Lord raises up
to for thetotal well-being of His flock (the people of the Lord)....
4970. sphodra -- very much
... 4970 (from , "all-out, exceeding; very much", ) -- properly, "done to the ," going
all-out ("wide-open") withtotal effort -- like doing something "with a !"....
3956. pas -- all, every
... 3956 ("each, every") means "all" in the sense of "each (every) part that applies."
The emphasis of thetotal picture then is on "one piece at a time." 365...
3650. holos -- whole, complete
... 3650 (a primitive adjective and the root of the English term "whole") -- properly, ,
where the parts are present and working as a -- ie as thetotal, which is...
4712. stadion -- a stadium (a Gr. measure of length), by impl. a...
... 4712 -- properly, the of a race-course; a ("furlong"), the measure (length) of an
ancient ; a (""); figuratively) thetotal length (distance) God requires...
5071. tetrakosioi -- four hundred
... Scripture often uses (like "four" "one hundred" = "400") to convey important meaning.
For example, the of these two numbers strongly "" ("total ")....
Strong's Hebrew
3605. kol -- the whole, all... 1), there is everywhere (1), throughout (20), throughout and all (1), throughout
the whole (1), throughout all (1), throughout* (1),
total (6), totally (2
...Library
ATotal Wreck, all Hands Saved
... THE ACTS CHAP. XIII TO END ATOTAL WRECK, ALL HANDS SAVED. 'And as the
shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had...
This is the True Height, and Depth, andTotal Strength of Deism or...
... [Way-1-103] This is the TRUE height, and depth, andtotal strength of Deism
or infidelity? This is the true height, and depth, and...
"Now all this is the SameTotal Ignorance of God...
... [Way-2-131] "Now all this is the sametotal ignorance of God? "Now all
this is the sametotal ignorance of God, what he is in...
The Syrian Enrollment in 8 Bc
... The emphasis laid on the number suggests (though it does not demonstrate) that the
numbering of thetotal population was the chief object of the Apamean "census...
Roman Catholics.
... 8 0 0 0 St Louis 56 50 23 2 30 Bardstown 40 26 25 1 Nashville 1 6 0 1 2 New Orleans
38 39 11 1 9 Natchez 1 2 Mobile 7 12 7 Charleston 14 20 0 4 6Total 512 436...
Indians.
... 8,000 Putawatomies 1,400 Menominees 4,200 Creeks 23,668 Cherokees 10,000 Chickasaws
5,429 Choctaws 3,500 Seminoles 2,420 Appalachicolas 340Total 81,904....
Seventh Tractate. On Complete Transfusion.
... They are dealing with mixture, not with the coalescence which makes thetotal a
thing of like parts, each minutest particle being composed of all the combined...
Naught among Things Contingent Can be Said to be Necessarily done...
... But since none of those causes is thetotal cause of that event, and since all of
them united together form thetotal cause, the thing ought itself to be...
Again, all Learned Christendom Agrees in the Same Charge against...
... no divine wisdom, knowledge, goodness, and deliverance from sin, are anywhere to
be found for fallen man, but in these two points; (1) atotal entire entrance...
Methodists.
... the following table:". Conferences, Ministers, &c. Conferences. Whites.
Colored. Indians.Total Com. Trav. Prs. Troy 24,488 78...
Thesaurus
Total (16 Occurrences)... 1. (a.) Whole; not divided; entire; full; complete; absolute; as, a
total departure
from the evidence; a
total loss.
...Total (16 Occurrences).
...Balance (12 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) An equality between the sumstotal of the two sides of an account; as, to
bring one's accounts to a balance; -- also, the excess on either side; as...
Sin (782 Occurrences)
... It is atotal depravity, and it is also universally inherited by all the natural
descendants of Adam (Romans 3:10-23; 5:12-21; 8:7). Pelagians deny original sin...
Drunkenness (10 Occurrences)
... Whiletotal abstinence is not prescribed as a formal and universal rule, broad
principles are laid down, especially in the New Testament, which point in that...
Nature (80 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The personified sum and order of causes and effects; the powers which produce
existing phenomena, whether in thetotal or in detail; the agencies which...
Whole (2785 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Containing thetotal amount, number, etc.; comprising all the parts; free
from deficiency; all;total; entire; as, the whole earth; the whole solar...
Fasting (34 Occurrences)
... Fasting might be partial, ie abstinence from certain kinds of food, ortotal, ie
abstinence from all food as well as from washing, anointing, sleeping....
Judges (117 Occurrences)
... It records (a) the conquest (17, 18) of Laish by a portion of the tribe of Dan;
and (b) the almosttotal extinction of the tribe of Benjamin by the other tribes...
Obedience (61 Occurrences)
... especially the latter, differ as to whether "obedience" here refers to the specific
and supreme act of obedience on the cross, or to the sumtotal of Christ's...
Fast (157 Occurrences)
... Fasting might be partial, ie abstinence from certain kinds of food, ortotal, ie
abstinence from all food as well as from washing, anointing, sleeping....
Resources
Total depravity - is it biblical? | GotQuestions.orgWhy are the numbers in Ezra so different from those in Nehemiah? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is Calvinism and is it biblical? What are the five points of Calvinism? | GotQuestions.orgTotal: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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