Monday, May 16, 2016

The Amen


2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

I just love Bible “Word” studies; digging into the root meaning of the utterances that we use all the time in our reading of Holy Scripture. Today I read that the word “Amen” is a most remarkable word. It is transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best-known word in human speech.

Psalm 72:19 “Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.

The word is directly related—in fact, almost identical—to the Hebrew word for “believe” (aman), or “faithful.” Thus, it came to mean “sure” or “truly,” an expression of absolute trust and confidence. When one believes God, he indicates his faith by an “amen.” When God makes a promise, the believer’s response is “amen” - “so it will be!” In the New Testament it is often translated “verily” or “truly.” When we pray according to His Word and His will, we know God will answer, so we close with an “amen,” and so also do we conclude a great hymn or anthem of praise and faith.

Jeremiah 28:6 He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill.”

The teaching points out that the word is even a title of Christ Himself. The last of His letters to the seven churches begins with a remarkable salutation by the glorified Lord: Revelation 3:14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.” We can be preeminently certain that His Word is always faithful and true because He is none other than the Creator of all things, and thus He is our eternal “Amen.”


Romans 11:36 “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

As our opening verse reminds us, every promise of God in Christ is “yes and amen,” as strong an affirmation of truth as can be expressed in the Greek language. It is, therefore, profoundly meaningful that the entire Bible closes with an “Amen”: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” - Revelation 22:21, assuring everyone who reads these words that the whole Bible is absolutely true and trustworthy. Amen! 


In Christ, Brian

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