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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