Amen: Spoken by Christ “Amen,” as found in the Gospel accounts, is employed by Jesus alone. In the Gospel of John, it is always used in the double format, rendered in English by “verily, verily” (25 times). It emphasizes the authority with which Christ spoke, and it takes on the essence of a “thus says the Lord” (J. Millar & N.J. Opperwall, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – Revised, Geoffrey Bromiley, Ed., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979, Vol. I, p. 110). It makes for a fascinating study to observe how Jesus used this term to forcefully emphasize certain truths. For example: None of the law of Moses would fail (not a particle) until it was fulfilled (Mt. 5:18). Those who are religious show-offs receive their “full reward” in that praise they elicit from men (Mt. 6:2,5,16). Eternal punishment will be “more tolerable” for those of earlier historical periods, than for those who reject Christ (Mt. 10:15). No one can enter the kingdom of God except but by the new birth, the components of which are the Spirit and water (Jn. 3:3,5), etc. Hopefully, these comments will assist in understanding the various ways in which the expression, “Amen,” is employed in the Scriptures. by Wayne Jackson
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 01:29:52 +0000
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