Digression: Yes and Amen!
| But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 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. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2Corinthians1:18-22) |
In the previous verses Paul had been talking about how he did not make his plans lightly, saying "Yes-Yes" and then "No-No". His opponents accused him of being fickle, but Paul denies it. "Furthermore," he argues, "God is faithful! Our message is not 'yes/no' but 'YES'!"
All of God's promises are fulfilled in Christ and all of God's goodness is revealed in Him. All the promises of the Old Testament culminate in Christ who gave Himself for us.
We can shout "Amen!" because we stand firm in Christ.
And there are three things in particular that make this true:
- He anointed us. (This means we have been set apart)
- He set His seal of ownership on us. (This means we belong to Him)
- He puts His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit. (This means that it's certain.)
These three points are all made possible by the presence of God's Spirit in our hearts. Our faith is a certain thing because God Himself dwells in our hearts through His Spirit.
We can shout "Amen!" because our God is not fickle.
His "Yes and Yes" are the cross and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We are not without purpose, we belong to Him and our hope is completely certain. Jesus made the down-payment to our eternity when He sent His Spirit into our hearts.
Do I hear an "Amen!"?
