YEA” AND “AMEN by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 18, 1900

“YEA” AND “AMEN”

By Uriah Smith

A seemingly trivial incident, and an ungenerous remark, led the apostle Paul to utter one of the most precious declarations of all the Scriptures.

The incident was this: The apostle had been purposing to visit the church at Corinth, and informed them so. See 1 Cor. 4:18, 19. But afterward, for sufficient reason, he changed his mind, and did not visit them at the time he first intended.

The ungenerous remark was that this change showed that Paul was not to be trusted, as he was of a fickle and changeable mind. Paul, in answer, assured them that he was not governed by any low or worldly considerations, or any human plans; for he was preaching the gospel; and the gospel was to be preached with a steady and settled purpose, not in any wayward and haphazard manner. And he challenges them to show that he used “lightness,” or fickleness, in his work, or that his companions had so done, so that their words were “yea, yea,” or “nay, nay.” 2 Cor. 1:17-19. This led him to remark that the gospel preached by them was not yea and nay, but in Jesus Christ, who was preached, it was yea. And that led him on to remark still further in regard to the promises of God, and make the wonderful declaration to which we have referred. Here it is: “For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him amen, unto the glory of God by us.” Verse 20.

Such is his declaration, and the reasons that led to it. The whole subject of the promises is here laid before us. The first thought suggested is that of the nature and dignity of these promises. They are not the promises of men, or of any human organization, which is subject to change, and decay, and uncertainty in its ways; but they are the promises of the great God. They were made by Him according to His own purpose and will. They are the links between what He has decided, and what He will carry out into acts. They are of the same nature with himself, unchangeable and eternal. They remain with Him, as His ever-present purposes and plans. A thousand years may elapse, and nothing

openly appear, but they are just as much His promises as when they were spoken at first; for with Him a thousand years are as one day, and one day as a thousand years. 2 Peter 3:8. And He is not slack in reference to His promises, as some men count slackness.

What is His guarantee of the fulfillment of these promises?—It is His own character confirmed with an oath. Paul very beautifully expresses this in Heb. 6:13. God desired to make plain unto men the immutability of His counsel. He therefore determined to confirm it with an oath. But, standing as the highest Being in the universe, by whom should He swear, to make His word more sure?—He rose to the supreme height of the occasion, and swore by himself. “That,” says the apostle, we might have “two immutable things” upon which to rest for assurance. These two “immutable things” are (1) the promise of God, which is as sure as the heavens and the earth, and all things in the universe; and (2) the oath of God, which is as sure as His own being, uttered upon himself, and superadded to His promise. And back of all this is the next highest Being in the universe, that is, His own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. For the apostle says that it is “in Him” that the promises are yea, and in Him that they are amen. This is indeed the “oath for confirmation,” of which the apostle speaks. Nothing, then, short of the fulfillment of the promises could glorify Him. Any failure would prove disastrous to Him, His throne, and the universe which He has made.

And how wide-sweeping and comprehensive are these promises to which the apostle refers?—He says, “All the promises.” They include all that are contained in the Old Testament, as well as those that are in the New. They take in all that is symbolized in nature,—the glories of the lilies, showing the beauty of a holy character; the awakening to life of all the vegetable world, from the death and decay of winter, beautiful representation of the resurrection; the glory of the heavens in their undimmed splendor, fitly representing the cheering prospect of redemption; for “they that turn many to righteousness [shall shine] as the stars forever and ever.”

The promises pertain to all manner of conditions, bodily as well as spiritual, general and personal, temporal and eternal. They contain blessings for a great variety of characters, the penitent and believing, the serving and suffering, the praying and obeying. The Lord says that if His people will confess and turn away from their iniquity, He will remember His covenant, and be merciful to them. Lev. 26:41-44; Isa. 55:7; Jer. 3:12, 13. To the believing everlasting life is promised (John 3:16); and in every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is promised acceptance with Him. Acts 10:35. To all that call upon Him He is near. Ps. 145:18. Those who are “willing and obedient” have the promise that they shall eat the good of the land (Isa. 1:19); and those who are willing to suffer with Christ have the promise of reigning with Him. 2 Tim. 2:12. The wealth of the promises is most marvelous; for they embrace the whole plan of salvation. Rom. 4:13; Heb. 11:9. And all these promises are, in Christ, yea, and in Him, amen.

The use of these two words, one from the Greek, and the other from the Hebrew, shows that the promises span the whole range of the inhabitants of this world, Jew and Gentile. Yea, “it is so,” he says in the Greek tongue to all the Gentiles; and Amen, “so let it be,” He says in the Hebrew tongue to all His people; and when God says this, in reference to anything, can it be otherwise? Whatever purpose the Lord sets the seal of these declarations to, that is established beyond all doubt, and confirmed beyond all alteration. Their stability in Christ is placed beyond all hazard; for Christ is the witness of the promises of God. He is the surety of the covenant, the sum and substance of all things.

And consider what part of His work He has already accomplished. His incarnation has been completed. He has lived a life of humility, suffering, and patience, and by His death has offered “one sacrifice for sins forever,” and has ascended on high with power, to the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high. His humiliation and sacrifice are all accomplished. These crucial epochs at which a trembling universe might have looked for Him to shrink from His great undertaking, and thrust the cup of woe from His lips, are past; and the work He did has secured the approbation and acceptance of His Father. Never will He have to do this work over, nor ever again will He have to face such ordeals in the fulfillment of His work. And now, standing as He does on the verge of His crowning triumph, we may be sure He will not abandon the task, and leave His people to perish.

But it seems that we have ourselves something to do in this matter; for it says that the promises are in Him yea, and in Him amen, “unto the glory of God by us.” What is the meaning of the words “by us”? Are we, in any particular, essential to the glory of God in the promises; that is, in the carrying out of these promises in Jesus Christ?—So it reads, “Unto the glory of God by us.” But how can we do anything that is to the glory of God, in reference to the promises?—We glorify God when we show our gratitude by adoring and magnifying His love and condescension in making such promises. We glorify His power as we see Him keeping His promises, and manifesting to the world the evidences that He is moving forward in majesty in the accomplishment of His grand designs, and showing Himself true to His beneficent purposes toward His children. We glorify Him by manifesting our faith in His promises, and showing to the world that we are willing to trust them, and walk out upon them. We thus honor His veracity by showing that we live in expectation of all the good and blessings which He has promised; as, for instance, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” We glorify Him by giving evidence in our experiences that He is fulfilling to us the blessings we are entitled to enjoy at the present moment. And when the promises are reduced by us to actual experience, when it is seen that they are cleansing us from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, making us partakers of the divine nature, leading us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, filling us with kindness and benevolence, supporting us cheerfully, to endure all trials,—it is then that God is glorified in the promises “by us.” If we are ever tempted to doubt in regard to the strength of the promises, the love of God, our duty, and the hope of life, the life of Christ ever answers, Yea, and ever, Amen, in reply to all our misgivings. “They are the promises of God. They are sure to be fulfilled; and you shall have strength to share in their fulfillment. You may hold to them in the darkness, you may follow where they lead, and you may call upon them when defeated. You may answer to their call. For to all of them the life of Christ, the love and holiness that speak in His life and death, forever say, ‘Yea,’ and forever, ‘Amen.’ This was the fixed purpose of Christ, to show in His life the certainty and fulfillment of the promises of God.”—Frederick Temple. And we are here to live the life of Christ, and testify to the world the reality of the gospel of Christ. Thus shall we be the light of the world, by letting our light shine before men.

In the unearthed streets of ancient Pompeii are still to be seen the elevated stepping stones at the intersections of the street, by which pedestrians might be able to cross the streets in times of flood, or impediments of any kind. The promises of God are just such stepping stones to the Christian. They enable him to cross streets of difficulty, pass over deceptive quicksands, or even sloughs of despond.

But we must lean, not so much upon the promises themselves, as upon Christ contained in the promises. An anonymous writer says: “Whence comes it that so many souls bring promises to the throne of grace, and carry so little away from it?—They lean upon the promises, without leaning upon Christ in the promises. Promises are like the clothes we wear. If there is life in the body, they warm us. But if there is no life in us, the promises do not affect us. We might as well try to quicken a corpse with stimulants, or warm a marble statue with clothing.” The promises are like alabaster boxes of ointment. As long as they are closed, they emit no fragrance; but when they are broken, the whole house is filled with perfume. So the promises must be vitalized by our faith. Then our lives will be filled with fragrance, and thus the promises will be “unto the glory of God by us.” U. S.