Through Him also is our Amen to the glory of God

2 Corinthians 1:12-2:11 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. ¹³ For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end; ¹⁴ just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, on the day of our Lord Jesus.

¹⁵ In this confidence I intended at first to come to you, so that you might twice receive a blessing; ¹⁶ that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea. ¹⁷ Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I decide, do I decide according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? ¹⁸ But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. ¹⁹ For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but has been yes in Him. ²⁰ For as many as the promises of God are, in Him they are yes; therefore through Him also is our Amen to the glory of God through us. ²¹ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, ²² who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

²³ But I call God as witness to my soul, that it was to spare you that I did not come again to Corinth. ²⁴ Not that we domineer over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.

2 But I decided this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again. ² For if I cause you sorrow, who then will be the one making me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? ³ This is the very thing I wrote you, so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy was the joy of you all. ⁴ For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.

⁵ But if anyone has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not for me, but in some degree—not to say too much—for all of you. ⁶ Sufficient for such a person is this punishment which was imposed by the majority, ⁷ so that on the other hand, you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a person might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ For to this end I also wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. ¹⁰ But one whom you forgive anything, I also forgive; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did so for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

In today’s text it says:  For as many as the promises of God are, in Him they are yes; therefore through Him also is our Amen to the glory of God through us.  In John 19:30, on the cross Jesus said: “It is finished!”  Jesus fully accomplished what needed to be done for the will of God to be done for us, in us and through us. All of God’s plans and all of God’s promises are fully accomplished and provided in the finished work of the cross. The are yes in Him. If we abide in Him and walk in His ways, we say Amen to the promises and plans of God for our lives. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  In John 15:8 Jesus says:  “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”  When we say yes to the will of God, when we walk in the light of Christ and bear fruit for the kingdom, we add our Amen to the glory of God.

Ephesians 2:8-10 says:  By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  God’s saving grace is His gift to us in Christ Jesus. Our walking in His will, doing the things He has prepared for us and prepared us for through the cross are our Amen to Him. That is His plan for us and His promise to us. Jesus taught us to pray saying:  Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Through the finished work of the cross, He said yes to the will of God for all of the earth. When we say Amen and walk in His plans and promises for our lives, we are those who are part of the answer to the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. We say Amen to the realities of heaven here on earth.   

In Mark 16:15-18 Jesus says: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  In Matthew 28:18-20 He says:  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” and in Acts 1:8:  “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”  Yes Lord. Amen.