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2 Corinthians 1:20 - Standing on the Promises of God!


2 Corinthians 1:20 (ICB) The "yes" to all of God's promises is 
in Christ. And that is why we say "amen" through Christ to the 
glory of God.  

2 Corinthians 1:20 (RSV) For all the promises of God find their 
yes in Him. That is why we utter the amen through Him, to the glory 
of God.  

WORD STUDY

The word "Amen" was uttered by Christians in affirmation of the 
eternal truths of the Christian faith. [SDA Bible Commentary] 

Amen is the way Christians acknowledge that Jesus has fulfilled 
all of God's promises. Jesus is the great "Amen" (Rev 3:14) (Life 
Application Commentary Series) 

Amen is a Hebrew word carried over into English, which means so 
be it. It is used to confirm or endorse - to agree with - what has 
just been said. It also expresses our humility before God, submitting 
to his wisdom and will. [Quest SB] 

BACKGROUND

Paul's failure to visit the Corinthians as promised was not the 
result of vacillation, since God's promises are always clear and 
definite, and he has given his people his Spirit as a seal (Rom 4:11; 1 
Cor 9:2) and first installment (or down-payment; Eph 1:13) on the 
blessing that is ultimately to come to them. [Cambridge Annotated SB]  

Paul had to defend himself for having confused the Corinthians 
by changing his travel plans. He claimed his intention was 
trustworthy and clear just as God is faithful, constant, and unchanging. 
Nothing is unclear about what Christ did for us. He gave us God's final 
"yes," providing perfect salvation. Thus God has shown Himself to be 
faithful to His promises and to His people. He has placed the seal of His 
ownership upon us, guaranteeing our final eternal salvation. [Disciple 
SB] 

APPLICATION COMMENTARY - OVERVIEW 

    Christians need comfort. While trying to help the church,. 
Paul experienced suffering so intense that he was almost ready to 
give up (vv. 8-9). God does not shelter His people from trials, not 
even gifted apostles who are doing His will. 'Be kind," said John 
Watson, "for everyone you meet is fighting a battle." 
    Christians receive comfort. Your God is the "God of all 
comfort" (v. 3), and He will give you the grace you need when you need 
it. Sufferings are not accidents; they are divine appointments, and 
your Father is in complete control. You will find comfort in praying, 
in claiming the promises of the Word (vv. 18-20), and in having 
deeper fellowship with the Lord. 
    Christians share comfort. God's comfort is not given; it is 
loaned, and you are expected to pass it on to others. The pain you 
experience now will help you encourage others in their trials. When you 
suffer, avoid self-pity, for self-pity will make you a reservoir instead 
of a channel. If you fail to share God's comfort with others, your 
experience in the furnace will be wasted; and it is a tragic thing to waste 
your sufferings. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren 
Wiersbe re 2 Cor. 1] 

APPLICATION COMMENTARY - SELECTED

According to John 1:1, Jesus is the Word (the Logos). He is the 
expressed communication of the Creator's love and redemptive plan. But he 
is more. According to this text, Jesus is the guarantee of all God 
has advertised in biblical history... In Jesus, God has given his 
word. (Life Application Commentary Series) 

All the promises of God became incarnate in Christ, they met 
their fulfillment in Him. He is thus the evidence of the reliability 
of all the divine promises made to the fathers.,,, Through Christ 
the promises are proved reliable, and through His people they are 
proved efficacious.... To the extent that Christians follow their Master, 
they too become constant and steadfast--in obedience to God and in 
devotion to His cause on earth. [SDA Bible Commentary] 

Jesus is the clear fulfillment of all God's promises. [Disciple 
SB] 

Those in Christ are inheritors of all the promises of God. God 
has put His guarantee on us in Christ. No one can doubt our saving 
relationship with Him. [Disciple SB] 

No matter how numerous are God's promises, the elect can trust 
God to keep His word. Jesus represents the fulfillment of all God's 
promises. God gives eternal security to His people by keeping them firmly 
in the faith through the presence of His Spirit. Eternal security 
provides no reason for pride or boasting. It is another reason to praise 
God. [Disciple SB] 

We can depend on God to fulfill His promise, even when all the 
roads leading to it are closed. `For no matter how many promises God 
has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" 
[so be it] is spoken by us to the glory of God'. [Matthew Henry 
Commentary] 

All the promises of God find their yes in Christ, and through 
Him we say amen." In other words, the promises of God are true in 
Christ--He fulfills them, and He gives us the faith to claim them. How 
grateful we ought to be for the unchanging Word of God! Often it takes 
trouble and trial in our lives before we claim and trust the promises of 
God. We make plans, but God overrules them. We make promises and are 
not always able to keep them. But in Christ, all the promises of 
God's Word find their fulfillment, and in Him we have the power to 
claim these promises for ourselves and our situation. [Wiersbe 
Expository Outlines] 

Let us remember that no earthly circumstances can hinder the 
fulfillment of God's Word. We must look steadfastly at His immutable Word 
and not at the uncertainty of this ever-changing world. God desires 
for us to believe His Word without other evidence, and then He is 
ready to do for us "according to [our] faith." [Streams In The Desert 
By Cowman re Mat.9:29] 

As we communicate with God, our Father, it is good to know what 
His promises to us are.  If we don't know them, how can we stand on 
them?  It is important to know that we can ask according to His 
declared will and the answer will always be YES!  As this verse states, 
His promises already have a stamp on them that reads "So be it" 
(Amen)!  What confidence we can have as we ask God to make His promises 
affective in our lives.  Begin today by finding promises in God's Word to 
attach to your specific requests.  Write them out and then memorize 
them.  Your faith will grow, along with your desire to pray, as you 
see the promises of God made good in your own life! [In His Time; 
Walk With Wisdom] 

Standing On The Promises
    All of us have times in life when a crisis or problem seems 
larger than we can possibly bear, and we become very fearful. Often, 
however, the Lord has to get our attention through such an adversity to 
cause us once more to rely solely on His promises. 
    Bible scholars have pointed out that the phrase "fear not" 
appears in the Bible 365 times--a reassuring promise for each day of the 
year. A daily dependence upon the divine promises is the only real 
remedy for our human fears. Often even well-intentioned parents make 
hasty promises to their children, promises they are unable to fulfill. 
How different are the promises of God! They are "yea and amen," the 
only assurances on which we can securely stand..... Only as we stand 
on God's promises are we enabled to live with purpose for God's 
glory. 
    Standing on the promises of Christ my King, thru eternal 
ages let His praises ring; glory in the highest I will shout and 
sing, standing on the promises of God. 
    Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling 
storms of doubt and fear assail, by the living Word of God I shall 
prevail, standing on the promises of God. 
    Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, bound to Him 
eternally by love's strong cord, overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword, 
standing on the promises of God. 
    Standing on the promises I now can see perfect, present 
cleansing in the blood for me; standing in the liberty where Christ makes 
free, standing on the promises of God, 
    Standing on the promises" I cannot fall, list'ning ev'ry 
moment to the Spirit's call, resting in my Savior as my all in all, 
standing on the promises of God. 
    Chorus: Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God 
my Savior. Standing, standing, I'm standing on the promises of 
God. 
    Claim a scriptural promise as especially for you this day. 
Live confidently in its truth. Carry this tune as a reminder - 
standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior. Standing, 
standing, I'm standing on the promises of God. [Amazing Grace by Kenneth 
Osbeck]