“The Amen” is Worship

One of the most recognizable words associated with Christianity is the “Amen” uttered at the end of every prayer. “The Amen” is deemed by many people as simply that – the final word which concludes prayer. However, like numerous biblical words, more is intended than what is perceived by many Christians with reference to saying, “The Amen.”

The Old Testament

In the Old Testament, the word “Amen” occurs 30 times in 24 verses. It is defined: “verily, truly, amen. Used in statements of affirmation in which the speaker accepts the truth of a statement. This word is common in liturgical contexts to declare the validity of a statement, be it a blessing (1 Chr 16:36; Jer 11:5) or a curse (Num 5:22; Deut 27:15–26; Neh 5:13)” (Aaron C. Fenlason, “Belief,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

Notice that the word is not simply meant as the final word to close a prayer but is the personal acceptance of truthful statements; especially of Divine Standards concerning the Law of God. One of the clearest examples of this usage is seen in Deuteronomy 27:15-26 where the ratification of God’s Covenant is conducted at the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim. These were twin mountains facing each other and enclosing a natural amphitheater in which a vast audience would be able to hear distinctly a strategically located speaker. These mountains were forty miles north of Jerusalem and twenty miles west of Jordan (Ebal on the north and Gerizim on the south). The primary trade route of that age passed between the two mountains.

Mount Ebal stood near the north end of the city of Shechem and was an especially appropriate place to conduct a ratification ceremony. Abraham had built an altar at Shechem, and from the time of the patriarchs, it had been associated with the promise that Israel would be given the land of Caanan. Jacob had also built an altar in this vicinity (Genesis 33:18-20), and when the Israelites left Egypt carrying the bones of Joseph, they buried them at Shechem (Joshua 24:32).

For the ratification ceremony, the twelve tribes were divided with six standing on Mount Ebal and six on Mount Gerizim and the serving Levitical priests in between who read aloud the Law of God with the corresponding blessings or curses dependent upon whether the Law was obeyed or disobeyed. Twelve laws were recited, and at the pronouncement of each, all the people were required to say, “Amen.” The “Amen” served as an oath of acknowledgment of each specific Law of God and the acceptance of the correlating blessing or curse conditioned upon their personal obedience or lack thereof.

The people of the Covenant were required to acknowledge the righteousness of the Law of God by personally assenting to His Sovereignty to bless or curse; hence, the people uttered an oath of acceptance to live or die by the Law of God, saying, the Amen.

Other examples from the Old Testament reveal the same association of an oath regarding the use of “Amen” (cf. Numbers 5:22; 1 Chronicles 16:36; Nehemiah 5:13; Jeremiah 11:5) but this lone example from Deuteronomy 27 should impress upon each one the fact that saying “Amen” intends much more than merely closing a prayer. It is used to affirm the absolute truth of God’s righteous justice to bless or punish conditioned upon man’s adherence to the Divine Standard.

The New Testament

In the New Testament, the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew “Amen” occurs 151 times in 124 verses and is similarly defined: “verily, truly: at the end of sentences may be paraphrased by So let it be!” (Alexander Souter, A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1917).

The term is often translated as “Verily” or “Truly” when used to introduce a particular statement and as “Amen” at the conclusion. Jesus commonly employed the term at the beginning of His teaching to emphasize the absolute truthfulness of what He was about to say, e.g., “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24). Jesus emphatically affirms the truthfulness of this and many other statements by utilizing the “Amen” (Truly) in duplicate as the introduction to significant instruction about to be spoken.

The apostle Paul frequently concludes brief doxologies with the oath of affirmation, “Amen,” e.g., “for they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:25); “and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever, Amen” (Romans 9:5); “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36); “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21). Paul assents to the truthfulness of each tribute to God, binding himself to the reality that God is Sovereign, deserving of eternal glory.

The apostle Peter also concludes doxologies with the binding agreement, “Amen,” e.g., “so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11); “To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:11); “To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

Of course, other passages contain the same usage, even from different writers, but the takeaway from these examples of “Amen” is the personal affirmation of Divine tribute, emphasizing the absolute truthfulness of the stated praise, and the worthiness of God to receive such high commendation. The “Amen” seals the speaker with the tribute.

Another interesting use of “Amen” is found in Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 1:19-20: “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 is yes in Him. For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”

The proper arrangement of the words in verse 20 is not consistent in the manuscripts, leading to a slight discrepancy in meaning. Consider the following explanations by Commentators:

“Here also the Greek manuscripts do not agree, for some of them have it in one continued statement —As many promises of God as there are, are in him Yea, and in him Amen to the glory of God through us. The different reading, however, which I have followed, is easier, and contains a fuller meaning. For as he had said, that, in Christ, God has confirmed the truth of all his promises, so now he teaches us, that it is our duty to acquiesce in this ratification” (Calvin, John. "Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1". "Calvin's Commentary on the Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng-/cal/2-corinthians-1.html. 1840-57).

“The true reading is, ‘Wherefore by him also is the Amen to God, uttered by us to his glory.’ In Christ is the ‘yea’ of immutable promise and absolute fulfilment; the Church utters the ‘Amen’ of perfect faith and grateful adoration. Here, as in 1 Corinthians 14:16, we have a proof of the ancientness of the custom by which the congregation utters the ‘Amen’ at the end of praise and prayer. But as the ‘yea’ is in Christ, so it is only through him that we can receive the grace to utter aright the ‘Amen’ to the glory of God” (Exell, Joseph S; Spence-Jones, Henry Donald Maurice. "Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1”. The Pulpit Commentary. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/e-ng/tpc/2-corintians-1.html. 1897).

“The reading of the received text conceals the force of these words. It is because Christ is the consummation, the ‘Yea’ of the Divine promises, that the ‘Amen’ is specially fitting at the close of doxologies in public worship (1 Corinthians 14:16). The thought of the fulfilment of God’s promises naturally leads to a doxology (Romans 15:9), to which a solemn Ἀμήν, the Hebrew form of the Greek ναί, whose significance as applied to Christ has just been expounded, is a fitting climax. διʼ ἡμῶν in this clause includes, of course, both St. Paul and his correspondents; it refers, indeed, to the general practice of Christians in their public devotions” (Nicoll, William Robertson, M.A., L.L.D. "Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1". The Expositor's Greek Testament. https://www.stu-dylight.org/commentaries/eng/egt/2-corinthians-1.html. 1897-1910).

“The correct reading is: dio kai dij aujtou to ajmhn Wherefore also through Him is the Amen. In giving this answer in His person and life, Christ puts the emphatic confirmation upon God's promises, even as in the congregation the people say Amen, verily. In Him is in His person: through Him, by His agency. By us [δι ημων]. Through our ministration. Christ, in and through whom are the yea and the amen, is so proclaimed by us as to beget assurance of God's promises, and so to glorify Him. (Vincent, Marvin R. DD. "Commentary on 2 Corinthians 1". "Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/vnt/2-corinthi-ans-1.html. Charles Schribner’s Sons. New York, USA. 1887).

To this author, the meaning intended by Paul seems to be that every promise of God has its completion in Christ Jesus, and that the church, also in Him, consents to the primacy of Christ in fulfilling God’s promises, saying “the Amen” as a formal ratification of the salvific process, whereby bringing glory to God. If this is the intended meaning, saying “the Amen” becomes a much more significant aspect of the church’s worship than has ever been encountered in any congregation of this writer’s past affiliation.

Saying the “Amen” is the church’s way to glorify God by vocally agreeing in unison that Christ is our all in all! He is the “yes” of every promise given by God! Jesus confirmed the same sentiment in His address to the church in Laodicea, stating, “The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this…” (Revelation 3:14). It has been observed that “The Amen” in this instance is “a title of Jesus understood as God’s ultimate statement of affirmation and fulfillment to His people” (Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020). Jesus is The Amen of human salvation, and His church correspondingly assents, saying “the Amen” in vocal unison to the glory of God! Amen and Amen!

Saying “the Amen” is an Act of Worship

As mentioned in the previous citations, 1 Corinthians 14:16 is relevant to understanding Paul’s discussion of “the Amen” and its use in the assemblies of the church. In fact, it is the primary verse to exemplify that saying “the Amen” is an act of worship enjoined by the church. While giving instruction pertaining to the proper use of miraculous “tongues” in the assemblies of the infant church, Paul commented, “Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the Amen at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?” In context, Paul is speaking to the inability of an uninspired Christian to understand the blessing offered by one who is speaking a foreign language.

For the present topic, the focus is upon Paul’s concern for even one member of the church who would be incapable of comprehending the words spoken in a prayer, song, or blessing of thanks as to render the person unable to “say the Amen.” If saying “Amen” is simply optional in the church and not a vital part of worship, why is Paul so concerned about a solitary worshipper who might be excluded from saying the “Amen” because of a speaker’s use of a foreign language?

Note also that Paul does not speak of merely saying, “Amen,” but to saying, “the Amen” (as the definite article is present in the Greek). Speaking of those who became Christians on the day of Pentecost, Luke informs his readers, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42; ESV). The definite article is found four times in this verse in the Greek texts, and it has rightly been understood that it highlights the significance of each of the things so designated, i.e., “the apostles’ teaching,” “the fellowship,” “the breaking of bread,” and “the prayers.” These are four things expressly bound upon the church for continual observance.

Paul’s employment of the definite article in 1 Corinthians 14:16 highlights the significance of “the Amen” in the worship of the church. It is made equal to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers in the church. If none of those four things are optional but are to be faithfully observed by the church in public worship, then saying “the Amen” is no less significant and should be respected and observed as a Divinely appointed act of worship. Many Theologians have commented on the history and liturgical significance of “the Amen”:

“The custom of ratifying prayer and praises with the ‘Amen’ of hearty assent and participation existed in the Jewish as well as in the Christian Church. The sound of the loud unanimous ‘Amen’ of early Christian congregations is compared to the echo of distant thunder…Being the answer of the congregation, the ‘Amen’ was regarded as no less important than the prayer itself” (Exell, Joseph S; Spence-Jones, Henry Donald Maurice. "Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14". The Pulpit Commentary. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/tpc/1-corinthians-14.html. 1897).

“The united ‘Amen’ seals the thanksgiving pronounced by a single voice, making it the act of the Church, ‘the Amen,’ since this was the familiar formula taken over from Synagogue worship” (Nicoll, William Robertson, M.A., L.L.D. "Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14”. The Expositor’s Greek Testament. https://www.studylight.org/comm-entaries/eng/egt/1-corinthians-14.html.1897-1910).

“‘Amen,’ or ‘So be it,’ was, among the Jews, used by the congregation at the end of a prayer or blessing, to denote their assent to, or appropriation of, that which one person had pronounced. Many instances of this practice occur in the Old Testament. From the Jewish Synagogue this, with many other customs of worship, passed to the Christian Church, in which it is still generally retained. Justin Martyr particularly notices the unanimous and loud ‘Amen’ at the conclusion of the Lord’s Supper, observing, that when the minister had finished the prayer and the thanksgiving, all the people present, with a joyful exclamation, said ‘Amen’” (Calvin, John. "Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14. “Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible”. https://www.studylight.org/com-mentaries/eng/cal/1-corinthians-14.html.1840-57).

“Say Amen at thy giving of thanks, i.e. assent or respond to it. Amen is a Hebrew adjective signifying true or faithful, often used adverbially at the end of a sentence to express assent to what is said, in the sense of so let it be. In the Jewish synagogue it was the custom for the people to respond to the prayers by audibly saying Amen, by which they signified their assent and participation in the petitions which had been offered…Great importance was attached by the Jews to saying Amen. Schoettgen quotes numerous passages to show to what a superstitious extreme this was carried. “He who says Amen is greater than he that blesses.” “Whoever says Amen, to him the gates of Paradise are opened.” “Whoever says Amen shortly, his days shall be shortened, whoever answers Amen distinctly and at length, his days shall be lengthened.” According to Justin Martyr, Apolog. 2. 97, the custom passed over to the Christian church. This seems also intimated in this passage; the expression is, ‘Say the Amen.’ i.e. utter the familiar formula of assent” (Burkitt, William. "Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14". Burkitt's Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the NT. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/wbc/1-corinthians-14.html.1700-1703).

“…the assent should always be expressed by those who join in acts of public worship” (Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnb/1-corinthians-14.html. 1870).

The quote of Justin Martyr (from the second century) referenced in the above citations is here produced in full: “On the day called Sunday, all who live in the cities or in the country gather together in one place. The memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president teaches and urges us to imitate these good things. Then we all rise together and pray. When our prayer is ended, bread, wine and water are brought, and the president offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen” (Apology, Part II).

Conclusion

Paul’s assessment of “the Amen” in the assembly of the church stands in stark contrast to the prevailing practice of the modern church. Whereas Paul was concerned that even one person would be prevented from saying “the Amen” in the public worship, it is common today that even prayer is concluded with an almost imperceptible pronouncement of a meager Amen by only a few in the assembly. What has changed to diminish “The sound of the loud unanimous ‘Amen’ of early Christian congregations” and it being “compared to the sound of distant thunder”? Saying “the Amen” was originally constituted as a vital part of the church’s commitment to Christ and the united expression of joy and thanksgiving for salvation.

What an impact the worship of the church must have had on the surrounding area of unbelievers when “the Amen” was thundered aloud! The near silence experienced in the modern assembly is a shameful testimony to the lack of teaching and instruction that has occurred on this topic in recent centuries, and to the lackadaisicalness that has crept into the church via influence of the Evil One who wants nothing more than to silence all expressions of commitment to Christ and to convince worshippers that their mere presence in the congregation is the substance of worship.

In contradistinction to this notion, every act of worship must be enjoined vigorously by those assembled in the name of Christ. Merely sitting in the pews is not worship. Paul highlighted the significance of singing with understanding, praying with understanding, eating the Lord’s Supper with understanding, giving of means with understanding, and prostrating before God with understanding (see 1 Corinthians chapters 11, 14, 16). Saying “the Amen” is no less an act of worship than any of these; but understanding the significance of saying “the Amen” as an act of worship has unfortunately been lost in the modern church in America.

Throughout the Bible, God’s people were required to say “the Amen” of personal assent to the righteousness of God’s justice. In Christ Jesus, who is The Amen, all the promises of God are “Yes.” The church of the New Testament expressed verbal assent to the word of thanks offered to God, saying “the Amen” in public worship. Paul argued that every person in the assembly of the church should have the proper understanding of what is being said in expressions of thanksgiving, providing an opportunity for each to say, “the Amen” of personal assent. Why was Paul so adamant concerning this matter? Because Paul knew that saying “the Amen” was an act of worship enjoined by the church. The current elders for the church of Christ in Leipers Fork have embraced “the Amen” as constituting a Divinely authorized act of worship, calling on the church to unite in saying “the Amen” at the conclusion of the Lord’s Table as a special offering of thanksgiving to God for the wonderful gift of salvation.

We encourage you to share this article, inquiring of the elders of the local church whether it is right to give glory to God through the unanimous voice of the church saying “the Amen” as an act of public worship. If so, let the church lift up her voice of thanksgiving, bringing glory to God in Christ Jesus through joyful exclamation, Amen!

Tracy White