📖WEB · 2 Corinthians 1:20
What does 2 Corinthians 1:20 mean?
"For however many are the promises of God, in him is the “Yes.” Therefore also through him is the “Amen”, to the glory of God through us."
— 2 Corinthians 1:20 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
When I therefore was thus determined, did I show fickleness? Or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be the “Yes, yes” and the “No, no?”
But as God is faithful, our word toward you was not “Yes and no.”
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not “Yes and no,” but in him is “Yes.”
For however many are the promises of God, in him is the “Yes.” Therefore also through him is the “Amen”, to the glory of God through us.
Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God;
who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.
But I call God for a witness to my soul, that I didn’t come to Corinth to spare you.
Explanation
Paul is telling the Corinthians that no matter how many promises God has made throughout Scripture and salvation history, every single one of them finds its confirmation and fulfillment in Jesus Christ. God does not waver or go back on his word — in Christ, the answer to all of God's promises is a resounding "Yes." And because that "Yes" has been given, believers can respond with "Amen," a Hebrew word meaning "let it be so" or "it is true," affirming and receiving what God has done. Paul adds that this happens "through him," meaning through Christ, and it results in glory to God, with believers themselves being the ones who voice that "Amen" and thereby bring praise to God.
To understand this verse well, it helps to know its context. Paul had originally planned to visit the Corinthian church but changed his travel plans, and some in Corinth accused him of being unreliable or fickle, saying his "yes" didn't always mean yes. In 2 Corinthians 1:15-19, Paul defends himself by pointing away from his own consistency to the far greater reality of God's faithfulness in Christ. He argues that just as Christ, whom he preached to them, was not "yes and no" but a definite "yes," so his own ministry reflects that same trustworthy character. Paul isn't merely defending his personal integrity; he's using the occasion to make a profound theological point about the reliability of God himself, as revealed supremely in Jesus.
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