Say, “Amen”
I recently blogged about the use and meaning of amen. Although its use in modern circles is a bit perplexing—especially from preachers—amen does occur in the Bible. The NIV uses amen fifty-two times.
Scriptural Uses of Amen
In forty-nine instances, over 90 percent of the time, the Bible uses “Amen” to conclude a prayer.
Once, in Revelation 3:14, Amen appears as a proper noun, an intriguing reference to God.
Another time, in Nehemiah 8:5-6, Ezra praises God and the people respond with “Amen, Amen,” as if saying, “We agree, we agree.” They repeat it for added emphasis.
Paul, in his second letter to the people in Corinth, uses amen in a perplexing way but which seems to simply mean “yes!”
In none of these examples do I see any biblical reason for preachers to use “amen” as an interjection (“Amen!”) or a question (“Amen?”) seeking a response.
And aside from the single use in Nehemiah, there’s no other biblical example of “Amen” being offered as a response by the congregation.
In addition, in this case, it was offered as praise to God, not feedback for a preacher.
So, let’s follow the Bible and keep our “amens” at the ends of prayers and out of preaching.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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