John 5:24, John 6:47; Revelation 3:14
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life…Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): The declaration is prefaced by “I say unto you.” Here is the authority before which we all bow—Jesus says it. He does not merely proclaim the truth, but He sets His personal stamp and royal seal upon it. “I say unto you”—I who cannot lie, who speak the things which I have received of my Father, upon whom the Spirit of God rests without measure—I say unto you. He speaks as one having authority, and not as the scribes; with a verily, verily of certainty He teaches, and therefore let us unquestionably accept His declaration.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): The preface is very solemn: Verily, verily, I say unto you; an awful asseveration, which our Saviour often used, to command a reverent attention and a ready assent.
ADAM CLARKE (1760-1832): Our Lord introduces this discourse in a most solemn manner, Verily, verily!―Amen, amen!―it is true, it is true!―a Hebraism for “This is a most important and interesting truth; a truth of the utmost concern to mankind”…The repetition of amen, or verily, verily, among the Jewish writers, was considered of equal import with the most solemn oath.
JOHN BERRIDGE (1716-1793): No prophet used “verily, verily” before Christ, nor any apostle after Christ; it seems an expression peculiarly belonging to Him who is Truth itself, and therefore only fit for Him to use.
C. H. SPURGEON: Is not that double Amen the very mark of the Christ? Often when He preached, He commenced his sermons with “Amen, Amen; ” that is, “Verily, verily, I say unto you.” He is God’s great “Amen, the faithful and true Witness.”
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): The word [Amen] in the Hebrew properly signifies, truth, Isaiah 65:16; whence Christ―the truth―is called the Amen, Revelation 3:14. As the prophets were wont to begin their discourses with The Word of the Lord, and Thus saith the Lord, so to assert the truth of what they were about to say; so Christ, to show that Himself was God, and spake from Himself, beginneth with Amen, and Amen, Amen, sometimes: it is observed that John constantly doubles the particle, and saith, Amen, Amen, that is, Verily, verily.
MATTHEW HENRY: The style of the prophets was, Thus saith the Lord, for they were faithful as servants; but Christ, being a Son, speaks in His own name: I say unto you―I, the Amen, the faithful witness; He pawns his veracity upon it.
C. H. SPURGEON: Truth spoken in awful earnestness has a double life about it…The believer in Jesus shall be saved because he is a believer; and Christ’s veracity is staked thereon:—Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
JOHN GILL (1697-1771): He is not only true, but truth itself: this may regard His person and character; He is the true God, and eternal life; truly and really man; as a prophet He taught the way of God in truth; as a priest, He is a faithful, as well as a merciful one, true and faithful to Him that appointed Him; and as a King, just and true are all His ways and administrations: He is the sum and substance of all the truths of the Gospel; they are all full of Him, and centre in Him; and He is the truth of all the types and shadows, promises and prophecies of the Old Testament; they have all their accomplishment in Him; and He is the true way, in opposition to all false ones of man’s devising.
C. H. SPURGEON: Jesus is the Truth.
MATTHEW HENRY: For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, II Corinthians 1:20. The Word of God is not yea and nay, but yea and amen; what He hath said He will abide by, whoever saith against it; nor will He retract any of His sayings for the ignorance and mistakes of men.
J. C. RYLE (1816-1900): It is fashionable now to say that all sects should be equal―that all creeds should be regarded with equal favour and respect, and that there is a substratum of common truth at the bottom of all religion, whether Buddhism, Mahometanism, or Christianity!
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES (1899-1981): Christianity is an exclusive religion; it claims that it, and it alone, is the truth of God. And not only is it the one and only way, it also does not need any help or assistance. There is no need to add a little Buddhism, or Mohammedanism, or Confucianism, or any other ‘ism’ to it…Any man who tells you that he can find God, and have access to God, other than in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, is denying New Testament Christianity, however much good he may appear to do, because Christ Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me,” John 14:6. That is absolute and categorical. There is no access to God―there is no knowledge of God as Saviour and Deliverer except in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
JAMES DURHAM (1622-1658): The Scripture is plain and peremptory in this, as namely, Acts 4:14―There is none other name under heaven, whereby a sinner can be saved, but by the name of Jesus.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: It was, and is the only way―there is no other.
JOHN GILL: Whether it will be believed or not, it is certainly fact.
C. H. SPURGEON: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness, John 3:11. Our great Lord and Master taught mankind certain great truths plainly and definitely, stamping them with His Verily, verily; and as to the marrow of them He did not hesitate to say, “He that believeth shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned;” a sentence very abhorrent to modern charity, but infallible nevertheless.
MATTHEW HENRY: It was not spoken of as a thing probable, which perhaps might happen, but as a thing certain.
JOHN GILL: It is truth, and may be depended on, whether it will be believed or not…Verily, verily I say unto you―nothing is more certain; it may be depended on as truth; I who am truth itself, the “Amen” and faithful witness, aver it with the greatest assurance.
RICHARD SIBBES (1577-1635): “Amen” is a short word, but marvellously pregnant, full of sense, full of spirit. It is a word that seals all the truths of God, and seals every particular promise of God.
MATTHEW HENRY: If we would have our amens accepted in heaven, let Christ’s amens be prevailing on earth; His repeated amens.
