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THE KING’S BUSINESS
have our choice between either willingly, bowing the knee and confessing now and being saved in so doing (Matt. 10:32; Rom. 1 0 : 9 ), or waiting until we are forced to confess to God and so being lost forever (Mark 8:38; 2 Thess. 1:7-10). But every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. Sunday, August 26 . Rom. 14 : 12 - 15 - “So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.” We should notice the “then” in this verse, it has the force of “so” or, “therefore.” Because God has said in the preceding verse, “As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, etc.” therefore each one of us, beyond a question, shall give account of himself to God. There are three things to mark well in this verse. First, who is-to give account — ‘each one of us.” Not one of us shall escape that accounting. We may escape human courts, we may escape human assessors, but we cannot escape this court. There is not a man So great, there is not a man so obscure, that he will not be sum moned, and each one summoned must appear. Are you ready? Second, to whom we are to give account —“to God.” That ,is the dreadful thing about it, and that is the blessed thing about it. It is dreadful to some to give account to God because God is-so holy. It is also dreadful because He is omniscient and His all-seeing eye looks us, through and through, and no deed has j been so, covered, and no thought or imag ination so hidden, but that He knows them all. To Him we are to give account, and there is no deceiving Him, and there can be no false returns. It is blessed to some, because God is so loving, so tender, so just, so discerning, because “He knowcth our frame,” and because He is one who redeemed u s; and however poor and bad the account has been we are glad to render it to Him. I am glad to render my account to God and not to man. Third, of whom each is to render account —“of himself." Many act as if it was of someone else we are to give account. We are all the time scrutinizing the actions of others, worrying
these lines clearly marked out in the word of God, we disobey God Himself. You who are judging your brother and despis ing your brother, listen to God’s “why?” until it sinks into your very soul. The remainder of verse 10 gives the reason why we should not judge our -brother, or set our brother at nought, viz., “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” Most solemn words these., Would that we might live every day and hour in the light of them'. There is absolutely no doubt, of their truth. For the true believer in Christ, standing before the judgment seat of Christ, or God, does not involve the question of his salvation. .He is already saved. That question is forever settled. (Eph. 2 : 8 , R. V., John 10:28,29). The real bejiever in Christ shall never come into judgment regarding his salvation (John 5:24). Nevertheless, he shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ'to have his work passed upon, and it is quite possible that although he is saved, his works will be all burned up, and he “saved, yet so as by fire” (1 Cor. 3:13-15). Since this is so let us not judge anything about others before that day. The brethren' we' think less of may shine out wondrously in that day, while our works go up in smoke (1 Cor. 4:5, R. V.). “It is written” and there fore is absolutely sure, it is God’s own writing. “Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” God says this and it is as sure as God lives. Praise God that is it. Will not that be a glad day when every infidel knee is bowing and every infidel and blasphemous tongue confessing that He is God? In Phil. 3)10,11, R. V., we are further told that. ‘“in the name of Jesus," every knee shall bow i and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. There Will be no Buddhism , and Mohammedanism and Theosophy and Unitarianism in that day. But the infidels and Unitarians, and the rest who do not bow the knee and con fess to God until they are ' compelled to, will not find salvation in such bowing of the knee and confession of the lips. We
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