10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. ~ Romans 14:10-13
Today, we return to our study of Romans 14 which is part of the greater context of Romans 12-16 where the Apostle Paul is showing us what the servant of the Lord looks like in the context with those with whom he disagrees. Again, the thrust of today's passage is what a servant does not do to another brother with whom he disagrees on a gray and unimportant issue in the grand scheme of things. When we take the road of the servant, we aid God's overall kingdom in this world. And, when we do not, we go the way of the enemy; we judge others.
In v.10 of today's passage we read, "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."
The first part of this verse is for the "weak brother" and the second is for the "strong brother." The word "judge" reveals the "weak brother" has written off the "strong brother" as an unspiritual meat-eating-compromiser, while the use of the words "show contempt" reveals the "strong brother" looked down upon the "weak brother" as an uptight legalistic.
The real issue here is that both of these are shirking the mentality and the lifestyle of servanthood which is the posture that enables us to grow in our sanctification and usefulness to God best. In addition, we must remember that these imperatives are given in reference to the gray areas of the Christian life, the non-essentials of the faith. This is what the enemy does, knowing he can't take our salvation from us, he tries to get us to make the lesser things seem like the most important things. And, in so doing, he lessens our impact for the kingdom of God here on earth.
The words "judgment seat" refer to the "bema seat of Christ" which is spoken of in 2 Corinthians 5:10 which reads, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what we have done whether good or bad."
This verse is only applicable to Christians. The Apostle Paul used the word "bema" here to direct our attention to that day when there will be a special judgment that God will hold for believers only. This illustration comes from the raised platform where the judges of athletic events would sit. After the end of the sporting event, the victors would ascend up the steps of the "bema" to receive their prizes from the judges. Unlike our modern day Olympic games, participants in those athletic events did not receive gold, silver or bronze medals. What they received were special circular wreaths woven from leaves, and they wore these on top of their heads. The Bible refers to these wreaths as "crowns" and in that day these crowns were greatly coveted.
The judgment seat of Christ does not determine whether a person goes to heaven or hell. The bema seat will be the place where God will deliver His judgement upon the actions of the believer during the time he was a believer on earth. These actions are referred to in the New Testament as the good works of the believer which aided God's work in the lives of others, especially non-believers. When the believer in Christ does not operate from the posture of the servant, we are in grave danger of contributing to the purposes of the kingdom of darkness. The opposite is true, as well; when we operate out of the servant's mentality, we will contribute to the kingdom of God while on this earth. At the "bema" the believer will receive God's rewards for the good works that proceeded out of his life while on earth.
According to Luke 19:16-27, during the millennial reign of Christ after the Tribulation, the most faithful believers will govern with the Lord Jesus over multiple cities. Not every believer in Christ will have the same opportunities; the opportunities will have been determined by our good works while on earth as believers. Our previous faithfulness is the key principle here. When the faithful servant operates accordingly while here on this earth, the Lord Jesus will give him responsibilities in His millennial kingdom, and not all believers will reign like the most faithful.
In v.11 of today's passage we read, "For it is written: 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.'"
Here, the Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23 which he also quotes in Philippians 2. The point in both of those passages is obvious, no human has the right to judge another. Only the Lord Jesus has that right because He is God. And, as the Apostle Paul reminds us here, all mankind will give an account to Him one day. This means every one of us will one day soon bow our knee before God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, we will discover that it is a bad thing to try to arrest from God a responsibility that only God has. In fact, to stand in judgement of another is a blasphemous thing before God.
In v.12 of today's passage we read, "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God."
There is coming a day when all man will give an account to the Lord Jesus Christ. We will all come before Him and our works are going to be examined by Him and then we'll receive the reward, if any, for our good choices to resist sin and to do good. The word "account" is a math term meaning "financial records." God keeps a record of everything we do.
In Hebrews 4:13 we read, "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way."
We are presented with a clear choice here. We can either build up or tear down. We can either judge or serve. Especially in the grey areas between religious restriction and freedom in Christ, it is more important to walk in love than to walk in freedom. Yes we’re free to disregard the Jewish dietary rules and holy days; but not if walking in that freedom causes others to stumble. In this case the stronger brother is held responsible to yield his rights as the servant of the Lord.
In Luke 4:5-7 we read, "The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.'"
The response of the Lord Jesus to the devil that day was quite instructive; He said, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
As the Lord Jesus illustrated here, the servant of the Lord sees way beyond this world to the world that is to come. We evaluate eternity from the vantage point of time to our peril. This is why we even think of our heavenly rewards as the gold that will be pavement there. When we gain the view of eternity, we lose sight of the self life. And, when we lose sight of the self life, we embrace the life of a servant.
