¹⁰ Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 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 will give an account of himself to God.

1) What kind of “judgment” is being referenced here that Christians are not to do?
To get an accurate answer to this question, we need to back up and look at the previous verses. In chapters 12-13, Paul has been talking about what it practically looks like to live as a genuine Christ-follower. If you have surrendered your heart to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will begin His work of making you new from the inside out. Go back and read chapters 12-13 to get an idea of what “love” looks like lived out. In chapter 14, Paul switches gears slightly to address the fact that not every Christian will look exactly the way other Christians think they should look. Each believer’s journey of being remade is different and the Holy Spirit is responsible for that, not us. Only the Lord is able to judge our hearts as to whether we are genuinely Christians or not; that judgment call is not up to us.

2) Where does the quote in verse 11 come from and what does it reference?
This quote also appears in Paul’s letter to the Philippians in 2:10, but it has its roots much farther back in the Old Testament prophetic book of Isaiah in 45:23. That single verse in Isaiah becomes even more incredible when we broaden our view and read the whole passage of Isaiah 45. God was being compared to the other false gods and human authorities surrounding the Jewish people of their day and all were found to be meaningless, despite their apparent powers. Verses 22-25 point to the sovereign supremacy of the One True God, foreshadowing the day in our own future when Christ will return and every knee will indeed bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of All!

3) What does it mean that everyone will give an account to God?
On the heels of Christ’s return, there will be a coming Judgement Day when all of humanity will stand before the throne of the Lord God. Revelation 20:11-15 declares that all will be judged based on what they did in their physical bodies on earth. As believers, our “account” to God is paid in full through the blood of Jesus. We will be declared righteous! Those who did not choose to make Jesus their Savior while on earth will earn their just reward for falling short of the righteousness of God and will die an endless, eternal death, utterly separated from a relationship with the loving God of the universe.

1) What kind of “judgment” is being referenced here that Christians are not to do?
Paul’s piercing question asks believers why we “despise” one another. This despising or loathing happens when we elevate ourselves and our faith walk against someone else. When we decide that we are able to judge whether someone is truly a Christ-follower or not, we have put ourselves in the place of God. Such arrogance is extremely dangerous for us, while at the same time, causing unnecessary discord within the Body. When you see others, are you quick to blow the whistle and decide for yourself if they exhibit enough of your own “checkmarks for Christianity”? Next time you’re tempted to fall into this trap, remind yourself that only God has that specific right of judgement. Instead choose to be intentional about building a relational bridge instead rather than burning a bridge.

2) Where does the quote in verse 11 come from and what does it reference?
The Bible makes it exceedingly clear that there will be a day when the clouds will be pulled back, everyone’s spiritual eyes will be opened, every heart laid bare, and the incredible reality of the All-powerful Yahweh God will be absolutely unequivocally undeniable. At this moment, still to come, all peoples will know the absolute truth about God, but the time for grace will have passed. When the trumpet sounds and the Lord is revealed, the opportunity to freely call on His name for salvation will be up. The time to choose Him is now! The time to proclaim Him to others is now!

3) What does it mean that everyone will give an account to God?
The absolute only thing that separates you, Christian, from the un-believer across the street from you is the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else. Not your good deeds, your baptism, your tithing, your controlled language, your good kids, your absence of alcohol in your fridge or tattoos on your body….only Jesus Christ. Bridge that gap, Believer! Extend the embrace of the Father and let them know of the eternal hope that is theirs of the asking! Live your love out loud that they may see Jesus in you!

Don’t miss today’s other Journey Study, Living Love
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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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