Romans 14:12

So, then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

The apostle here makes the application of the thought suggested in the first verses of the chapter, basing it upon a larger truth of which it is a part. The mind of the Christian, whether he partakes of certain foods or not, whether he observes certain days or not, is always directed to the Lord, because the whole life of the Christian, as well as his death, is devoted and consecrated to the Lord. Since his soul and body, his thoughts and acts, are dedicated to the Lord, therefore the believer will naturally think of His honor first in all things. For none of us lives unto himself, and none dies unto himself; if, then, we live, to the Lord we live, and if we die, to the Lord we die, vv. 7-8. No Christian considers himself his own master, to do with his gifts, abilities, and time what he pleases, according to his own will or for his own ends. In the service and for the honor of the Lord the whole life of the Christians is spent. And when they die, they willingly follow the call of the Lord; they cheerfully entrust their souls to the hands of their heavenly Father and their Savior Jesus Christ; they are glad to leave this world and come to Him, commending everything to His gracious will. And this behavior on our part with reference to the Lord is based upon the fact that we are the Lord's, His precious possession, whether we are still alive in this world, or whether we are leaving this world to be forever with Him. We are Christ's, because He has paid the ransom for our redemption. And therefore throughout life and beyond the grave we are His own, in all eternity. "In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!" For this we have the guarantee of His death and resurrection: For to this end Christ died and returned to life, in order to be the Lord both over the dead and over the living, v. 9. It was the definite intention of the Lord, and this intention has been fully realized, that He might become our Lord in life and death, and we His own. Through His death Christ entered into life and thus attained to the glorious station which is the crown of His redemptive work; He has earned the right to be our Lord. As the living, exalted Christ He has, through His Word and Spirit, claimed us as His own in faith, not only in life, but beyond death, when we shall live and reign with Him in all eternity. But if we serve the Lord and belong to the Lord whether we are alive or whether we are dead, then surely the smaller contrast between eating and not eating cannot come into consideration. It should rather be an easy matter for Christians, in their fraternal relations, to overlook such unimportant matters in true charity.

And so the apostle returns to his first warning: But thou, utterly insignificant beside the Lord, why dost thou judge and condemn thy brother? In view of our common responsibility to Him and the fact that we are all one in Him, how dare we judge each other? Or thou also, the weaker, why despisest thou thy brother? It is altogether inconsistent with the brotherhood of the believers to let a carping and criticizing attitude mar the relationship. It is a practice not only out of harmony with the spirit of Christ that lives in the believers, but also very dangerous: For we must all stand before the judgment-seat of God. How will anyone dare to anticipate the prerogative which belongs to Christ and God only, namely, to pass sentence upon a brother? Through Christ God will judge the world; the judgment-seat of Christ is that of God, 2 Corinthians 5:10; John 5:22. Therefore we must refrain from interfering with the work which is peculiarly His, especially since we shall be equal before His throne of judgment, as the prophet writes, Isaiah 45:23: As I live, says the Lord, to Me shall every knee be bent, and every tongue shall confess to God, shall recognize His authority as God, the supreme Ruler and Judge. Note that, according to the teaching of St. Paul, Jesus Christ is God. From this it follows for the Christians: Therefore now every one of us must give an account of himself to God, v. 12. Every one, without exception, every one for his own person, will be called upon to answer for his works; therefore we should await His decision and not presume to act the part of judges over our brethren. He that always keeps this fact before his eyes will very easily conquer the desire to carp and criticize.