Romans 14:10-13

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Romans 14:10-13

The Apostle Paul concludes this section of teaching about quarreling amongst one another in the Church.  He sums it up by questioning why we would judge or show contempt for our brothers and sisters in Christ as we will all stand before Him one day.  As Christians, when we stand before Jesus to be judged, it will not be a time to determine if we have been saved or not as for all who, “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, your will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”, as Paul teaches us in Romans 10:9-10, NKJV.  But Christians will stand before Jesus to be judged as to if we have utilized the gifts that God has given us in our salvation in Christ Jesus.  Paul teaches us that we should not judge one another as God will take care of that when the time comes.

 

This is a command to not judge one another as it is not our place in Christ to do so.

This is a promise that one day we will all be judged by Jesus according to the gifts that God has given us in our salvation in Christ Jesus.

 

God teaches us through the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:8-10 (NIV), “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”  This brings to mind the teaching of James in James 2 as he declares in James 2:26 (ESV), “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”  Paul and James, together, are trying to show us that in Christ, as Christians, we are called to action.  We are God’s hands, feet, mouths, ears, and all body parts that make up Christ in the world today.  To be spreading the gospel in all of the gifts that God gives us is to be taking action in the specific gift(s) that God gives each of us in our salvation in Jesus.  Do you know what gift God has given you?  If not, ask Him and He will help you grow and develop in the special salvation that He has been waiting for you to take action in through your salvation in Christ Jesus.

 

Dear LORD,

In our salvation in and through Christ Jesus, You have given, or have waiting for us, the gifts that You have prepared special for each of us according to the type of person that You have made us to be.  Please open our eyes to the gifts that You have for us that we would ask for Your guidance and understanding of these gifts and take action in Christ Jesus to share the gospel and Your love through our lives that we would bring glory to You and stand confident in Christ as we, one day, will stand before Him to be judged for our active lives in Him.  In Jesus name I pray, amen.