Tag: in conclusion

Romans 14:12 – Personal Testimony

Posted on by Will

So then each of us will give account of himself to God.

Truth to Learn

All Christians will have to testify regarding what they have done for God while on this earth.

 

Behind the Words

Paul starts off the current verse with the Greek words ara oun, which basically mean, “So, in conclusion, …” This expression applies to what he will say in this and the following verse.

“Each” is translated from the Greek word hekastos, meaning “each one” or “every one.” It is expressed in the singular, indicating that we will be standing individually before the Judge. Only our individual actions will matter.

The word “give” is didōmi, which means “to deliver up” or “to give over.” And “account” is logos, meaning “a word” or “something said.” Thus, it appears that we will each have to talk about how we spent the life that was given to us.

“Himself” is the reflexive pronoun heautou, indicating that the account given will be that of the one giving the account not of anyone else.

 

Meaning Explained

Let me start off by saying that this verse clearly shows that Paul believed that Jesus Christ is God. You will notice that this verse is still in reference to the judgment seat (bematos) of Christ, and it is clearly Jesus Christ who is sitting on this seat. Also, in John’s gospel account our Lord taught that the Father entrusts all judgment to the Son.

For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, (John 5:22)

Yet in this verse, Paul tells us that we will have to give an explanation of our actions to God. Jesus Christ is the Creator, our Savior, our Judge, and our God.

The next thing that Paul has to say regarding our appearance before the bema seat of Christ is that “each one of us will give account concerning himself to God.” That is, when we appear before Christ’s judgment seat, we will have to give an explanation of what we have done for Him. We will not be called upon to give testimony about anyone else, nor will He be calling us as a witness to anyone else’s actions, only our own. Therefore, since God’s focus at the judgment seat of Christ will be on our works done for His glory, our focus in this earthly life needs to be on what we are doing for God, not on what other Christians are or aren’t doing.

Also, notice very carefully that this is a judgment of our works, not our sins. According to 2Corinthians 5:10, which we looked at a couple of verses back, this judgment will be “according to what each person has done.” Our sins, on the other hand, have already been judged. They were judged at the cross when Christ paid the penalty for all our sins with His blood. When we believed God’s promise, like Abraham we were declared righteous. All of our sins – past, present, and future – were judged and paid for; hence, they cannot be the subject of the judgment seat of Christ.

 

Application

Let us all judge our own actions, not the actions of other Christians, so that He will judge them worthy on that day! We would all rather receive rewards than the smell of smoke.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:19 – Self Denial

Posted on by Will

Romans 14:19 – Self Denial

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

Truth to Learn

We must deny ourselves in order to serve God and others.

Behind the Words

Just as in verse twelve, Paul starts off this verse with ara oun, which means “so in conclusion.”

“Let us pursue” is from diōkō, which means “to pursue” in a good sense and “to persecute” in a bad sense. It means “to constantly go after something.” The presence of “let” in the English makes it sound like a command (imperative mood) but it is expressed in the subjunctive mood. So this should probably be translated “Therefore we should pursue …”

The word translated “edify” is oikodomē, which refers to “the process of building something.”

Meaning Explained

Since his previous conclusion (verses fourteen and fifteen), Paul has told us, “If you insist on having your own way, you may cause your brother to stumble, you will not be walking according to love, what you consider good will be spoken evil of, you will not be pursuing God’s glory, and you will not please God or man.” “In conclusion,” he says, “instead of all that, we should pursue the things that produce peace and that build-up one another.”

What Paul has had to say to us in these past five verses seems a bit harsh, especially when you consider that we all have times when our sin nature takes over and controls our thoughts and actions. But even the best of Christians has these spiritual ups and downs. I was reminded recently about the Apostle Peter’s interactions with Jesus in Matthew chapter sixteen. When Jesus asks the disciples who people say He is, they respond with, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:14)

But when He asks the disciples who they say He is, Peter is quick to reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.“ In response, Jesus proclaims Peter to be blessed.

A short time later, Jesus begins to explain to his disciples that He must suffer many things, be killed, and be raised from the dead. Upon hearing this, Peter takes the Lord aside and begins to rebuke Him. (I’m sure none of us has ever yelled at God, have we?) 🙂 At this point our Lord says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23)

Imagine having the Son of God say that you are an offense to Him! Then Jesus says to them all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

That’s precisely what Paul has been teaching us in this passage of Scripture. We need to deny self and treat other Christians and our Lord as more important than we are.

Application

Once again, we see that a close walk with our God is largely a matter of where our focus it. If we are focused on ourselves and seeking to satisfy our own desires, we will stray from God because we aren’t watching where we’re going. But if our focus is on Him, then we will be following in His footsteps, and serving God and fellow Christians becomes our constant objective. Is it time for another focus check?

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 14:12 – Personal Testimony

Posted on by Will

Romans 14:12 – Personal Testimony

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

Truth to Learn

All Christians will have to testify regarding what they have done for God while on this earth.

Behind the Words

Paul starts off the current verse with the Greek words ara oun, which basically mean, “So, in conclusion, …” This expression applies to what he will say in this and the following verse.

“Each” is translated from the Greek word hekastos, meaning “each one” or “every one.” It is expressed in the singular, indicating that we will be standing individually before the Judge. Only our individual actions will matter.

The word “give” is didōmi, which means “to deliver up” or “to give over.” And “account” is logos, meaning “a word” or “something said.” Thus, it appears that we will each have to talk about how we spent the life that was given to us.

“Himself” is the reflexive pronoun heautou, indicating that the account given will be that of the one giving the account not of anyone else.

Meaning Explained

Let me start off by saying that this verse clearly shows that Paul believed that Jesus Christ is God. You will notice that this verse is still in reference to the judgment seat (bematos) of Christ, and it is clearly Jesus Christ who is sitting on this seat. Also, in John’s gospel account our Lord taught that the Father entrusts all judgment to the Son.

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, (John 5:22)

Yet in this verse, Paul tells us that we will have to give an explanation of our actions to God. Jesus Christ is the Creator, our Savior, our Judge, and our God.

The next thing that Paul has to say regarding our appearance before the bema seat of Christ is that “each one of us will give account concerning himself to God.” That is, when we appear before Christ’s judgment seat, we will have to give an explanation of what we have done for Him. We will not be called upon to give testimony about anyone else, nor will He be calling us as a witness to anyone else’s actions, only our own. Therefore, since God’s focus at the judgment seat of Christ will be on our works done for His glory, our focus in this earthly life needs to be on what we are doing for God, not on what other Christians are or aren’t doing.

Also, notice very carefully that this is a judgment of our works, not our sins. According to 2Corinthians 5:10, which we looked at a couple of verses back, this judgment will be “according to what each person has done.” Our sins, on the other hand, have already been judged. They were judged at the cross when Christ paid the penalty for all our sins with His blood. When we believed God’s promise, like Abraham we were declared righteous. All of our sins – past, present, and future – were judged and paid for; hence, they cannot be the subject of the judgment seat of Christ.

Application

Let us all judge our own actions, not the actions of other Christians, so that He will judge them worthy on that day! We would all rather receive rewards than the smell of smoke.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, send an e-mail to: