“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God’ ” (Romans 14:10,11).
ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE GOSPEL IS THAT WE CONFESS THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS CHRIST. This means we openly reveal to others the truth about our convictions: we believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 10:32,33; Romans 10:9,10). At the present time, of course, not everybody believes the truth of that proposition, and of those who do believe it, not all would be willing to admit it. But there is coming a day when all of that will change. When the Creator brings this world to a conclusion, the truth about Him will become undeniably and inescapably evident.
Paul wrote that “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” Among the members of the human race, there is universal accountability to God. As many as have been created in God’s image, the same will be judged by Him. No one is exempt.
When the day of judgment comes, there will be nowhere to hide. Not all will want to hide, of course, for there will be some “who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). But those who have denied the truth about God and His Son will cry to the mountains and rocks, as have others during times of God’s judgment, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:16,17).
For the time being, the truth about God is not unequivocal. It is possible to deny that He exists. But when the Father and His Son openly declare themselves, the truth will be unavoidable. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess the truth.
Reality is a strong and a sturdy thing. We can’t break it; we can only break ourselves trying to break it. In the great courtroom of cosmic history, after all the other witnesses have had their say, the Great Witness will stand up at last and set the record straight. Reality will assert itself. The truth will come out. And those who have denied it will find their denials falling away. So let us not run away from the truth right now. Later, when we are hopelessly lost, we’ll have to admit that the truth was the truth all along.
“Man cannot cover what God would reveal” (Thomas Campbell).
Gary Henry — WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
