Each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

Romans 14 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not to have quarrels over opinions. ² One person has faith that he may eat all things, but the one who is weak eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

⁵ One person values one day over another, another values every day the same. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and the one who eats, does so with regard to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God. ⁷ For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; ⁸ for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

¹⁰ But as for you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you as well, why do you regard your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹ For it is written:

“As I live, says the Lord, to Me every knee will bow,
And every tongue will give praise to God.”

¹² So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

¹³ Therefore let’s not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way. ¹⁴ I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to the one who thinks something is unclean, to that person it is unclean. ¹⁵ For if because of food your brother or sister is hurt, you are no longer walking in accordance with love. Do not destroy with your choice of food that person for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; ¹⁷ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For the one who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by other people. ¹⁹ So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. ²⁰ Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the person who eats and causes offense. ²¹ It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother or sister stumbles. ²² The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is the one who does not condemn himself in what he approves. ²³ But the one who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

In today’s text it says:  But as for you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you as well, why do you regard your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, to Me every knee will bow, And every tongue will give praise to God.”  So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.  Therefore let’s not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way.  In the context, Paul is talking about what was permissible to eat and drink, whether some stood strictly by the Old Testament Law or others felt more liberty. He makes the case that it is an individual decision, based on a person’s faith. Some people try to extend that same reasoning to sin and unrighteousness. Paul says:  Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the person who eats and causes offense.  Keep in mind that just prior to this, in Romans 12:9, Paul said: Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.  When he says all things are indeed clean, he is speaking of food, not immorality, unrighteousness and sin.

Still, we are not to be the judge of other people’s sin. In the same way Paul says we should not judge, in Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus says:  “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”  There is a difference between being a judge of another person and being their advocate or helper. In John 3:17-21, Jesus Himself says: “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”  That we do not judge the sin of others, does not mean that tolerate, condone or embrace sin and unrighteousness. Remember Paul says:  Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.  In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says:  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”   Rather than judging the darkness, we should shine the light of Christ to dispel the darkness. Perhaps if some have loved darkness more than light, they will see clearly through our good works, and glorify the Father in heaven.

But as for you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you as well, why do you regard your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, to Me every knee will bow, And every tongue will give praise to God.” So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.  James 4:17 says:  For one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.  With greater understanding comes greater responsibility and greater accountability.  When we stand before God, we will give account for what we have done with the revelation we have been given. If we have known His grace, have we shown His grace? 

‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’