Romans 14:10-12 (KJV)

10. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

For decades evangelical pastors have motivated their members to do good works or to give mroe money with threats of appearing before Christ on judgment day to give an account of our lives. This modern motivational tool is very similar to the Roman Catholic practice of indulgences that lasted seven centuries prior to the Reformation. But what does the Bible actually teach about judgment for the believer? Let's examine our text:

1. The text commences with a question . . . "Why dost thou judge thy brother?"
   This is an appropriate question to ask ourselves. Why do we judge other Christians? Why do we think a Christian is lazy, unspiritual, or weak and "set them at naught"?
   1. God has accepted him.
      "For God hath received him" (v.3). "God is able to make him stand" (v.4). This is the doctrine of "justification by faith." A sinner is made right with God by the righteousness of Christ, "reckoned," "accounted," or "credited" to him. The righteousness of God is "imputed" to me by faith, not "infused" in me. "If the best of men had his faults written on his forehead he would pull his cap down to his eyebrows in shame" An old Irish Proverb.
   2. We all stand before Christ.
      "We shall all stand before the (judgment) seat of Christ" (Romans 14:10). The word "bema" is translated "judgment seat" but the word judgment is not in the Greek word. It literally means "podium" or "throne." It is translated this way in Nehemiah 8:4 where Nehemiah "stood on a pulpit of wood (bema)" to read the Word of God to the people of Israel. It is an elevated position of authority. We "Christians" all stand beside Christ. The ungodly shall not stand (Psalm 1:5).
2. The text continues with a quotation . . . "For it is written . . ." (v.12).
   Verse 12 is a direct quotation from Isaiah 45:22-25. In this text God swears an oath. "As I live . . . (v.12) "I have sworn by myself" (Isaiah 45:22). What does God swear? "That every tongue shall swear" (Isaiah 45:23) this word "swear" is also "confess." In the Lord alone there is righteousness and strength. In other words, when we stand before God on that day to come, those who swear, "I have no righteousness but thin" shall stand beside Christ. All those that are "incensed" at him shall be "ashamed" (Isaiah 45:25) and shall be judged by Him.
3. The text concludes with a quest . . . "Every one of us shall give account" (v.12).
   The person who has been angry with Christ on earth shall find God angry with him in heaven. This sinner will be judged according to his deeds on earth (Romans 2:6). The word account is the Greek word "logos." It is the same word used by John to describe the coming of Christ to earth, "In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word (logos) was with God, and the Word (logos) was God (John 1:1). It is also used 11 times in its verb form in Romans 4 to describe the action of God reckoning or crediting righteousness to the believing sinner. The quest to find the books that give an account of our lives will end with an examination of His books (John 20:25).