The Bible Edge
Everyone needs an Edge, Believers can have the Bible Edge
Romans 14:12
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
“He went to meet his Maker” that’s what he told me. When I was 16 a family friend died in an awful car wreck. I was working at a scout camp that summer and called home to ask my parents’ permission to go to the coast with some other camp counselors that weekend. My dad said no and then told me why. “Tim died in a car wreck last night.” He followed that up with “He went to meet his Maker.” At the time this saying seemed to just be something someone said at a time like that. But over the years, now almost 5o years later, those words still echo in my soul.
It's a matter of fact, similar to saying, “I’m going to go check the mailbox.” This thing of “going to meet his Maker” seems so familiar yet so far away. Based on today’s unconditional promise from God’s Word it is true: we will all meet our Maker. We will give an account of ourselves to the Lord God, the Father in Heaven. The writer of Hebrews states it like this: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27).
For the saved this judgment takes place at the Judgment Seat of Christ, II Corinthians 5:10 plainly tells us so: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. For those who reject Christ, never receiving His Gospel, this will take place at the Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation 20:12-13 states this about that: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. This is a vast oversimplification of the afterlife judgments but then again it is a short devotion.
Regardless of when, where, how, and what (for these are questions of which there are no satisfactory answers concerning their details), this one thing we can know. Every person will give an account of themselves to the Lord God. Like being called to a witness stand to give an honest and true account of what we know in a court of law. So too will be this afterlife judgment time. We will give an account. What we did, why we did it, how we did it, for what purpose was it done, etc. Then God will render His judgment. Which judgment from Him is final; He is truly the Judge that has no jury. There will be no discovery, for He already knows it all.
A Bible Edge for life and for the afterlife is this: live every day as if it were the day appointed for you to stand before your Maker. Please Him today and you will be pleased on that day.
William T. Howe, Ph.D.