12-09-2025 PART 3: Every Knee, Every Tongue, Every Account

Section 1

This message opens by returning to Paul’s reminder in Romans that no believer has the right to look down on another, because every one of us will stand personally before God. Paul brings in Isaiah 45:23—joined later by Philippians 2—to emphasize that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess allegiance to the Lord. The point is unmistakable: only God receives this response, and only God holds final authority. No one will ever bow to another human being in the way creation bows before Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That alone dismantles the idea that one believer can place themselves in a position of ultimate judgment over another. The reason Paul anchors the warning with this passage is to remind us that accountability belongs to God, not to us. We may offer guidance, help, and fellowship, but eternal evaluation comes from the Lord alone.

Section 2

Paul explains that while believers can voluntarily support one another in accountability and fellowship, no person has the right to control another believer’s conscience. Only God knows the full story of every heart, every struggle, every past hurt, and every reason a person may abstain from or participate in certain practices. Because God alone knows every nuance, His judgment is perfect in a way ours can never be. We are not clones; we are family members shaped uniquely by God. The standards of faith, grace, and redemption do not change, but the personal walk of each believer is known to God with detail that no one else can access. Paul even repeats the truth—each of us will give a personal account before God—to reinforce that this issue is serious and universal. Because of that certainty, he urges believers to stop condemning one another and to avoid placing obstacles in the paths of other Christians simply because they approach certain practices differently.

Section 3

The teaching closes with a practical and convicting application: instead of judging fellow believers, decide intentionally not to place stumbling blocks in their way. Differences in devotional habits, communion frequency, or personal conviction should never become barriers to fellowship. When persecution or hardship comes, these minor issues will not matter at all, and treating them as dividing lines only weakens the unity of God’s people. The message also confronts the deeper reason we often judge others—self-condemnation. When we harshly measure ourselves, we tend to measure others the same way. Jesus addressed this directly by commanding us to love one another as He has loved us, which goes far beyond our natural patterns of self-love or self-critique. Paul echoes this by urging believers to live in such a way that their actions help rather than hinder. The goal is not to be someone else’s conscience but to be their brother or sister, offering grace, support, and love in the same way God continually extends grace to us.