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In II Cor. 5: 10 we have "the judgment seat of Christ", while in Rom. 14: 10 the
R.V. reads "the judgment seat of God", and this reading has the support of the critical
texts. There is, of course, no discrepancy here. The very fact that in one passage the
reference is to "Christ" and in the other to "God" only emphasizes the Deity of Christ, for
we read:
"The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (John 5: 22).
It is the Son Who shall sit upon the throne of His glory to judge the nations of the
earth (Matt. 25: 31, 32). It is the Son Who shall come in the glory of the Father with His
angels, to reward every man according to his works (Matt. 16: 27). And it is the Son
Who shall sit on the throne of His glory, in the regeneration (Matt. 19: 28).
With regard to the question of judging, the Apostle in I Corinthians refuses either to
allow others to judge his motives or to attempt to justify himself:
"Yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing against myself, yet am I not
hereby justified, but He that judgeth me is the Lord. Wherefore judge nothing before the
time, until the Lord come, Who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and
make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from
God" (I Cor. 4: 3-5).
The Apostle is referring here to that test of true service that he had enlarged upon in
I Cor. 3: 11-15, where he distinguishes between the foundation and the super-structure.
A believer whose life's work is burnt up shall nevertheless "himself be saved", even
though he "suffer loss" (I Cor. 3: 15).
Coming now to Rom. 14:, we observe that the reference to the judgment seat is
associated with a quotation from the O.T.:
"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every
tongue confess to God" (Rom. 14: 11).
This is a quotation from Isa. 45:, and if we turn to the passage we shall observe in
the context the following important fact. The One Who thus speaks, declares in verses 21
and 22:
"I am God, and there is none else" (Isa. 45: 21).
"A just God and a Saviour; there is none beside Me" (Isa. 45: 22).
It is this God, beside Whom there is "none else", Who has sworn that unto Himself
every knee shall bow. The Apostle not only knew the passage from Isa. 45: which he
actually quotes, but he also knew its context. In face of this, he uses the names "Christ"
(II Cor. 5: 10) and "God" (Rom. 14: 11), which would be inexplicable unless he believed
in the Deity of Christ. If the Lord Jesus Christ be "God manifest in the flesh", then either
title is His. The first (Christ) refers to Him as the Man Who was the anointed Prophet,