4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. ~ 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. – Romans 14:4&10-12
Hello ILC!
There will be times in life when who we are and what we believe are challenged by powerful people. When those times come, we must know what we believe and be willing to stand for it, even unto death. For one day, we will stand before the Lord God Almighty and give an account of ourselves to Him.
In the year of our Lord 1521, Martin Luther was called before the most powerful man in Europe, the Holy Roman Emperor, to answer charges brought against him by the Pope himself. The Roman church had been selling salvation in the form of indulgences. Luther taught, among other things, that Jesus was not for sale. Jesus gives himself to us freely, no proof of purchase necessary. The Pope’s representative demanded that Luther recant everything he had ever said, whether it contradicted Roman teaching or not. After taking a day to consider his response, he made his most famous statement:
“Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason-I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other-my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.” ~ Martin Luther
This statement essentially signed his own death sentence. His Prince and friend, Fredrick the wise, had Luther kidnaped and hidden away in the attic of a small castle for his own protection. Trapped in that upper room, Luther translated the Bible into German, making God’s Word available to ordinary people for the first time in over 1000 years. One man standing on God’s Word changed the world. You can read the Bible for yourself today because one German monk stood on the Word of God.
You will never know what holding fast to God’s Word will do to the world around you. It could get you killed. It could change the entire world for the better. God has promised that no matter what happens, His Word will never fail you. There is only one good and true place to stand, Jesus and His Word. So, let that Word keep your conscience captive and wait and see what God will do. For the Lord is able to make you stand.
Peace be with you,
Pastor Caleb