Romans 14:12: A Great Way to Fight Sin

Romans 14:12.. "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God."

In Romans 14, Paul is speaking of the sin of unrighteous judgment, which we will look at in following devotionals. However, amidst this great talk about this specific sin, he gives us a great word of advice on how to fight all of our sin. In encouraging the Romans church not to pass judgment on one another, Paul says that we ought to remember that "each of us will give an account of himself to God." Surely this is a great realization when it comes to fighting our sin.

Think of it this way: a child is told to do wash the dishes while his mom runs to the store. After his mom leaves, the child contemplates whether to obey his mother or not. Eventually, he decides to wash the dishes because he realizes that his mother will eventually come home and see whether or not he has obeyed. It's a great little story, is it not? But what about us? Do we actaully realize that the Lord sees our actions, and that one day we will have to give an account to him for all that we have done?

The day in which we will have to give an account to God is coming. Now, let me not confuse you. If you are truly saved, you are saved by grace and not by works. In other words, on the day in which you give an account to God he will still accept you into his kingdom (that is, if you are truly saved) no matter how many sins you have committed. The point of this verse is not to scare you into doing good works in order that you might get into heaven, but rather to motivate you to do good works for the one who freely offered you a spot in heaven. I often put it this way..

"We do not obey God in order that he might save us; we obey God because he has saved us."

Has God saved you? If you have called upon him, yes (Romans 10:13). But who wants to be the Christian who stands before God when he has to give an account and has done nothing with his salvation? Who wants to stand before their heavenly father someday and have to profess that they have made no progress with their sin? Surely the fact that we will all give an account to Christ ought to motivate us to pursue righteousness.

So, how have you been fighting your sin lately? Would remembering that you have to give an account to God someday help you in fighting all of your sin? I surely hope so. So: fight your sin by realizing that you have to give an account to God. Be motivated by the desire to please your heavenly father, so that on the day you give an account you will be able to testify of his work in you. Amen!