Romans 14:11,12

“ For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God. ”

In Romans 14:11, Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23, where the universal homage is described, which all creatures will render to God at the end of the world. This homage supposes and implies the judgment, by which they shall all have been brought to His feet. If we read of Christ, and not of God, at the end of Romans 14:10, it must be held that the apostle sees this last royal manifestation of Jehovah, proclaimed by Isaiah, finding its realization in Christ; comp., indeed, Philippians 2:10-11, where the words of Isaiah in our verse are applied to Jesus glorified.

The form of affirmation in the original text is: I have sworn by myself. Paul substitutes, unintentionally no doubt, a somewhat different form of oath, but one which is also frequent in the O. T.: “I am living that”...the meaning of which is: “As truly as I am the eternally living One, so truly shall this come to pass.” The words: saith the Lord, are here added by the apostle. Then he substitutes for the expression: shall swear by me (as the one true God), the term “shall do me homage” (ἐξομολογεῖσθαι). This word, which strictly signifies to confess, might allude to the judgment which will lay every man low in the conviction of his guilt, and draw forth from the heart of all an acknowledgment of God's holiness and righteousness. But all that this term expresses may simply be the homage of adoration, which proclaims God as the one being worthy to be glorified; comp. Luke 2:38; Philippians 2:11.

The words to God are the paraphrase of the to me, in Isaiah.

In Romans 14:12, Paul applies to every individual in particular what has just been said of all in general. The preceding context signified: “Judge not thy brother, for God will judge him; ” this verse signifies: “Judge thyself, for God will judge thee. ”

Paul here repeats the expression τῷ Θεῶ, to God, rather than say τῷ Χριστῷ, to Christ, because he wishes to contrast in a general way divine, the alone truly just judgment, with human judgments.