might he Lord both of the dead and living. The dominion which Christ, as Mediator or Redeemer, exercises over his people, and which they gladly recognise, is the result of his death and resurrection. By his death he purchased them for his own, and by his resurrection he at- tained to that exalted station which he now occupies as Lord over all, and received those gifts which enable him to exercise as Mediator this universal dominion. The exaltation and dominion of Christ are fre- quently represented in the Scriptures as the reward of his sufferings, " Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow," &c. Phil. 2: 8, 9. This authority of Christ over his people is not confined to this world, but extends beyond the grave. He is Lord both of the dead and the living.
(10) But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at naught thy brother ? for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. In this and the following verses, to the thirteenth, Paul applies his previous reasoning to the case in hand. If a man is our brother, if God has received him, if he acts from a sincere desire to do the divine will, he should not be condemned, though he may think certain things right which we think wrong; nor should he be despised if he trammels his conscience with unnecessary scruples. The former of these clauses relates to scrupulous Jewish Christians ; the latter to the Gentile con- verts. The last member of the verse applies to both classes. As we are all to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, as he is our sole and final judge, we should not usurp his prerogative, or presume to condemn those whom he has received.
(11) For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall how to me, and every tongue shall confess. This quotation is from Isa 45 : 23, " I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear." The apostle, it will be perceived, does not adhere to the words of the passage which he quotes, but contents himself with giving the sense. As I live, being the form of an oath, is a correct exhibition of the meaning of the phrase / have sworn by myself. And, since to swear by any being is to recognise his power and authority over us, the expressions every tongue shall swear and every tongue shall confess are of similar import. Both indeed are parallel to the clause every knee shall bow, and are but different forms of expressing the general idea that every one shall submit to God, i. e. recognise his authority as God, the supreme Ruler and Judge. The apostle evidently considers the recognition of the authority of Christ as being tantamount to submis- sion to God ; and he applies, without hesitation, the declarations of the Old Testament in relation to the universal dominion of Jehovah in proof of the Redeemer's sovereignty. With him, therefore, Jesus Christ was God.
(12) S» then every one of us shall give account of himself to God