“Every knee shall bow!” (Rom. 14:1111For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Romans 14:11)). Every knee! Whether of angels or of men, loyal or disloyal, whether of infidels or of martyrs, whether that of Beelzebub or that of Michael—some, owning the power of His might; some, the power of His love; some, in willing obedience; some, because they have no choice. This is the decree of God the Father that at the name of Jesus “Every knee shall bow,” whether in heaven, on earth or under the earth, whether the holy angels, men or devils.
“Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,” (Phil. 2:1111And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:11)). Yes, “Lord,” the Ruler, the Governor, the Supreme Authority! The confession must be made throughout all God’s universe as to the Lordship of Jesus, the Son of Man, though for the present the earth is a rebellious place, and the devil is at war with Him.
Had the Father’s decree been that this confession should be that Jesus is the Eternal Son, it might be said, His essential glories demand such honor, but the confession is to be made of Him as Jesus, as the Son of Man who was despised and rejected of men, as Jesus known upon earth as the carpenter’s son, as the Nazarene, the scorn of the religious. The reason for this universal confession to Jesus as the Lord, and of this universal bowing of the knee to Him, is thus given: though He was “in the form of God [He], thought it not robbery to be equal with God,” for this He was by His own right, being the eternal Son of God; “but made Himself of no reputation”; that is, He emptied Himself, He left the everlasting throne and laid aside His glories; instead of remaining the One before whom all bowed, He took upon Him the form of a servant, and learned to serve. Not such service as the mighty angels render to God was His, for He was made a “little lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:77Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: (Hebrews 2:7)). His servant-form was not in the likeness of the “flames of fire,” but in that of man.
Having become a man, He humbled Himself even as such. He did not stoop from the everlasting throne on high to become a king on this earth or to move among its mighty princes, but to become a poor man, associated with publicans and sinners! Yet, even more than this, such was the wonder of His grace, He became obedient unto death! It is impossible for our minds to conceive what death was to the Lord of life and glory! There was no necessity for Him to die, save that which the love of His heart imposed upon Him, but, in His loving service, death stood in the way, as He said, “Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:1414And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (John 3:14)); death waited at the end of His career of service, hence He became obedient even unto death. Yet Jesus did not merely die, however immeasurably beyond human thought that humiliation is, He stooped to the most shameful death that man could die, the lowest and most bitter form of death—“even the death of the cross.”
In answer to this obedience and willing humility, God the Father has highly exalted Him, and has given Him the name which is above every name. No man nor angel shall ever bear a name so glorious, so wonderful as He. God has also seated Him upon His throne in glory, and has decreed, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, and that every tongue shall confess that He is Lord.
In these days of Christianized infidelity, when the very atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is openly discredited in not a few Christian pulpits and when His humiliation and obedience are used by those who hold the Bible in their hands as weapons against His divinity, the heart of the true believer finds satisfaction and strength in the contemplation of the coming glories and honors that attend the name of Jesus. Infidelity can only be met by Scripture. To argue with infidelity is to come down to its level. The man of faith stands on a higher platform altogether than that occupied by the infidel, and it is his duty to use the sword of the Spirit above, which is the Word of God, to cut asunder man’s pride, and to pierce and divide his thoughts and intentions.
The Man Christ Jesus, despised and rejected of men, is seated on the throne of God the Father; declare then boldly to your friends and neighbors, who may question the truth of the Word of God, how God has exalted Jesus on His throne and has decreed that they, each one of them, must bend the knee to Him, the Lord; that they, each one of them, must with their very tongues confess the glory of His name. Say to them, this is the decree of God the Father; that they will have no choice. Infidel and scorner a man may be, but tell him plainly that infidelity can last no longer than the brief span of this lifetime, that “honest doubts,” as men call their willful unbelief of God’s Word, will not save them from the awful penalty of their disobedience. Explain that when the breath passes out of a man’s body, and his spirit goes into the world of spirits, that then, forever and forever, infidelity is a thing of the past. Either in heaven, on earth, or in hell, every knee will bow to Jesus and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. His name of Lord does of necessity contain in it the sweetness of His title, Savior. Happy are they who now, in this lifetime, have bowed in loving worship at His once pierced feet, for they shall in heaven cast their crowns before the throne and declare Him Lord.