Every knee will bow – the question is why & therefore when
Why Timing, the Heart, and Our Daily Choices Determine Eternal Destinies

Most Christians know the Bible says that every knee will bow before God. But not everyone will bow before God for the same reason. Beyond that, the reason also determines the timing. Trust me, this is definitely a case where the timing is critical. The impact is eternal.

Here’s the thing – we have so many chances to get the timing right. And in a very real sense, there’s one time when, well, it’s too late.

The adjacent image shows that with short scripture quotes and images.

One surprising thing to me is that so many people who claim to be Christian, even go to church and all that, are still on the path to the non-believer’s judgment on the right side of the image,

Bowing the knee – Timing

I let Google Gemini choose the verses and the images. Given that I write about Christianity, it chose New Testament Passages. But then, given the way I explain things, regular readers won’t be surprised that I’m going back to the source that Paul quoted – Isaiah. To do that, let’s look at the relevant verses from a long passage.

This first part comes before the verses Paul quoted from.

There is a bit of a problem with that passage these days. Well, more than a bit. Christians are tasked with being the ones to spread God’s word. Unfortunately, far too many Christians don’t know, don’t understand, or just plain distort God’s word. And many, with or without a proper interpretation, choose to do nothing – to not spread the word at all.

And so, when we read something like verse 19, it’s not so straightforward.

Isa 45:19 I have not spoken in secret,
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain.’
I, the LORD, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.

If someone tries to learn about God from a self-proclaimed Christian who doesn’t know Jesus, it is a search done in vain.

That makes the remainder of the excerpt above, verse 22, very difficult indeed.

Isa 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.

To make matters more difficult, the person/people we learn from also have to live a life that exemplifies what Jesus taught and modelled for us with His own life.

For this particular article, I’m talking about the passage where the quotes come from, as the Isaiah passage continues.

This, although maybe not 100% obvious, is where the passages chosen by Gemini get their first mention: Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10-11.

The net result is that a true Christian lives by what they say. And what they say is this.

1. Believers, true Christians, will “bow the knee” while we’re still alive. Not because we’re forced to, but because we choose to. Because we want to. We understand, to the extent possible, God’s love for us and what He’s done for us. That’s the left side of the image above.
2. Unbelievers/nonbelievers will “bow the knee” after they’ve passed away. They’ll do it at the judgment for those who rejected Jesus. Here’s something to pay attention to. Rejection isn’t necessarily about words. It’s rejection in the heart. What we do and think can be very different from what we say. How we live out our lives shows our true feelings about Jesus.

Every knee will bow – is it really about our life?

So often, we hear about how we just have to say some words. The alleged “sinner’s prayer”. Hey – there’s no such thing in the Bible as the sinner’s prayer. What Jesus said was about faith and belief.

Some people even read the Isaiah passage and think, or try to convince themselves, it means everyone will be saved. But – the Romans and Philippians passages make it clear – that’s not the case. And – lest you think Isaiah and Paul made this up – remember that Isaiah was one of God’s prophets and Paul was chosen to be the one to spread Christianity to the Gentiles in the early church. Believing that the Bible is the inspired word of God doesn’t really leave room for us to pick and choose what we want to believe.

Here’s a short explanation from Thomas R. Schreiner, a New Testament scholar and author whose work focuses particularly on the theology of Paul and the message of the New Testament.

✏️ Another text that is often adduced to support universalism is Philippians 2:10–11, where Paul writes that every knee “in the heavens and on earth and under earth” bows to the lordship of Jesus and every tongue confesses his lordship.

Does this not explicitly teach that every individual, without exception, will be saved? But if universal salvation is taught in Philippians, why does Paul suffer imprisonment for the sake of the gospel (Phil 1:12–26)? All will be saved regardless of his preaching. The motive for accomplishing salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) seems pointless since salvation is assured even if human beings are evil. That Paul did not envision future salvation for all is evident from Philippians 3:19, where he asserts that the end is “destruction” (apōleia) for those who are enemies of the cross.

We must also recognize that Isaiah 45:21–25 forms the backdrop for Philippians 2:10–11. Isaiah proclaims that there is only one God and all idols are a delusion. All nations will be saved only through Yahweh, the God of Israel. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Yahweh alone is God.

The acclamation with the tongue and the subjugation with the knee do not signal, however, a glad acknowledgment by all of Yahweh’s rule. Isaiah 45:24 says “all who were incensed against him shall come to him and be ashamed” (NRSV).

On the other hand, “In the LORD all the offspring of Israel shall triumph and glory” (Is 45:25 NRSV). Isaiah envisions a twofold response to Yahweh’s lordship. Some people are angry and shamed, while those who belong to Israel are victorious and rejoicing. Nonetheless, all acknowledge Yahweh’s lordship with their knees and their mouths. Some bow before him gladly and with rejoicing; others bow because they are compelled to do so.

It is evident that Paul draws on this text in Philippians 2:10–11, and there is no solid reason to think that his meaning differs from Isaiah’s. All will acknowledge Jesus as Lord, but it does not follow from this that all will be saved. Some will bow to his lordship with joy, while others, though bowing to his lordship, will be shamed and disgraced because they resisted his rule.

Schreiner, T. R. (2006). Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology (p. 188). IVP Academic.

It should be quite clear that “every knee will bow before God” doesn’t mean everyone will be saved. Not at all. It means that the timing is critical. And it’s our own choices about how we live our lives that determine the timing.

Sure, we can make a public showing of ‘bowing the knee”, claim to be Christian, and even convince ourselves that we’re saved.

But – God will now be mocked. He doesn’t look at the outward shows. He looks inside – at our hearts.

One example

The impetus for writing this came from a news article I read: “Trump says East Potomac renovation will proceed despite judge’s order blocking golf course closure”. I need only 1 paragraph from it. We don’t need to get any deeper than that. There’s no need, or desire on my part, to get any further into the actions of this one person.

Just this one short paragraph is very telling about his attitude towards judgment.

And there it is. Ignoring a judge.

Yes, He claims to be great for Christianity

He claims to be a Christian.

He compares himself to Jesus.

And yet – he believes he’s beyond judgment.

Does this necessarily translate to beyond God’s judgment? No, not necessarily. And yet – if the evidence is in the way one lives their life – the verdict appears to be pretty obvious.

The timing of bowing the knee will likely be that it takes place in the wrong moment.

Every knee will bow – when will yours?

Yeah, that was one example. Just one.

But that one example is seen by lots of people. A whole lot of them look at him as some kind of great Christian. Maybe you ignore, even try to forgive, his non-Christian actions. And yet – have you ever examined what kind of influences he has over you?

Have you ever examined how he, directly, indirectly, subconsciously, affects your view of God? For instance, do you realize that when the Bible talks about God raising up someone, it’s nearly always about someone who doesn’t love God, used by God to teach His people a lesson, and then that raised up person ends up as an enemy of God?

Seriously. It’s your soul that’s at stake here. Think about it. Pray about it. Ask God.

Ask yourself – which side of that image do you want to be on?

Have a better, more loving life – now and forever. Choose God – now.

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