Some people quote the biblical phrase, “every knee shall bow” to Jesus Christ at the end to prove their belief that all will be saved. Paul used this phrase twice in Romans 14:11 and in Philippians 2:10-11. He quoted this phrase from Isaiah 45:23. Using these as proof texts, some people are very sure that all will be saved. Theologians call this view as universalism or universal salvation.
Now, if that were true that all will be saved, then that would really be great! I’m all for that. After all, God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). It surely would be nice to see that all indeed are going be saved without exception. But I have my reservations about it.
Christ is Victorious King to Come!
You see, when Jesus Christ first came, he came as a meek lamb that allowed himself to be humiliated, tortured, crucified and then he died a horrible death. But as pictured in Scripture, when Jesus Christ returns, he will come back as a triumphant King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 17:14, 19:16). He will return as a triumphant “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 5:5). All kings and lords will kneel and bow down to him whether they like it or not. The picture that is being portrayed here is similar to that of a victorious king who has conquered kings and kingdoms. All the conquered and defeated kings are to acknowledge and kneel down before the victorious king or else face death or their legs broken. This is the picture that is being portrayed in the verses quoted by Paul from the book of Isaiah. It is the same picture of a conquering and victorious King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the book of Revelation.
I like the way “Got Questions” explained this very issue and it’s good to read the whole article. But let me just quote an excerpt from this article: “Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Those who have responded to the gospel with faith and repentance will do so gladly and willingly. Those who have hardened their hearts to the call of the gospel will do so with great fear and trembling.”
Every knee shall bow indeed and every tongue will surely confess. Some will do so glady and willingly while some will resist and do it grudgingly. But just the same, whether one likes it or not, all shall bow their knee before the mighty King when he returns and acknowledge him!
All Have Been Justified, Reconciled
Let me just add one more thought though. In an objective sense, we have actually been “saved” already by our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, right now! And yes, that’s for everybody, for everyone, for all! Our Lord Jesus Christ has already justified all of humanity without our consent! While we were still sinners, he already died for us without asking for our permission (Romans 5:8)! Through Christ’s finished work, all of us have been made clean and righteous in God’s sight. He has already reconciled us back to God. We have already been “saved” in this sense, objectively speaking.
But in a personal, subjective sense, the Holy Spirit has continued to work in each one of us to transform us to become like Christ (Rom. 12:1-2, Gal. 4:19). Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as “another Paraclete” to help us in our Christian journey. We have been given this gift of being able to participate, conform and be transformed by the Holy Spirit! We can either grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) or we can joyfully accept and participate as he transforms us to become like Christ each and every day of our lives. Christ has already reconciled us back to God. Therefore, let us all be reconciled back to him (2 Cor. 5:18-20)!
For Further Study:
Photo credit: From Google photos. This photo is about a Thai woman forced to bow before the picture of the late king for allegedly insulting the king.