Why Must We Examine Ourselves?
Base Text: 2 Corinthians 13:5
"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified."
INTRODUCTION
The Apostolic Exhortation In his second letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul issues a challenging command: look inward. He doesn't ask them to evaluate the world or their neighbors, but to examine themselves to see if they are truly "in the faith." This call is just as urgent for us today as it was nearly two thousand years ago.
The Problem of Spiritual Pride The Corinthian church was gifted, yet deeply troubled. They struggled with division, immorality, and disorder. Why couldn't they see their own decline? Because of pride (1 Corinthians 5:2). Spiritual puffiness acts like a blindfold; it prevents us from seeing our own stains while making us hypersensitive to the flaws of others.
The Human Difficulty It is a fundamental human trait to find it easier to identify a speck in someone else's eye than a log in our own. This lack of self-awareness leads to a life of judgment without reflection.
The Need for Consistency To be effective witnesses for Christ and to truly help a brother or sister who has stumbled, we must first be "spiritually coherent." Correcting others while ignoring our own spiritual decay is the biblical definition of hypocrisy. Today, we will explore why self-examination is the key to pleasing God and helping others correctly.
I. THE NECESSITY OF SELF-EXAMINATION
A. A Biblical Mandate
Self-examination isn't a suggestion; it is a command. Paul emphasizes this particularly regarding the Lord's Supper: "But let a man examine himself" (1 Corinthians 11:28, 31). We are called to look beneath the surface of our religious activities and evaluate the state of our hearts.
B. The Trap of Judging Others
We are often experts at the "theology of others" but novices at the "theology of self."
The Example of David: When the prophet Nathan told a story about a rich man stealing a poor man's lamb, David was filled with righteous anger and condemned the man to death (2 Samuel 12:5–6).
The Revelation: David’s attitude only changed when Nathan said, "You are the man!" (2 Samuel 12:7). He was judging his own sin in someone else.
The Principle: We must apply the same measure to ourselves that we use for others (Matthew 7:12).
C. The Blind Spot of the Soul
The Psalmist asks, "Who can understand his errors?" (Psalm 19:12). Often, our greatest sins—like pride or arrogance—are the ones we are least likely to notice in ourselves. We might perceive ourselves as "bold for the truth," while everyone else perceives us as "harsh and haughty."
D. The Teaching of Jesus
Jesus provided the ultimate visual for self-examination: the plank and the speck. He taught that we must first remove the "beam" from our own eye so that we can see clearly to help our brother (Matthew 7:1–5). Righteous judgment (John 7:24) is only possible when the judge has first stood before the mirror of God’s Word.
E. Practice What You Preach
In Romans 2:21–23, Paul challenges those who teach others but fail to teach themselves. The message of the Gospel must be applied to the preacher's heart before it ever reaches the listener's ears.
F. Examining Our Own Work
"But let each one examine his own work" (Galatians 6:4). It is a dangerous distraction to be more concerned with a neighboring church's business or a brother's private life than with our own spiritual fruitfulness.
G. The Danger of Inconsistency
It is common to judge others for being "too liberal" while we ourselves violate biblical principles like church autonomy or the spirit of love. We must guard against the spirit of Diotrephes, who "loved to have the preeminence" (3 John 9–10). Many leaders fall because they stop examining their desire for control and status.
See Also
- How Should We Face the Trials in Our Lives?
- Can One Be Just in Such an Unjust World?
- The Wiles of the Devil: Understanding the Art of Deception
CONCLUSION
We will all give an account to God for our own actions, not for the sins of our neighbors. The Apostle Paul’s exhortation is a lifeline: examine yourselves. Are you truly in the faith? Are your motives pure? Is your conduct consistent with your confession? Regular self-examination is the only way to ensure that we are not just "religious," but truly transformed by the presence of Jesus Christ.
