2 Corinthians 13:5–10 (ESV) —
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
NOTE: The challenge that Paul gives, is not about whether you are a Christian or not. He has affirmed that quite often in the letter. Garland (1999) says it best “To see whether you are in the faith” may also be translated “to see whether you are holding the faith.” The issue is not salvation but obedience to Christ. We can be believers and live outside the commands of Christ. Usually this is a result of a lack of fellowship with Christ. Many "Christians" (let's assume they are Christians) go to church, serve in the church, but never read their bible on their own. They don't have a daily devotional time of prayer and listening to the Lord. And so, their lives are stuck in sins that they may not even realize: gossip, envy, white lies, etc. The danger of this Christian lifestyle is that is does the Lord no good, and would be better off with no witness than a poor witness.
Hebrews 6:8 (ESV) — But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
Hebrews is written to Jewish believers who had placed their faith on the back burner because they were afraid of community backlash. They did not lose their salvation, but they were in danger of an unknown (as of yet) destruction of Jerusalem that was only a few years off. The entire city was burned down and destroyed by the Romans.
The purpose of the self-examination is not to determine if I have faith, but if I am holding on to my faith and living it out each day.
PONDER:
- Do I meet with God in the word and prayer daily?
- Do I meet with other believers at least weekly?
- Do I share my faith when others ask? Do others even ask? Or am I so much like the world, no one ever asks about my faith?
- When was the last time I spent a half a day or a whole day in prayer, listening and speaking to God?
PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the recent time with you. I thank you to be able to meet with you and hear you speak. I pray to be more disciplined to meet with you in the years ahead. I pray to make it a part of our life and routine.
