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! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 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. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 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. (2 Corinthians 13:5-10 ESV
How many of you hate to take tests? I know I am not all that fond of them. I get worried whether I have all the right stuff in my head, if I studied the right things. Do I remember everything I need to know.
Then after, or during, the test there is second guessing. Did I answer that question right? Was it A or was it C? Which one?
And today Paul is telling the Corinthians to make sure they are in the faith. That they have examined their lives and determined if they are following Jesus. We are to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. We are to test ourselves.
Hold on. Did you hear what Paul said? He said we are suppose to examine the lives of the people we worship with, or work with and determine whether or not their lives are following after Jesus from our standpoint. Right we are to test all other people and determine if they are followers of Christ. No that is not what Paul said. He said to test yourself. Not others. We are suppose to be making sure we are following after Christ, doing what is right even when we don’t. We are to make sure our lives are right, not anyone else’s. We are not the judge of anyone’s life but our own. Christ is the judge of all, not me or you.
So test yourself, and walk in the path Jesus has set before you and allow that to be what shows His love and grace to all.
aSacredRebel 