Examine Yourselves As To Whether You Are In The Faith
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. (2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV)
No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:27
This is a very sobering Scripture. We are asked to examine and test ourselves as to whether we are in the faith. This means that it is possible for us to believe that we are in the faith when in reality, we are not. It is also possible for us to be disqualified.
We must not take God and Christianity for granted. Grace is not a license for uncontrolled and undisciplined life. Grace must be respected so we must not say, “because God is merciful and forgiving, let me run wild and live anyhow I like.” That is a great deception – judgement begins in the house of God and those who claim to be Christians but love sin are insulting the grace and mercy of God and are actually sacrificing Christ all over again. Anytime you reject the word of God and godliness you are sacrificing and insulting Christ.
How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:29
30For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”d and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”e 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:30-31
and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Hebrews 6:6
My righteous people, however, will believe and live; but if any of them turns back, I will not be pleased with them.” Hebrews 10:38
We must not take God for granted but we must constantly honor Him and respect Him by honoring His word. We must examine ourselves always to determine if we are still in the faith or have turned away or fallen away. It is possible to turn back into the world or turn away from God and God warns that He will not be pleased with that.
Christianity is a narrow way with thorns and thistles and requires great sacrifice and discipline while the world seems alluring and constantly beckons humans to partake of its deceptive pleasures. Christians can actually turn back and embrace the world and live double lives without knowing that they have wondered far away from God and the faith. If we constantly measure and examine ourselves with the word of God and it’s standard, we will know if we are still in the faith.
May God give us the grace to persevere till the end. May we constantly examine and test ourselves to determine if we are in the faith and living according to the faith.
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Excellent post which causes us to re-examine our lives!
Thanks for the lovely response. I love the way you said it – “To re-examine our lives.” Blessings ❤️❤️❤️🙏
Interesting Laura. Some background: The chapter 2 Cor 13 begins with Paul saying he’s coming to them a 3rd time. He reminds them that in the mouths of 2 or 3 witnessses every word shall be confirmed. He then addresses the issue that it seemed they weren’t believing that HA MASHIACH (the Messiah aka Christ), was speaking in him (Paul) as they wanted proof. He says His speaking to them thru Paul was not weak, for though He was crucified through weakness, yet He lives by the power of YAHUAH (YHVH) , the heavenly Father. Then he states that tho we (Paul et al) may also be perceived weak in Him, “we shall live by the power of YAHUAH toward you”. Now this is where v5 comes in, “examine yourselves whether you be in the belief, prove your own selves, know your own selves. Know you not that Yeshua Ha Mashiach (Jesus the Christ/Messiah) is in you, unless you be reprobates?”. `
In essence this revolves around their doubts that Messiah speaks through Paul (maybe because they don’t like what they’re being told), and that Paul is perceived as weak, to which he replies that IF so, they should know that the Father’s power which will be mighty toward them. The reason he tells them to examine themselves, is that IF they truly are sons/daughters of the Father by adoption through Messiah, then the Holy Spirit / Ruach Ha Qodesh within them should be bearing witness thus if they don’t have witness of the spirit they better examine to see if they’re reprobates . A side observation here is what Paul is saying is reaffirming also, what he was told by Yeshua, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” and “for YAHUAH has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” – 1 Cor 1:27).
Thanks for the informative contribution. Blessing 🙏
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Amen! So true. We can’t live double lives..
Thanks for the response. Blessings ❤️❤️❤️🙏
Absolutely. We can’t take God’s grace for granted or cheapen it, as it came at so high and precious a cost.
Thanks for the lovely response. Yes, we can’t take God’s grace for granted or cheapen it. Blessings ❤️🙏
Hmm very thought provoking. I hope I’m still running the race. I examine myself most times and question myself pertaining to my walk/relationship with Christ. Lord have mercy on my soul. Blessings!
Thanks a lot for the response. Lord have mercy on us. As long as we still desire to know in humility and have desire to please God, His grace will not let us fall off. He will preserve us. Blessings ❤️❤️❤️🙏
You’re so welcome!
Yessssss!!! So very true!! Amen!!!
Loved thee article! It has taken me some time to learn how apply the victories that Christ Jesus has given to us…Overcoming the WORLD, the FLESH, and the DEVIL It also took plenty of KJBile reading and studying to learn how and when to cruify my flesh.
Thank you so much for the inspiring response. Yes, it takes a lot of Bible reading and dedication to have a revelation of the victories of Christ and to overcome the world the flesh and the devil. The word which is light and truth destroys the devil’s lies. Blessings ❤️🙏
May the Good Lord give you a blessed great of the time we have on this earth…keep up the great work❣️
Thank you so much for the prayer and response, blessed sister. May God’s grace and favor always be with you. Blessings 🙏❤️