Man In The Mirror
2 Corinthians 13: 5-10
Self examination.
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?
We have to take personal evaluation and figure out who we are in God.Paul asks the Corinthian Christians to consider a question: “Am I really a Christian?”
1) We are rightly concerned that every believer have the assurance of salvation and know how to endure the attacks that come from Satan. There are some who assume or presume they are Christians when they are not.
It is a challenge us to : Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?
2) We examine and test others. But first, we must examine and test ourselves. “That was the trouble at Corinth. They criticized Paul and failed to examine themselves.”
3) “To examine yourself: 1) Is to submit to the examination and scrutiny of Jesus Christ the Lord – and this never to fix attention on sin but on Christ 2) Ask Him to reveal that in you which grieves His Spirit 3) Ask Him to give you grace that it might be put.
Self examination:
1) “Takes the chill away from your soul 2) Takes the hardness away from your heart, 3) takes the shadows away from your life 4) Sets the prisoner free.”
4) Unless indeed you are disqualified: There are some among the Christians who are disqualified for eternal life and salvation. Because their thinking is worldly, because they are of the world, not the Lord. If we don’t examine ourselves and test ourselves now, we may find that we ultimately don’t pass the test and are disqualified.
When we examine and test ourselves? We should see Jesus in ourselves. Don’t look for perfection in ourselves or in others; but solid evidence of Jesus.
To have Jesus Christ in you, you have the cross in your heart - Christ crucified is in you.
Christ in the heart means Christ believed in, Christ beloved, Christ trusted, Christ sponsor, Christ communed with, Christ as our daily food, and ourselves as the temple and palace wherein Jesus Christ daily walks.” (Charles Spurgeon)
But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified: Well, examine yourself; Maybe you aren’t a Christian after all. It is so apparent that we are not disqualified.
Paul confessed, “though we may seem to be disqualified.” If one judges a genuine Christian life by “power” and “success”, you might seem to be disqualified. job’s friends were convinced that his hardships were the result of sin (Disqualification).
Paul could do nothing against the truth. Even the apostles were not above the truth. Paul could only work effectively for the truth, not against the truth.
The promise of our Lord, that what the church binds on earth shall be bound in heaven, is limited by the condition that her decisions be in accordance with the truth.”
For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong: If Paul’s weakness could contribute to the strength of the Corinthian Christians, he would be glad! Our real concern should be that you may be made complete.
To be made complete is the same idea as in 2 Corinthians 12:19: we do all things, beloved, for your edification.
