Examine youself Church

“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!” 2 Cor 13:5 Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, closes his letter with what I believe a very challenging statement to “examine yourselves, to see (if) you are in the faith…” When I read this and considered what it said I was troubled in my spirit as I understood the gravity of what the apostle said. Many questions came to mind: Is Paul really challenging our salvation here? Is he saying that salvation is more than saying a prayer and believing in Jesus? What does the evidence of our commitment to faith in Jesus look like? How do I know I am saved? How can I “examine” myself? I believe Paul is talking directly to believers who have grown comfortable in their decision to follow Christ. They were convicted of their sins perhaps during a sermon at church or by the words of an evangelist at a conference. They went forward and prayed the “Sinner’s prayer.” Since then, however, their lives look the same as they did before their “decision for Christ.” Today’s church is filled with men and women who consider themselves believers but who’s lives look like the secular world. The divorce rate among Christians is just as high as the rest of society, Men in the church still struggle with pornography and infidelity. Women in the church continue to gossip under the cover of “we have to know so that we can pray for you.” Teen believers continue to struggle with sexual sin, drug and alcohol abuse, and class consciousness. Most American Christians, do not know the gospel, do not study the bible on a consistent basis and do not regularly pray. It seems as if our decision to follow Christ has not changed our lives much, weakening our effectiveness as “kings and priests” and rendering us powerless to spread the gospel. Perhaps we should all heed Paul’s advice and examine our commitment to Christ in the light of our personal conduct. John’s first letter to his disciples and followers, provides some excellent “test questions” for believers who desire to examine their faith. “If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth….” (1 John 1:6) Are you walking in darkness (sin) yet claim to follow Christ who is light? What sins that you know are wrong do you regularly (perhaps deliberately) commit? True faith in Christ requires that you “hate” sin. There must therefore be repentance when you are convicted of your sins and begin to walk with the Lord. You should be transformed as you draw closer to God through prayer, daily study of His word and repentance of sin as God reveals it to you. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) “There is no one righteous, not even one...” (Rom 3:10), we are all guilty of sin. If you think you are innocent you’re wrong. Confess your faults one to another and be healed. (James 5:16) “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2: 3-4) John states it simply, if we are followers of Jesus, we must read, understand and obey what God commands. If we are deliberately disobeying God, we are walking in darkness. “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” (1 John 2:9) Are you holding a grudge against a fellow brother or sister in Christ? Jesus said, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Jesus raised the bar from physical murder to hatred in the heart. If you are gossiping or holding something against a fellow believer, you are hurting him or her and you are murdering them in the eyes of the Lord. We must love one another as Christ loved us. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15) Is your bank account, IRA, house, car, girlfriend, television, or favorite sports team more important to you than God? Do you spend more time waxing your car a week than you do studying the bible or having fellowship with other believers? Do you put watching sports over going to church? If you answered yes to any of these, you may want to consider your salvation again. God must be the most important thing to us over even family. If we love Him, put Him first. The last days are upon us and we must be in relationship with God. Soon the end will be upon us and like the “thief in the night,” Jesus’ return will be upon us and the rapture of the church will leave us behind. Brothers and sisters when the master returns be sure that you are honoring him with your life and not doing something that you would be ashamed of.