Self Examination?

July 18, 2016

Devotions:

        One of the pitfalls of our Christian walk is improper self examination. We think that we need to examine ourselves to fight against sin in our lives but God never tells us to fight against the sin. Instead we are told to fight the fight of faith. If we focus on trying to perfect ourselves then we will move towards our sins and failures. What are we to examine?

      “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

2 Corinthians‬ ‭13:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

      We are to examine ourselves to see if we are born again. When you are born again the Spirit of God makes you righteous and comes to dwell in your spirit.  This is the Spirit of Christ in you.  Then as we focus on Him, He changes as we come into His presence by faith.  So instead of our efforts to make ourselves sinless, we focus on Christ and He does the transforming. 

        “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.” ‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:28-29‬ ‭KJV‬‬

        The other place that Paul tells us to examine ourselves is concerning Communion. The situation was that the Corinthians were coming to communion and getting drunk and treating the bread as if it were a normal meal.  They were attaching the significance to it that it deserved.  When we do not value God and the things of God we despise them.  The Corinthians were despising the communion and were not receiving the value that was there in remembering the Lord's death on their behalf.  Paul was not saying to examine ones self to see if any sin were present but to esteem the Lord's Supper for what it is and thus receive the forgiveness of sins and healing for their bodies. 

        Once again we are called to behold the Lord Jesus and not look any where else.