2 Corinthians 13:5
2 CORINTHIANS 13:5
“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.”
Define These Two Words:
Examine – “Yourselves is emphatic. Instead of putting Christ to the
test, test yourselves. Rev., try, is better than examine. Examination
does not necessarily imply a practical test. It may be merely from
curiosity. Trial implies a definite intent to ascertain their spiritual
condition” (Vincent). “to try, make trial of, test”: for the purpose of
ascertaining his quality, or what he thinks, or how he will behave
himself ” (Thayer).
Test – “As the result of trying” (Vincent). “to test, examine, prove,
scrutinize” (to see whether a thing be genuine or not), as metals”
(Thayer).
 Need For Such
The Need For Such
1) Tendency to think to highly of self.
“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is
among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure
of faith” (Romans 12:3).
The Need For Such
2) Can be deceived.
“Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive
words” (Colossians 2:4).
“For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is
nothing, he deceives himself ” (Galatians 6:3).
The Need For Such
3) A need for self-application.
“Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7).
 Need For Such
 Basis of Examination
Basis For This Examination
1) What they were to do.
“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).
Basis For This Examination
1) What they were to do.
“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).
Basis For This Examination
2) How could they know?
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”
(Romans 10:17).
“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that
they received the word with all readiness, and searched the
Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts
17:11).
 Need For Such
 Basis of Examination
 Corinthian’s Need
 Consider Faith
Consider Faith
1) Taught the truth which produces faith.
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with
excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony
of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear,
and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not
with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of
the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom
of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
Consider Faith
2) Began to listen men & their wisdom.
“For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of
Apollos,” are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos,
but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each
one?” (1 Corinthians 3:4,5).
“Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to
myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to
think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on
behalf of one against the other” (1 Corinthians 4:6).
Consider Faith
What About Us?
 Need For Such
 Basis of Examination
 Corinthian’s Need
 Consider Faith
 Consider Love
Consider Love
1) Told to show their love by their giving.
“Therefore show to them, and before the churches the proof of
your love and of our boasting on your behalf ” (2 Corinthians 8:24).
Consider Love
2) True love will manifest itself in other ways.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not
parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek
its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity,
but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes
all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
Consider Love
What About Us?
 Need For Such
 Basis of Examination
 Corinthian’s Need
 Consider Faith
 Consider Love
 Consider Maturity
Consider Maturity
1) They obeyed the gospel – taught to grow.
“Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord
with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing,
believed and were baptized” (Acts 18:8).
“And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word
of God among them” (Acts 18:11).
Consider Maturity
2) They had failed to mature.
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but
as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with
solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even
now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are
envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and
behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and
another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?” (1 Corinthians 3:14).
Consider Maturity
What About Us?
 Need For Such
 Basis of Examination
 Corinthian’s Need
 Consider Faith
 Consider Love
 Consider Maturity
 Consider Way of Life
Consider Way of Life
1) What they had been.
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners
will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But
you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1
Corinthians 6:9-11).
Consider Way of Life
2) Paul’s concern for them.
“For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish,
and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there
be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; lest, when I come
again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for
many who have sinned before and have not repented of the
uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced”
(2 Corinthians 12:20,21).
Consider Way of Life
What About Us?
 Need For Such
 Basis of Examination
 Corinthian’s Need
 Consider Faith
 Consider Love
 Consider Maturity
 Consider Way of Life
 Consider – Concern
Consider Their Concern For Others
1) Need to be concerned about our brethren.
“For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's
temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened
to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge
shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you
thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you
sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I
will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” (1
Corinthians 8:10-13).
Consider Their Concern For Others
2) Even in their assembly.
“Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you
come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all,
when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions
among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions
among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among
you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat
the Lord's Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper
ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk” (1
Corinthians 11:17-21).
Consider Their Concern For Others
What About Us?
 Need For Such
 Basis of Examination
 Corinthian’s Need
 Consider Faith
 Consider Love
 Consider Maturity
 Consider Way of Life
 Consider – Concern
 Consider – Salvation
Consider Their Relationship With
God
1) They were saints.
“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every
place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and
ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2).
Consider Their Relationship With
God
2) His words of encouragement to them.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not
in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians
16:13).
Consider Their Relationship With
God
What About Us?
 Need For Such
 Basis of Examination
 Corinthian’s Need
 Consider Faith
 Consider Love
 Consider Maturity
 Consider Way of Life
 Consider – Concern
 Consider – Salvation