Examine Yourselves

[prism]

When Scripture states, "examine yourself" what meanefh this?

2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB95
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-unless indeed you fail the test?

Does this pertain to the Corinthians questioning Paul's apostleship, or is it an individual request for each believer?

 

[Josheb]

When Scripture states, "examine yourself" what meanefh this?

It means what it states.

Does this pertain to the Corinthians questioning Paul's apostleship, or is it an individual request for each believer?

Not the former, and I am curious how that interpretation was reached.

It helps to ignore the chapter markers and go back at least as far as 12:19 because in that verse Paul plainly says one of the mistakes the Corinthians are making is thinking the apostles are defending themselves. Even if the Corinthians were questioning Paul's apostleship, that is not what Paul is writing about. That's not Paul's concern when he directs his (original) readers to examine themselves. If we go back even further, we see that God has intervened in Paul's life for the express purpose of preventing him from exalting himself. Paul, therefore, cannot be read to say Paul is trying to convince them of his apostleship. The implication is that just as Paul was made to examine himself, so too must the Corinthians. The opening verse of chapter 13 reports Paul is coming as a "witness," not an authority, not a judge. In the context of a legal proceeding, especially that of a former Pharisees legal proceeding in a Jewish religious court, the judge and the witnesses sit (or stand) in two completely different positions. In the context of a Christian proceeding Paul later described how the Judge, Plaintiff, Defendant, Prosecutor, Accused, and Witness are all the same person = Jesus! (see the last ten verses of Romans 8). Paul cannot rationally be construed to be contradicting his own words (even if the Romans text was written many years later).



So..... what does self-examination entail? It must mean an examination of the self solely by means of the written word, the incarnate word dwelling within, and the work of the indwelling Spirit who alone are capable of revealing the truth about and individual to the individual..... while also relying on those God provides the individual for that purpose. Relying on the flesh, even the post-salvific flesh, will not work successfully. Relying solely on the Spirit or the written word will not be sufficient. Solely relying on the written word breeds legalism. Relying solely on the Spirit breeds vacillation and inconsistency. Relying solely on others breeds a variety of ills, mostly establishing a lack of maturity and idolatrous dependence. The results of these conditions are described in Galatians 5:7-21. The alternative is a holistic approach of self-examination that is couched in hearing, understanding, and practicing the revelation of God's sanctifying work in ourselves.

The challenges to self-examination in Corinth were that few had hard copies of scripture, few were able to read, and when the looked to one another for God's revelation their fellow congregant was likely to be a mess! Not only were many of them lacking personal faithfulness (even if they did possess faith), others among them lacked an ability to say and do something about it. No one did anything when a congregant had sex with his mother-in-law! The Corinthian congregations were dividing into sects, pridefully comparing themselves by their personal affiliation with others beside Christ! Why would Paul wade into that mess attempting to convince anyone of his bona fides.

1 Corinthians 1:13-15
13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized [r]in the name of Paul? 14I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one would say you were baptized 1 Corinthians 1 New American Standard Biblein my name!


Thank God I had nothing to do with that dross!

Get y'all's act together and ask God to help you examine yourselves, individually and collectively because I am on my way to bear witness to that need. We all must do so. Immediately after asking God to put the wicked to death he wrote,

Psalm 124:23-24
23Search me, God, and know my heart; put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; 24And see if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

The results of that is....

Galatians 5:22-26
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24Now those who [h]belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well. 26Let’s not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Paul's letters to Corinth would have read much differently were those qualities in evidence by witnesses.

 

[Arial]

It means what it states.

Not the former, and I am curious how that interpretation was reached.

It helps to ignore the chapter markers and go back at least as far as 12:19 because in that verse Paul plainly says one of the mistakes the Corinthians are making is thinking the apostles are defending themselves. Even if the Corinthians were questioning Paul's apostleship, that is not what Paul is writing about. That's not Paul's concern when he directs his (original) readers to examine themselves. If we go back even further, we see that God has intervened in Paul's life for the express purpose of preventing him from exalting himself. Paul, therefore, cannot be read to say Paul is trying to convince them of his apostleship. The implication is that just as Paul was made to examine himself, so too must the Corinthians. The opening verse of chapter 13 reports Paul is coming as a "witness," not an authority, not a judge. In the context of a legal proceeding, especially that of a former Pharisees legal proceeding in a Jewish religious court, the judge and the witnesses sit (or stand) in two completely different positions. In the context of a Christian proceeding Paul later described how the Judge, Plaintiff, Defendant, Prosecutor, Accused, and Witness are all the same person = Jesus! (see the last ten verses of Romans 8). Paul cannot rationally be construed to be contradicting his own words (even if the Romans text was written many years later).



So..... what does self-examination entail? It must mean an examination of the self solely by means of the written word, the incarnate word dwelling within, and the work of the indwelling Spirit who alone are capable of revealing the truth about and individual to the individual..... while also relying on those God provides the individual for that purpose. Relying on the flesh, even the post-salvific flesh, will not work successfully. Relying solely on the Spirit or the written word will not be sufficient. Solely relying on the written word breeds legalism. Relying solely on the Spirit breeds vacillation and inconsistency. Relying solely on others breeds a variety of ills, mostly establishing a lack of maturity and idolatrous dependence. The results of these conditions are described in Galatians 5:7-21. The alternative is a holistic approach of self-examination that is couched in hearing, understanding, and practicing the revelation of God's sanctifying work in ourselves.

The challenges to self-examination in Corinth were that few had hard copies of scripture, few were able to read, and when the looked to one another for God's revelation their fellow congregant was likely to be a mess! Not only were many of them lacking personal faithfulness (even if they did possess faith), others among them lacked an ability to say and do something about it. No one did anything when a congregant had sex with his mother-in-law! The Corinthian congregations were dividing into sects, pridefully comparing themselves by their personal affiliation with others beside Christ! Why would Paul wade into that mess attempting to convince anyone of his bona fides.

1 Corinthians 1:13-15
13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized [r]in the name of Paul? 14I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one would say you were baptized 1 Corinthians 1 New American Standard Biblein my name!


Thank God I had nothing to do with that dross!

Get y'all's act together and ask God to help you examine yourselves, individually and collectively because I am on my way to bear witness to that need. We all must do so. Immediately after asking God to put the wicked to death he wrote,

Psalm 124:23-24
23Search me, God, and know my heart; put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; 24And see if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

The results of that is....

Galatians 5:22-26
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24Now those who [h]belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well. 26Let’s not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Paul's letters to Corinth would have read much differently were those qualities in evidence by witnesses.

I fixed the strike throughs in this post too. Also, a post #2.

 

[prism]

Not the former, and I am curious how that interpretation was reached.

2 Corinthians 11:3-5,13-15,23-28 KJV
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. [4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. [5] For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. [13] For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. [14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
2 Corinthians 11:23a KJV
Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more;

2 Corinthians 12:6,11,15-16 KJV
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. [11] I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. [15] And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. [16] But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

2 Corinthians 13:1,5-6,10 KJV
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. [5] 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? [6] But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. [10] Therefore, I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

It was just a question, 'was Paul exhorting not to question his apostleship, or is it an individual request for each believer?'

 

[Arial]

It was just a question, 'was Paul exhorting not to question his apostleship, or is it an individual request for each believer?'

It is for individual believers, in connection with what they were doing. That church was judging one another, according to which apostle they followed, and some considered Paul to not be an apostle at all. Both things were not being judged as to the accuracy of teaching, or according to what was being said. They should have been examining their own faith as to who they were in Christ. And according to this:

2 Corinthians 11:3-5,13-15,23-28 KJV
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. [4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. [5] For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. [13] For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. [14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

They were following false apostles who were teaching things antithetical to the gospel.

 

[Josheb]

2 Corinthians 11:3-5,13-15,23-28 KJV
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. [4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. [5] For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. [13] For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. [14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
2 Corinthians 11:23a KJV
Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more;

2 Corinthians 12:6,11,15-16 KJV
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. [11] I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. [15] And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. [16] But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

2 Corinthians 13:1,5-6,10 KJV
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. [5] 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? [6] But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. [10] Therefore, I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

It was just a question, 'was Paul exhorting not to question his apostleship, or is it an individual request for each believer?'

Thanks. I kinda, sorta, maybe see how one might wonder if the questioning of authority was the intent, but it takes a peculiar reading to get there. I also think part of the problem by which someone would take that view is the use of the KJV. There are multiple translational problems with the KJV. 2Cor. 13:6's use of the word "reprobate" would be one such example. The use of half of a verse at 2 Cor. 11:23a is odd because Paul is saying he is more than false teachers (which is true) and his appeal is not to the content of his preaching, nor his method of preaching, or success doing so, but to his suffering.

I am more than the false teachers because I work harder, and I've been abused more than they have.

Not only is that not much of an argument, it presents a certain irony for the guy whose been abused by God so he won't exalt himself. One could readily imagine imprisonments, floggings, and exposures were functions of God's work in his life to humble him. God does that sort of thing a lot in scripture. Boasting God tortured you to make you humble is a dubious argument for anyone.


Paul might not have learned the lesson .

At any rate, Post 2 is how I read the exhortation to self-examine.