Examine Yourself

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize

that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

- The Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 13:5

The word ‘examine’ shows up 50 times in the Bible, but only five of them are in the New Testament.

Those in the Old Testament primarily refer to a priest examining an offering, or God examining us.

The New Testament Greek word for ‘examine’ in 2 Corinthians 13:5 is dokimazo, and means to prove or test, especially as it relates to metal, to determine if it is pure. When couples purchase a wedding band, many check to see if it is 24k gold, also known as pure gold. Anything less (12k, 14k, 18k) means it contains other alloys and is not pure gold. It is still real gold, but it is not pure gold. We are often satisfied with a ring that is not pure gold (cost is obviously a factor), but it does mean accepting something less than pure.

In 2 Corinthians 13:5, the Apostle Paul is admonishing us to examine, to test, to prove the level of our purity of faith.

Is Christ in us? Early in our walk with Jesus, we may be like 14k gold, which means having a real faith, but not a pure faith. Paul challenges us to mature in our faith, that it will one day become pure, 24k gold. In verse 9, he actually celebrates those who are weak, who are real but not yet pure, but then he shares that his prayer is for us to be fully restored, becoming mature in our faith - like pure gold.

Think about it this way…. There are many machines (computers, automobiles) for which we can run a self-diagnostic test, to determine whether the machine is running at full capacity (hitting on all 8 cylinders). If the self-diagnostic test determines the machine to be running at 80% capacity, it does not mean it is not a functioning machine, but we also realize it is not operating at its full potential.

The same holds true for us. If we are not mature in our faith, we are still a functioning Christ-follower, but we are not operating at our full potential.

We are something less than pure, which is inhibiting our ability to be all that God made us to be.

The same also holds true for God’s church. If we, as a church, are not maturing in Christ, we can still function, but we are handicapped by our impurities.

As we begin to prepare for the Fall, I would like each and every one of us to consider becoming a Go First leader in our church. What does that mean? A Go First leader is one that is pursuing maturity (purity) in the areas of emotional health, spiritual growth, relational connection, sexual wholeness, and purposeful vocation. The expectation is not that we are perfect (24k gold), but that we are not satisfied with being 14k gold.

Instead, we are striving toward purity, that both we, and God’s church, will be transformed, becoming new from the inside out, and positively impacting our marriages, our families, our workplace, our community and the world.

Pastor Ken

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