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
Can we stand the scrutiny? Are we lovers of the truth, having received with meekness the engrafted word. The Apostle Paul wrote “we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth”. Are we holding only the truth as we enter into self examination?
I find it amazing how we are all capable of denying truth as it is presented to us. Especially when it confronts something that requires change to align with God. With that, we can better understand this scripture, “today if you hear his voice”. There's always a ‘today’ and an ‘if’.
There is a standard that has been set for all judgment, Acts 17:31-
“inasmuch as he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
There is one who will ultimately judge us in all purity and righteousness. Where I don’t want to align to any aspect of His standard I begin to harden my heart to the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls it resisting and grieving the Holy Spirit. When we stop looking into the perfect law of liberty, the mirror of the word, we forget who we are and what we have been given.
Thus we are instructed “examine yourself”. This is Gods preference.
If we would judge ourselves we would not be judged. But when we are judged we are chastened by the Lord so that we would not be condemned with the world.
2 Cor 11:31
We look into this perfect law of liberty that reflects His image and we can see how we are doing. Where the Apostle Paul instructs the Corinthian church in communion, he highlights a failure to judge the body of Christ as the dynamic that leads to weak, sick, and members sleep (death). Not just a remembrance of Jesus’ body offered, his blood paying for our redemption, but an examination of heart and mind towards each and every individual member. Things like honor, love, forgiveness, unity become areas that must always be guarded and kept. Again, Paul reminds the church in Corinth, he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him and the body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirits dwelling. There is only one body, one spirit, and one Lord, to which we all find our place in.
Holding these truths, and aligning our lifestyles to reflect His holiness, we find ourselves fleeing what the world savours. Knowing we are in the world not of it, doesn’t make us immune to the temptations from the lust of our flesh, eyes and pride; but knowing Christ lives in us by the presence of His Holy Spirit, we discipline ourselves to yield to His leadership. We learn to tell ourselves no without Him having to. Thank God He will and He does, but knowing when to say no to yourself is a sure sign of spiritual maturity.
So, we engage in this examination of self for alignment that produces righteousness from a heart that lives to please God.