Honest self-examination is a critical part of living a faithful Christian life. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul wrote, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” Paul commanded Christians to consider their faith in and obedience to God very carefully, and that command applies to us today.
Spiritual self-examination can be very difficult. When we ask ourselves tough questions, we might find ourselves giving difficult answers, and those answers may obligate us to make difficult changes in our lives.
For the same reasons, though, spiritual self-examination can be eternally rewarding. We cannot grow away from our weaknesses and closer to God if we never determine what those weaknesses are. We cannot overcome temptation if we do not determine what tempts us and then make the necessary changes to avoid those temptations. We cannot be the Christians God intends for us to be if we do not continually and honestly examine ourselves.
We will not likely learn to practice spiritual self-examination from the world around us. Our culture and society have moved further and further away from individual responsibility and accountability. But regardless of the world that we live in, God’s wisdom and commands are what must be most important in our lives.
Are we willing to ask and honestly answer difficult questions about ourselves? Are we willing and anxious to make changes in our own lives to grow our faith and relationship with God?
Matt Langfield