and…
My point?
The clearest and most explicit command to self-examination is 2 Corinthians 13:5:
“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?”
This verse is foundational because it explicitly ties self-examination to whether Christ is truly in a person, not merely whether they profess belief, and it assumes that false assurance is a real danger even inside the visible church.
Closely parallel in intent is 1 Corinthians 11:28, though in a sacramental context:
“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
Here self-examination is required before participation in the Lord’s Supper, implying that careless or unrepentant participation is spiritually dangerous, not neutral.
A broader but still direct call appears in Galatians 6:4:
“But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”
The verb “prove” again carries the idea of testing authenticity, not self-esteem, and it assumes objective standards rather than subjective feelings.
Old Testament wisdom literature is relentless about this theme. Lamentations 3:40 states it bluntly:
“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.”
Notice the sequence: examination leads to repentance, which assumes examination can reveal misalignment with God.
The Psalms repeatedly frame self-examination as something God Himself performs and invites. Psalm 26:2 says:
“Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.”
This is not anxiety-driven introspection but covenantal testing under divine scrutiny.
Similarly, Psalm 139:23–24 reads:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
This text explicitly links self-knowledge, divine examination, and perseverance in the way everlasting, which is not accidental wording.
Wisdom literature also warns against self-deception, which is why Proverbs 14:12 matters here:
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
This verse explains why self-examination is necessary: internal perception is unreliable apart from God’s truth.
The New Testament intensifies this theme in light of the cross and resurrection. Romans 8:10 says:
“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
Paul assumes that the presence or absence of Christ in a person is a real, examinable condition with observable implications.
Romans 8:16 adds an internal and external witness:
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
This is not mere emotion but testimony that accords with the Spirit’s sanctifying work.
John’s epistles are basically a multi-chapter diagnostic test. 1 John 2:3–4 states:
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
That is examination language whether people like it or not.
Likewise, 1 John 2:15:
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
This is not poetic exaggeration; it is a binary test of allegiance.
1 John 3:24 continues:
“And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
Again, knowledge of salvation is tied to obedience and indwelling, not bare profession.
James, never one to soften the blow, adds James 1:22:
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
Self-deception is the explicit danger, and examination is the implied remedy.
Jesus Himself issues the most terrifying examination warning in Matthew 7:21–23:
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven… And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
This passage assumes that false assurance can persist all the way to final judgment, which is why Scripture insists on self-testing now, not later.
Finally, the resurrection frames the seriousness of all of this. 2 Corinthians 5:10 states:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
Self-examination is preparation for appearing before the risen Christ who judges, not merely a therapeutic exercise.
Put together, Scripture does not teach morbid introspection, nor does it teach carefree assumption. It teaches sober, text-governed self-examination grounded in the cross and confirmed by resurrection life. Anyone who says the Bible discourages examining whether one is truly in the faith has not actually read it carefully, or has read it selectively to preserve comfort.
Shalom.
J.
