PROACTIVE IS TO BE PROTECTIVE ROSS SMITH
ALL REFERENCES FROM AMPLIFIED VERSION UNLESS NOTED
2 CORINTHIANS 13:5 Examine and test and evaluate YOUR OWN SELVES to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves, not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you-–unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected?
This is such a profound and comprehensive verse that I need to break it apart a little so that we can see the various elements that are so vital. So, let us dissect the verse into usable components before we grasp the intention as a whole.
There is another and similar recommendation along the same lines from Thessalonians and so the instruction takes on added impetus: –
1 Thessalonians 5:21 But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.
Examine and test and evaluate Here we have three procedures to undertake, I say procedures because the second one cannot be addressed until the first is carried out in the manner required, and similarly, item three follows after the first two conclusions have been reached. Also, it is an instruction to examine “YOUR OWN SELF”, but that is a lot less fun!!!
EXAMINE
For one, I have never been keen on exams, right from my school days when I was often terrified by the examination season in high school. The exams often were of several hours duration, and no matter how much preparation I had applied, the thought of the exam room was claustrophobic, which stayed with me through the whole procedure.
Strong’s Definition EXAMINE From G3984: to test (objectively), that is, endeavour, scrutinize, entice, discipline: – assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt (-er), try.
Thayer Definition: (Notice how expansive the term becomes)
- examine or judge
- to investigate, examine, enquire into, scrutinise, sift, question
- specifically, in a forensic sense of a judge to hold an investigation
- to interrogate, examine the accused or witnesses
- to judge of, estimate, determine (the excellence or defects of any person or thing
There is a very important direction in God’s Word that sets a pattern for us to adopt, and failure to do so incurs penalties that are too awful to ponder.
1 Corinthians 11:28 Let a man [thoroughly] examine himself, and [ONLY WHEN HE HAS DONE] SO should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
How anyone could dare to come around the Lords Table without examining themselves, and when they harbour any attitude that is contrary to the nature of God is beyond belief. And yet so many, week after week, come to the Lord’s Table with resentment and hurt and offence and brazenly test the Lord’s patience, and then wonder why we see “many weak and sickly among you”.
1 Corinthians 11:30 That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason many of you are weak and sickly, and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death.
The Psalmist was aware that at times we can become insensitive and blaźe regarding our state and in his sincerity to ensure there is nothing that can come between him and his God he clearly spells it out. The KJV uses the term “examine” in Psalm 26:2, where Amplified says “search me thoroughly”, and in both cases, it suggests an overt display of our heart before the Lord.
Psalm 139:23 SEARCH ME [THOROUGHLY], O God, and know my heart! TRY ME and know my thoughts!
The Apostle Paul has a way with words, sometimes not to our liking, because we have not done the necessary “examination” of ourselves and the consequences are those spelt out at the end of our initial scripture “unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
TEST
The next procedure in the process, remembering that the process is required to make the progress.
After we have had a good look at ourselves by “examination”, then comes the necessity to see if the examination has been successful, if we have passed, and with what degree of qualification. We have to be put to the “TEST”.
It is the result of the “TEST” that a determination can be made as to the suitability of the item/person being tested. We have stress tests for metal, and for hearts, we have grip tests for tyres, and handshakes, we have quality tests for food, and apparel, we have compatibility tests for computer programs, and employees, but in every case, the subject has undergone some operational function to test the quality.
Nothing has changed in the spiritual, if we object to the test I am sure we will not get past the interview, the marks scored on the “exam” only give an academic assessment and not a functional assessment.
1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the FIERY ORDEAL WHICH IS TAKING PLACE TO TEST YOUR QUALITY, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you.
No one else can go through these tests for us, it has to be done individually, personally and singularly, others might be involved in setting the stage, or providing the fuel, or act as the target, but it is how we handle these tests, (plural) that will unavoidably come our way on a regular basis, depending on our degree of maturity. The closer we come to the Lord the hotter the battle will get, the sweeter the victory will taste.
The only way we can know if anything is of quality is when we have tried it, or been exposed to it, tasted it, had experience and participation in it. I know how good the tyres are I bought by the way they perform their function. They can look good on the rim, plenty of tread, maybe even white walls, but until “the rubber hits the road” I can never be sure of the quality, the actual purpose for which they are designed.
We are no different, we have been made for a purpose, for His good pleasure, and although we are all very different we must be part of the same. If there is a weak link then the whole chain is questionable, and that is why the “TESTING” has to be strenuous, because it is only after “Having stood the test” that the “component” can be incorporated into the greater function of the whole, and in this case, we are given the opportunity or task to make that evaluation.
It requires that we revert to the “manufacturers handbook” to see if we meet the specification for suitability. Trials and temptations constitute “TESTS”, and the quality attracts a “Royal Warrant”, or a royal seal of approval, in the form of THE VICTOR’S] CROWN OF LIFE
James 1:12 Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under TRIAL and stands up under TEMPTATION, FOR WHEN HE HAS STOOD THE TEST AND BEEN APPROVED, (“Approved is similar to “Evaluated” … comments mine) he will receive [the victor’s] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast. (In other words, until you get good at it … comments mine)
EVALUATE
James 1:2-4 CONSIDER IT WHOLLY JOYFUL, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.
The evaluation cannot be carried out until we “test and prove” has been completed. Once a matter has been tested and approved, there remains that very important consideration, and in real estate terms, “what is it worth?”
But again, in spiritual terms, it is that testing/proving/evaluation, not of our own value or worth, because that can get biased or twisted, but by the EVALUATION OF OUR FRUIT. I might pass the test, I may prove who/what I am, but the REAL VALUE LIES IN MY FRUIT.
“EVALUATE” means, to estimate or determine the nature, value, quality, ability, extent, or significance of.
If we think that this “EVALUATION” is something foreign to our spiritual progress and an experience we do not need to endure, then let us look back into history.
Act 9:22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and continued to confound and put to confusion the Jews who lived in Damascus by comparing (or testing … comments mine) and examining evidence and PROVING that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah).
Is this proving important, well I think so because Paul repeats the instruction in this same verse and repetition is important to observe: –
2 Corinthians 13:5(A) Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. TEST AND PROVE YOURSELVES
HOLDING TO YOUR FAITH
This question is not, do you have faith, that is easily proven by the results of your faith. The question is are we “HOLDING” to our faith, or as other translations, “WHETHER YOU ARE IN THE FAITH”. The apostle recorded a stark example of “HOLDING TO YOUR FAITH” when he confronted Peter and Barnabas, whom we probably would not have had any question over. Paul spells it out precisely as “hypocrisy, insincerity and pretence”.
Each of us has been given a “measure of faith” (Romans 12:3) but this is different from “THE FAITH”. Here we are speaking of the whole gamut of God’s principles, directions, promises and requirements, and if we are to “HOLD TO OUR FAITH” then we must abandon ourselves to the pattern He requires.
Galatians 2:12-14 For up to the time that certain persons came from James, he ate his meals with the Gentile [converts]; but when the men [from Jerusalem] arrived, he withdrew and held himself aloof from the Gentiles and [ate] separately for fear of those of the circumcision [party]. And the rest of the Jews along with him also concealed their true convictions and acted insincerely, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy (their example of insincerity and pretence).
This is a pointed question for those who have entered either intentionally or neglectfully into a shallow commitment to Christianity. Some have joined the church and think that because they attend either regularly or even inconsistently that they are true to the faith, they’ve been baptized or they’ve done other things that might make them think that they are genuine believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is more to becoming a Christian than subscribing to a statement.
The deception that overtakes many is not a new phenomenon, for Matthew alerted the church way back that there were “spurious Christians” who outwardly looked the part but were obviously operating outside the charter that Father had established.
Maybe they were sincere but misled, and so this instruction directs that we need to determine if we are “HOLDING TO OUR FAITH” takes on great import, for the consequences are grave.
Matthew 7:21-23 NOT EVERYONE who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]
Is it possible for someone to go to church every Sunday, attend 3 Bible studies a week, give to the poor, serve the needy, heal the sick and cast out demons in Jesus’s name, even be a pastor or elder in a church but NOT be saved? Apparently yes.
Jude says (1:3) “contend for the faith, Hebrews says (6:6) don’t deviate from the faith, Titus says (2:2) sound in the faith, and Galatians 3:10
Galatians 3:10 (B) Cursed (accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment) be EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT CONTINUE TO ABIDE (LIVE AND REMAIN) BY ALL THE PRECEPTS AND COMMANDS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW AND TO PRACTICE THEM.
We have adequate resources to enable us to determine our position, if we just reflect on what the Word has been saying to us over the last week, or month, or 12 months, and then see how faithfully we have implemented the challenges. Have we let the Word fall to the ground, have we been negligent or slack, have we continued to pursue our own agenda? Then no matter what good works we have expended our energies on, if it was not with “The conviction of His approval” (Romans 14:23) then it may have been an exercise in futility.
John now chimes in with a very helpful contribution, confirming that it is not just some preferred subject peculiar to Paul, and concentrates in one verse the same thrust of “proving and fruit”.
John 15:8 When you bear (produce) MUCH FRUIT, My Father is honoured and glorified, and you show and PROVE YOURSELVES to be true followers of Mine.
THE PROPER PROVING COMES IN THE PROPER FRUIT
PROPER FRUITS
Proper fruits are regarded as cultivated fruit, not like blackberries, or bush tucker, but fruit that has been propagated by careful and continual attention. Have you noticed that fruit that has marks or blemishes is rejected by the supermarkets, as are misshapen, under or oversize and visually inferior fruit or vegetables? How much more certain should we be in the evaluation of how we “present” after we have been tested and examined, showing the quality and value and significance of our life.
2 Peter 3:14 So, beloved, since you are expecting these things, BE EAGER TO BE FOUND BY HIM [AT HIS COMING] WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH and at peace [in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].
So, what is “PROPER FRUIT” in spiritual terms, you may ask. We have the “fruit of the spirit” (Galatians 5:22) “fruit of the lips (Hebrews 13:15) “fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 11:12) “fruit of the light” (Ephesians 5:9) all of these, and as are many more, form part of the evidences of a life that is related to, and engaged with, the “ROOT”, that of Jesus Christ Himself.
But there is one particular fruit that is “PROPER” in every respect, and that is the “FRUIT OF PEACE”, and what a magnificent fruit this is. Let us look at scripture for assistance.
James 3:18 And the HARVEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].
What is the one thing that is very scarce, and craved in the world of today internationally and federally, THAT IS “PEACE”. We have a very profound resource in this respect because the God we serve is the essence, the marrow, the very substance of peace. And His work in us is comprehensive and all-embracing, and the Apostle’s eloquence here describes the result in such profound terms that the goal becomes imperative, that is if we wish to achieve the return to Father’s original design, “In His image and likeness”. (Genesis 1:26)
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And may the GOD OF PEACE HIMSELF sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
But there is a very sobering thought introduced here by the Apostle, some grave misgiving as to the authenticity of the individual, and infers that there is some degree of ambiguity in respect to our ambition and our progress towards that goal.
“Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience”. In other, more earthy terms, he is saying “ARE YOU STUPID”, and infers that every day we are exposed to opportunities to “experience” the fact that we are the purchase of God (1 Peter 1:19) and therefore should be both enjoying and exhibiting that “Christ within you”.
“EXPERIENCE” is the very best teacher, and again Paul is so very forthright in pointing out that every event of the day is ordered of God and is for our benefit, our learning, our progress, and each time we resist all resentment we forfeit the opportunity for that “ever-increasing experience” that ultimately shows itself in our “EVALUATION”.
1 John 4:6 We are [children] of God. Whoever is learning to know God [progressively to perceive, recognize, and understand God by OBSERVATION AND EXPERIENCE, and to get an ever-clearer knowledge of Him] listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this, we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.
If our powers of OBSERVATION, and timidity in EXPERIENCE, then it severely restricts our ability to “understand, recognise, and be conscious of”, and John has reinforced this by the repetition in verse 16.
1 John 4:16 And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, BY OBSERVATION AND BY EXPERIENCE) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us.
UNLESS YOU ARE [COUNTERFEITS] DISAPPROVED ON TRIAL AND REJECTED
The entire exercise of 2 Corinthians 13:5 is to identify: –
“FRUITS” or “FAKES”
and the Apostle has been generous in suggesting that the examination and testing and evaluation should be done by ourselves, and not by somebody else. It is much easier and it is certainly more pleasant to judge other people than ourselves. It is difficult because it means examining our inner life.
HE ONLY THING THAT CAN BE ARMED BY BIBLICAL SELF-EXAMINATION IS THE COUNTERFEIT.
KJV uses an unkinder description of those the Amplified Bible calls “counterfeits”, they are called “reprobates” on eight occasions, six times in verses 5,6 and 7, and the same Greek word (G96 Adokimos) is also translated “castaway” and “rejected”, not a recommendation or reputation any would like to incur.
Ross Smith 