Examine Yourselves!

This article is a summary from the following episodes: Examine Yourselves!

What It Really Means to Test Whether You Are in the Faith

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.” That verse—2 Corinthians 13:5—gets quoted a lot. And if you’ve spent any time in the kinds of conversations we have around here at Theocast, you’ve probably heard it used in response to how we talk about Jesus. His sufficiency. His finished work. The peace we have with God because of Him. And inevitably, someone will raise their hand and ask, “Okay, but what about self-examination?”

It’s a good question. And Scripture does call us to examine ourselves. But the kind of self-examination many of us have been taught is actually not what Paul has in mind. In fact, the version of self-examination we often hear in churches today ends up producing the opposite of what Paul intends—it produces fear, confusion, and a misplaced confidence in our own obedience rather than in the person and work of Christ.

So what does Paul mean when he says, “Examine yourselves”? And how do we do that in a way that leads to peace rather than anxiety?

Let’s walk through it together.

What It Doesn’t Mean: Fruit-Checking and Fear

For many of us, self-examination has become synonymous with looking inward to assess our behavior, our obedience, and our progress in sanctification. The assumption is: If I’m really saved, then I’ll see the fruit—and if I don’t, then maybe I’m not.

So we spiral. We start asking questions like:

• “Am I repenting enough?”

• “Am I progressing in holiness?”

• “Do I feel enough conviction over my sin?”

• “Am I doing enough good works?”

The problem with that kind of self-examination is that it subtly shifts our hope from Christ to ourselves. It doesn’t lead us to trust more deeply in Jesus—it leads us to trust in our track record. And when we inevitably find ourselves lacking, we start to doubt whether we even belong to God.

That’s not biblical self-examination. That’s pietistic introspection. And it’s a dead end.

What Paul Actually Says

In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul writes:

“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!”

Notice what he says: Are you in the faith? He doesn’t say, “Do you see enough change?” or “Are you good enough?” He says, “Do you realize that Jesus Christ is in you?” That’s the test. That’s the examination.

Paul isn’t telling us to evaluate our spiritual performance. He’s calling us to assess our faith—our confidence, our hope, our trust. Not “Are you behaving like a Christian?” but “Are you believing in Christ alone for your righteousness and life?”

This passage isn’t about the fruit. It’s about the root.

Context Is Everything

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians in the midst of a messy church situation. Some so-called “super-apostles” had crept into Corinth, undermining Paul’s authority and questioning whether someone like him—weak, unimpressive, suffering—could really be an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Paul responds by pointing to the paradox of the gospel: that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. He boasts not in his strength but in his weakness, because it magnifies Christ.

That’s the backdrop for 2 Corinthians 13. Paul is essentially saying, “If you think I’m disqualified because I’m weak and because my only strength is in Christ, then maybe you need to examine yourselves. Are you trusting in strength—or are you trusting in Christ?”

That’s the heart of the matter. That’s the kind of self-examination we all need.

What We Should Be Asking

Here’s what biblical self-examination sounds like:

• “Do I believe that Jesus is enough for me?”

• “Is my trust in Christ alone for my righteousness before God?”

• “Do I believe that His work on the cross is sufficient to save even me?”

• “Do I see myself as weak and in need of His strength?”

• “When I think about standing before God, is my peace grounded in what I’ve done—or in what Christ has done for me?”

Those are the questions that matter. Because fruit can be faked. Behavior can be managed. But faith—that is the root of all true spiritual life.

You're Worse Than You Think… and That’s Why Jesus Came

A healthy kind of self-examination will always lead us to humility. Because when we’re honest about our thoughts, our motives, our hearts—when we acknowledge just how corrupt the flesh still is—we’re reminded that we are not our own hope.

Even the godliest Christians among us, if their inner life were broadcast on a screen, would run out of the room in shame. The flesh is worse than we think. But the gospel is better than we imagine.

And that’s the point: Jesus didn’t come to save people who had it together. He came to save sinners—weak, failing, exhausted sinners who had no hope apart from Him.

The Offense of Mercy and Grace

Here’s another test: Are you offended by grace?

If someone sins in a way that offends you deeply, and your gut reaction is, “Not sure grace covers that,” then it’s time to examine your understanding of the gospel. Because if grace isn’t for the worst kinds of sinners, then it’s not for any of us.

Grace isn’t fair. It’s not earned. It’s for those who don’t deserve it—and that includes you and me.

When we start to withhold grace from others, we’re usually forgetting how desperately we need it ourselves. And when we minimize the depth of our own sin, we inevitably shrink the work of Christ.

The Result of Self-Examination: Peace in Christ

If your self-examination leaves you with doubt and despair, then you’re not doing it right.

Biblical self-examination should drive you to Jesus. It should make you say, “Lord, I’m worse than I realized—and I need you more than ever.” And what do we find when we turn to Him?

Peace.

Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Not through fruit. Not through obedience. Through faith.

So if you’re lacking peace, examine where your faith is. If it’s in your performance, you’ll never have peace. But if it’s in Christ alone, peace is already yours—because He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14).

Examine Yourselves… and Look to Christ

So yes, examine yourself. But don’t examine your fruit to determine if you’re saved. Examine your faith. Ask yourself: Am I trusting in Jesus alone? Do I believe He’s enough?

And if your answer is, “Yes. I’m clinging to Him because I have nowhere else to go,” then friend, you pass the test.

Because Christ is your righteousness. Christ is your life. Christ is your peace.

And that’s the whole point.