Examine Yourselves: A Call to Real Faith in a World of False Assurance

“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?”
—2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)

The Apostle Paul’s final plea to the Corinthian church was not to boast, argue, or flatter—it was to warn. He urged the believers to examine themselves to see whether they were truly in the faith. Not superficially. Not religiously. But sincerely, in light of Christ’s holiness and truth.

That call is just as urgent for us today.

False Assurance Is the Enemy of True Salvation

Imagine the scene: the letter is read aloud to the Corinthian congregation. A mix of reactions erupts—some receive it with trembling, others with offense. Perhaps someone muttered, “Who does Paul think he is? Only God can judge me.”

Sound familiar?

That very spirit has saturated our modern culture. Any call to self-examination is labeled “judgmental.” Conviction is dismissed as “hate speech.” Yet Paul’s words come from a place of deep grief and apostolic love:

“And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.”
—2 Corinthians 12:21 (KJV)

Paul is heartbroken. He’s not judging their souls—he’s warning them that a fruitless, unrepentant lifestyle may prove they were never saved to begin with (Matthew 7:21–23).

God Commands Self-Examination

This is not condemnation. This is biblical wisdom.

Paul was not telling the Corinthians to wallow in shame. He was calling them to authenticity before a holy God. Jesus warned that many will say “Lord, Lord” with their lips while denying Him with their lives (Luke 6:46). Paul’s question was pastoral, not personal.

It’s still necessary today:

  • Are you walking in repentance or rationalization?

  • Do you hate your sin or defend it as your “identity”?

  • Are you growing in holiness or hiding behind grace as an excuse for rebellion?

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
—Hebrews 12:14 (KJV)

The Tragedy of Unrepentant Christians

Paul’s grief was not over lost pagans. It was over professing believers in the church who were:

  • Practicing fornication

  • Living unrepentantly

  • Mocking the grace of God

These were not one-time slip-ups—they were habitual lifestyles of sin.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.”
—Romans 6:1–2 (KJV)

In today’s terms, it might look like this:

  • Churchgoers living in sexual immorality, justifying it as “love”

  • Professing Christians who never read the Word, never pray, never weep over sin

  • Believers who say, “Don’t judge me” while rejecting every attempt to call them back to truth

This is not legalism. This is love. And love tells the truth, even when it hurts.

Modern Application: A Prophetic Warning for the Church

We are living in a generation that has become desensitized to sin and allergic to correction. The danger is not only cultural—it’s spiritual. This is part of the end-time deception prophesied in 2 Timothy 4:3–4:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”
—2 Timothy 4:3 (KJV)

This is a time when people want comfort over conviction, tolerance over truth, and feelings over faithfulness. And it’s happening within the visible church.

Let that not be said of us.

A Call to Repentance

Beloved, don’t wait until it’s too late to examine your heart. Don’t wait for a tragedy, a judgment, or the return of Christ to ask yourself:

“Am I really in the faith?”

God’s mercy is extended today. He is calling you—not to despair, but to repent and believe.

The Gospel Invitation

If you find yourself unsure, or convicted by what you’ve read, know this: Jesus stands ready to forgive, cleanse, and transform.

  1. Acknowledge your sin before a holy God. (Romans 3:23)

  2. Believe that Christ died for your sins and rose again. (Romans 5:8; 10:9–10)

  3. Repent—turn away from sin and to God. (Acts 3:19)

  4. Receive the Holy Spirit and walk in newness of life. (Ezekiel 36:26–27; Romans 6:4)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
—1 John 1:9 (KJV)

Final Exhortation

Paul loved the church enough to confront it.
Will we love God enough to examine ourselves?

This is the year to walk in holiness.
This is the hour to awaken from spiritual slumber.
This is the moment to return to the Lord.

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly... and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God.”
—Joel 2:15–13 (KJV)

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