2 Coríntios 13

2 Coríntios 13:5

Wuest: Be putting yourselves to the test whether you are in the Faith. Be putting yourselves to the test for the purpose of approving yourselves, and finding that you meet the specifications, put your approval upon yourselves. Or, do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are those who are disapproved? Young's Literal: Your own selves try ye, if ye are in the faith; your own selves prove ye; do ye not know your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you, if ye be not in some respect disapproved of? TEST YOURSELVES TO SEE IF YOU ARE IN THE FAITH: Heautous peirazete (2PPAM) ei este (2PPAI) en te pistei: Examine: Ps 17:3 26:2 119:59 139:23,24 La 3:40 Eze 18:28 Hag 1:5,7 1Co 11:28,31 Ga 6:4 Heb 4:1 12:15 1Jn 3:20,21 Rev 2:5 3:2,3) (in the faith: Col 1:23 2:7 1Ti 2:15 Tit 1:13 2:2 1Pe 5:9) TWO APPROACHES TO INTERPRETATION OF 2 CORINTHIANS 13:5 The more I have studied this passage, the more I have come to realize that it was not as "straightforward" as I had originally presumed. In simple terms, there are two schools of interpretation (but see S Lewis Johnson's "hybrid" interpretation which seems to overlap with #1 and #2): (1) Paul is commanding the church to perform a self-examination to determine whether they were true believers, with the implication being that some might not be genuine believers. In other words this view holds that Paul is calling on his readers to examine their once-for-all justification (2) Paul was speaking to believers only and not telling them to examine themselves for evidence of salvation but for evidence of their ongoing sanctification. (See explanation of this approach). Perry Brown (in his Bib Sac Article - What Is the Meaning of “Examine Yourselves” in 2 Corinthians 13:5? ) summarizes the two interpretations… Those who affirm the eternal security of the believer in Christ generally hold one of two popular interpretations of 2 Corinthians 13:5. (1) The Reformed view assumes that Paul was addressing the possibility that some in the Corinthian church were not genuine believers—even though they claimed to be—and that Paul challenged them to test whether they had ever truly been born again. Therefore today those who profess Christ as Savior should examine themselves to be sure they really are Christians. MacArthur represents this view. Doubts about one’s salvation are not wrong so long as they are not nursed and allowed to become an obsession. Scripture encourages self-examination. Doubts must be confronted and dealt with honestly and biblically. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul wrote, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” That admonition is largely ignored—and often explained away—in the contemporary church. (John F. MacArthur Jr., The Gospel according to Jesus - Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988, 190. Two other times in this book MacArthur refers to this verse to support the view that Christians should examine themselves to determine the validity of their conversion) Buswell also supports the Reformed view and applies this verse when the behavior of a professing believer does not evidence an obedient walk with Christ. But my point is that so long as a professing Christian is in the state of carnality, no pastor, no Christian friend, has the slightest ground for holding that this carnal person has ever been regenerated. We are not to judge in the sense of pronouncing eternal destiny. God’s judgments are inscrutable. Nevertheless, it is a pastor’s duty to counsel such a person. “You do not give evidence of being in a regenerate state. You must remember Paul’s warning, ‘Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? You are not reprobate, are you?’ (2Corinthians 13:5).” (James Oliver Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, 2 vols. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), 2:147) (See related article by Sam Storms). (2) A second view of 2 Corinthians 13:5 is that Paul was not doubting the Corinthians’ salvation, but was calling them to examine the quality of their walk with Christ. In other words Paul was addressing their ongoing sanctification, not their once-for-all justification. Hodges represents this interpretation. Thus the statement, “Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” has no more to do with the question of salvation than the words “in the faith” [v. 5a ]. What Paul has described of his own experience shows that he is thinking of Jesus Christ being in himself, or in the Corinthians, in a dynamic, active and vital sense. In the language of the Apostle John this could be expressed in terms of the abiding life, where the disciple is in Christ, and Christ is in the disciple, in a dynamic, fruit-bearing relationship (see John 15:1-8; 14:19-24 ). (Zane C. Hodges, The Gospel under Siege - Dallas, TX: Viva, 1992, 112) [EDITORIAL ADDITION - HERE IS A REFUTATION OF HODGES VIEW ON 2 Corinthians 13:5 FROM WAYNE GRUDEM'S 2016 BOOK "FREE GRACE" THEOLOGY: 5 WAYS IT DIMINISHES THE GOSPEL (available in Logos). - This verse poses a challenge for Free Grace advocates because they do not think it appropriate to tell regular churchgoers who profess to be Christians that they should “examine themselves” to find out if they are really born again or not. That comes too close to saying that good works are a necessary result of saving faith, which is contrary to Free Grace teaching. Therefore Hodges says that 2 Corinthians 13:5 is not a challenge to the churchgoers at Corinth to test whether they are, in fact, born-again Christians. It is rather a challenge to test whether they are “living in a dynamic, faith-oriented connection with Jesus Christ.” (Hodges, Absolutely Free!, 201.) In other words, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith” means to examine yourselves to see whether you are living a dynamic Christian life. (Similarly, Dillow says that in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Salvation is not in view at all.” Dillow, Final Destiny, 452.) Hodges supports this interpretation with reference to other verses about standing fast “in the faith” (1 Cor. 16:13) or being “sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13). But other verses that talk about the condition of one’s life “in the faith” should not be equated with 2 Corinthians 13:5, where Paul is talking about whether they are “in the faith” at all. And Hodges completely fails to account for the fact that in the second half of the same verse, the test that Paul is seeking from them is further explained as finding out whether “Jesus Christ is in you,” and Paul says Jesus is not in them if they “fail to meet the test.” Surely the entire verse is talking about whether they are born-again Christian believers or not.] Lowery takes a similar position on this verse . Paul’s question is usually construed with regard to positional justification: were they Christians or not? But it more likely concerned practical sanctification: did they demonstrate that they were in the faith (cf. 1Cor 16:13) and that Christ was in them by their obeying His will? To stand the test was to do what was right. To fail was to be disobedient and therefore subject to God’s discipline. The words fail(ed) the test (2Cor 13:5, 6) and failed (2Cor 13:7 ) render the Greek word adokimoi (“disapproved”; cf. adokimos in 1Cor 9:27). (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor) There are some variations on these two basic interpretations but this simple description is adequate for our purposes. William MacDonald (who I highly respect) writes that… Verse 5 is often misused to teach that we should look within ourselves for assurance of salvation, but this could lead to discouragement and doubt. Assurance of salvation comes first and foremost through the word of God. The moment we trust Christ we can know on the authority of the Bible that we have been born again. As time goes on, we do find other evidences of the new life—a new love for holiness, a new hatred of sin, love of the brethren, practical righteousness, obedience, and separation from the world. But Paul is not telling the Corinthians to engage in self-examination as a proof of their salvation. Rather he is asking them to find in their salvation a proof of his apostleship. There were only two possibilities: either Jesus Christ was in them, or they were disqualified, spurious. The word translated disqualified was used to describe metals which, when tested, were found to be false. So the Corinthians were either true believers, or they were disqualified by failure to pass the test. (Ed: I wish he had expounded on from what they were disqualified? As I explain below, the Greek word for "fail the test" is adokimos and is used in the NT to describe believers and unbelievers) (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson) Hampton Keathley III favors the second interpretation and gives a fairly simple (easy to understand) explanation of the reasoning used by those who favor 2 Cor 13:5 as a passage directed solely to believers… Sometimes a passage like 2 Corinthians 13:5 is used to support the necessity of examining our works to prove our salvation. This is unfortunate because this is mere proof-texting and misses the context and the actual meaning and purpose of this passage in the argument of Paul in 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 13:5 Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you—unless, indeed, you fail the test! MacArthur is an illustration of this. He writes: “Doubts about one’s salvation are not wrong so long as they are not nursed and allowed to become an obsession. Scripture encourages self-examination. Doubts must be confronted and dealt with honestly and biblically.” Then, after quoting 2 Corinthians 13:5 he concludes, “That admonition is largely ignored—and often explained away—in the contemporary church.”11 But is this the correct interpretation of this passage? Is Paul calling these believers to examine themselves for the purpose of assurance of salvation? The context says no! The following are some reasons for this position: (1) Again, as in 1 Corinthians, Paul affirmed his conviction they were saved. He does not question their salvation for a moment as is clear from the passages mentioned above. (2) Even if Paul were telling them to examine themselves for assurance, he does not tell them to examine their works for assurance. In light of the plain teaching of Scripture, if anything needed to be examined, it would be the object of their faith. Had they truly trusted in Christ rather than in some system of works? (3) He does tell them to examine themselves, but he had another purpose in mind according to the context of verses 2Co 13:3-7. Some were questioning the validity of the ministry of the apostle because of the influence of certain false teachers. Compare 2 Corinthians 11:1-12:21 where the apostle defends his ministry against their accusations. They were demanding proof in verse 3 that Christ was speaking through Paul. In verse 5 Paul shows them that the proof they were looking for was in themselves because he had been their father in the faith. (Assurance of Salvation) (Charles Hodge also adopts this approach - see 2Corinthians 13 Commentary) Constable echoes Keathley writing that… This verse may at first seem to be talking about gaining assurance of one’s salvation from his or her works. However this was not what Paul advocated here or anywhere else in his writings. Remember that he was writing to genuine believers (2Co 1:1, 21, 22; 3:2, 3; 6:14; 8:9). He told them to examine their works to gain assurance that they were experiencing sanctification, that they were walking in obedience to the faith. (2 Corinthians Commentary Notes) William Kelly agrees with Keathley… It helps greatly to the understanding of what follows to see that, whether marked externally or not, there is a parenthesis after the first clause of the third verse which runs through the fourth also; so that the connection of the first clause of verse 3 is really with verse 5. Since ye seek a proof of the Christ speaking in me, … try your own selves whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves." It is a final notice of and answer to their unworthy questioning of Paul's apostleship. Did they demand a proof of Christ speaking in him? Were not they themselves proof enough? Had He not spoken to their souls in that servant of His who first caused His voice to be heard in Corinth? As surely as they were in the faith, which they did not at all question, he was an apostle — if not to others, assuredly to them. The many Corinthians who, hearing the apostle, believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, were the last who ought to gainsay the messenger if they appreciated the message and Him who sent the messenger. If they were reprobate, having confessed Christ in vain, there was no force in the appeal, which derives all its power from their confidence that Christ was in them as the fruit of the apostle's preaching. This also shows how baseless is the too common abuse of the passage, as well as of 1Corinthians 11: 28, to sanction a doubting self-examination, as one often hears, not only in the practical history of souls, but in the teaching of doctrinal schools otherwise opposed. Here, say they, we are taught to search ourselves and see that we be not too confident: does not the apostle in the first Epistle to the Corinthians call on each habitually to examine or prove himself before partaking of the Lord's Supper? and does he not pursue that special call by the general exhortation in the second Epistle to examine or try themselves whether they be in the faith? The truth is that an examination of the context in each case dispels the error as to both — an error which strikes directly at the peace of the believer, if not also the truth of the gospel. For the gospel is sent by God, founded on the personal glory and the work of His Son, to bring the believer into communion with the Father and the Son in full liberty of heart and with a purged conscience. These misinterpretations, under cover of jealousy for holiness, tend immediately to plunge the soul into doubt through questions about itself. (2 Corinthians Commentary) F B Hole… Paul's authority as an apostle had however been questioned, and the Corinthians had very foolishly given ear to these questionings. They were the last persons who should have done so, or should have had any doubts as to whether Christ had spoken through him. Since they had entertained such doubts, some kind of answer was needed, and a very crushing one Paul was able to give. He had simply to say, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." Since they were his converts, the fruit of his labour, they themselves were the proof — unless indeed they were reprobates, just worthless frauds. If they were but frauds then indeed Christ might not have spoken in Paul; but if they were true men He most certainly had. Verse 5 has sometimes been taken apart from its context and turned into a plea for continual self-inspection, and even doubt as to one's own salvation. This is because the parenthesis extending from the middle of verse 3 (2Co 13:3) to the end of verse 4 (2Co 13:4) has not been noticed. If we connect the early part of verse 3 with verse 5 the sense is quite clear. There is again a touch of irony in Paul's words, for the doubts they had foolishly entertained as to Christ speaking in him really recoiled upon their own heads. If indeed Christ had not spoken in Paul then — since they had professed conversion under his speaking — Christ would not be found in them. But if Christ was indeed found in them it was conclusive proof that Christ had spoken in him. (Ed: Notice how F B Hole "leaves open the door" for interpretation number one when he writes… ) It is quite possible of course that in speaking thus the Apostle wished to convey to them the fact that he was not too sure of the genuineness of some of them, and thereby he desired to stir them up and exercise their consciences. At the same time he was quite confident as to the majority of them. This is evident if we consider the parenthesis, the first words of which tell us that Christ had not been "weak" toward them but rather "mighty in you." Looking back to the work that had been wrought when first he came among them, Paul was full of confidence that the power of Christ had been in it. The whole path of Christ on earth had been characterized by a "weakness" which culminated in His crucifixion. Yet He is alive in resurrection by the power of God. Now that which marked the path of the great Master marked also the path of the servant, who was following in His life and way. Weakness also characterized the external life and service of the Apostle but under the surface the power of God was vitally present with him. (2 Corinthians Commentary) Dr. S Lewis Johnson former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary offers somewhat of a "hybrid interpretation" that is not incompatible with interpretations (#1) and ( #2) above … The apostle now turns to the necessity of self-examination. He states in the fifth verse, “Test yourselves to see if you’re in the faith. Examine yourselves.” They had been testing him. He turns the table on them and twice and emphatically says, “Test yourselves.” He uses that word in the emphatic position twice, “Yourselves test,” “Test yourselves.” Now in stating this it’s very plain why he says that. If they fail the test, they have no right to blame the apostle for anything. If they’re not believers, if they fail the test and they don’t even belong to the Lord, what right do they have to criticize an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ? And turning it on the other side, if they pass the test, how can they blame the apostle because the apostle is the one who brought them the knowledge that they claim that they have. So the apostle has them on the horns of a dilemma. The irony is obvious, if they pass they cannot blame Paul, if they fail they cannot blame Paul. The fact that they are a Christian Assembly is testimony ultimately to the faithfulness and the authenticity of the preaching of the Apostle Paul. So if they fail, they cannot blame him. If they pass, they cannot blame the evangelist who brought them to the condition in which they are passing the test. (Ed: This interpretation is more in line with interpretation #2). (Ed: Now Dr. Johnson seems to apply 2Cor 13:5 in a manner that is more in keeping with interpretation #1) When we say, “Test ourselves or examine yourselves,” we’re saying something that we need in the United States of America, and in fact, in the Western world. There are literally millions of professing Christians who need to pay attention to this statement of the apostle. They have entered into a shallow commitment to Christianity, they’ve joined the church, 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. They’ve been encouraged to think that, by men who’ve not been careful to point out that there is more to becoming a Christian than subscribing to a statement. They don’t hate sin. They don’t love holiness. They do not pray. They do not study the word of God. They do not walk humbly with God. (Ed comment: Could Christ be in such individuals? I think not!) These individuals, so many of them stand in the same danger in which the Corinthians stood. And the apostle’s words, “Test yourselves to see if your in the faith, examine yourselves,” are valid words that each of us should ponder. (The Place of Self-Examination - 2 Corinthians 13:1-14) Let me digress for a moment. Keep in mind that while Scripture has only one true interpretation (regardless of the disagreements among scholars), Scripture can have a number of legitimate applications, and it is this latter aspect which the reader should not "jettison" (because he espouses interpretation #2) in regard to the truth taught in 2 Corinthians 13:5. As I have studied numerous writers' interpretations of 2Cor 13:5, it seems clear that at least some of those writers object to anyone ever even questioning another person's justification. One of those writers (Zane Hodges) has gone so far as to say that if a person professes faith in Christ and then spends the remainder of their life in disobedience (and sin), they are still justified (and eternally secure) based on their original profession. This seems to be a deceptive and dangerous viewpoint, for if one carefully examines the NT, especially James 2, there is a clear association of one's works with one's faith (See related notes on assessing the genuineness of one's faith (Jas 2:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 - see study notes on Jas 2:14; 2:15; 2:16; 2:17; 2:18; 2:19; 2:20; 2:21; 2:22; 2:23; 2:24; 2:25; 2:26). Without question, faith alone in Christ alone is fully sufficient for salvation. However, according to James, that faith in Christ which effects a genuine regeneration of the individual's spirit is a faith which shows itself to be real by the resulting God glorifying fruit or works. For more on this topic see the study of James chapter 2 referenced in the preceding paragraph. To say that one should not even apply Paul's admonition to test yourselves as to the authenticity of one's faith is in my humble opinion a potentially dangerous teaching. Why do I say that? Because Jesus teaches that there will be "many" (not few, not some, but many) who are deceived into thinking that they are genuinely born again, when in fact they are not. In one of the most sobering passages in all of Scripture Jesus unapologetically, unambivalently, unequivocally, irrevocably states the soul piercing truth that… 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 will enter. Many (Don't miss this "quantization" by the omniscient Lord Who sees into every man's heart) will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. (Mt 7:21-note, Mt 7:22, 23-note) Comment: I propose that Paul's charge in 2Corinthians 13:5 lends itself to a fair and legitimate application to call others to take a personal spiritual inventory, and that, far from being judgmental or condemning, such an application of the text is in fact (when done with the right heart motive) one of the most loving, "Jesus-like" questions/warnings we can ever speak forth in this present life! To remain silent, when we have legitimate, Biblically-based reasons to question the veracity and authenticity of the salvation of a relative or acquaintance, is not only unloving but in light of Jesus' words, even unconscionable! We as believers are given the privilege to be salt and light in the midst of a spiritually corrupt, dead and dying world, and to not fulfill our calling, is tantamount to rank disobedience to our Master's command to… Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you (note how "James-like" Jesus is, clearly linking being with doing! What we are and what we do are inseparably related according to Jesus! It follows that the only way to assess the authenticity of a disciple is by what they do. E.g., take Judas who masqueraded as a "true" disciple!); and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19, 20) Perry Brown who was quoted earlier has an interesting anecdotal story writing that… "the passage (2Cor 13:5) raises the practical question of whether a Christian should periodically examine whether he or she is truly saved. For example a boy known to this writer was baptized at nine years of age. Over a decade later, after hearing an evangelist preach from 2 Corinthians 13:5, the boy expressed doubts about his salvation as a child. He then told this writer he trusted Christ as his Savior for the first time after listening to the evangelist preach on 2 Corinthians 13:5. But did the evangelist use this passage the way the apostle Paul meant it?" Comment: While I am not sure how the evangelist used the passage, the more important question is did the Spirit use the preaching of the truth in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to bring about genuine regeneration? Brown seems to suggest that may have been the case. Assuming that it is the case, I would propose that while I agree that the most accurate interpretation of 2 Corinthians 13:5 is interpretation #2 (which I had heretofore not fully appreciated), that interpretation does not exclude the application of the principle of testing of one's faith for authenticity. How else could one make the distinction John calls for in 1Jn 3:10 (where one "test" is whether one practices [present tense] righteousness as their general lifestyle)? As discussed above, James also is clearly calling for "testing" of one's faith in Jas 2:14-26. And as discussed elsewhere Jesus' warning in Mt 7:21, 22, 23 clearly shows the importance that one be absolutely sure that they are in the faith and that they are not deceived professors (like those in Titus 1:16). Clearly men can be deceived, thinking their faith is genuine, when it is not and the New Testament is filled with passages that warn of this deadly deception. For example study 1Cor 6:9, 10, 11, Gal 5:21, Eph 5:6, James 1:26, 1Jn 3:7, 8, 9) Now let's look at the context for 2 Cor 13:5: Keep in mind that in the last section of this second epistle to the church at Corinth (2Cor 10:1-13:14), Paul's aim is to defend his apostolic authority and ministry. As Criswell phrases it Paul "concludes with a vigorous defense of the legitimacy of his apostleship and a stern warning that he will deal personally with any troublemakers upon his arrival (Chap. 10-13)." This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES. 2 I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again, I will not spare (treat leniently) anyone, 3 since you are seeking for proof of the Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. 4 For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power (dunamis [word study] = in context supernatural/divinely dispensed inherent capability) of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we shall live with Him because of the power (dunamis) of God directed toward you. (2Co 13:1, 2, 3, 4) Comment: Notice Paul's testimony that "Christ… speaks in me" which emphasizes his personal assurance that Christ is indeed in him. He also assures the believers in Corinth that this same Christ is in them, as evidenced by His mighty power. This description prepares his readers for the strong warning in the present passage that they need to make sure that Christ (and His mighty power) is indeed in them! In view of the fact that Paul states that he will come again (2Co 13:2 is more accurately not "if" but "when" he comes) at which time he would not spare any who were continuing in sin, he commands his readers to examine themselves to make sure every one of them was truly in the faith. Scott Hafemann adds that "Like the prophets of the old covenant, Paul thus announces the coming judgment in advance in order to bring about the repentance of those who are truly God’s people (cf. 2Co 10:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). He does so by calling the rebellious in Corinth “to examine” or “test themselves” to see if they are truly “in the faith” (2Co 13:5)." (Hafemann, Scott J. The NIV application commentary: 2 Corinthians, Zondervan Publishing House) Henry Alford paraphrases Paul's logic "You want to prove Christ speaking in me: -- if you necessitate this proof, it will be given. But I will tell you whom rather to prove, Prove YOURSELVES; there let your attention be concentrated, if you will apply tests." (The New Testament for English Readers) Spurgeon referred to 2Cor 13:5 as… a solemn text, that we cannot preach too impressively, or too frequently meditate. The Corinthians were the critics of the apostles’ age. They took to themselves great credit for skill in learning and in language, and as most men do who are wise in their own esteem, they made a wrong use of their wisdom and learning—they began to criticize the apostle Paul. They criticized his style. “His letters,” say they, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.” Nay, not content with that, they went so far as to deny his apostleship, and for once in his life, the apostle Paul found himself compelled to “become a fool in glorying; for,” says he, “you have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.” The apostle wrote two letters to them; in both he is compelled to upbraid them while he defends himself, and when he had fully disarmed his opponents, and wrested the sword of their criticism out of their hands, he pointed it at their own breasts, saying, “Examine yourselves.’ You have disputed my doctrine; examine whether you be in the faith. You have made me prove my apostleship; ‘prove your own selves.’ Use the powers which you have been so wrongfully exercising upon me for a little season upon your own characters.”… … And here let me appeal to each person now present. Do not tell me that you are an old church member; I am glad to hear it; but still, I beseech you, examine yourself, for a man may be a professor of religion thirty or forty years, and yet there may come a trial–day, when his religion shall snap after all and prove to be a rotten bough of the forest. Tell me not you are a deacon: that you may be, and yet you may be damnably deceived. Ay, and whisper not to me that you are a minister. My brethren in the ministry.—we may lay aside our cassocks (Ed: clerical clothing = an ankle-length robe worn by clerics) to wear belts of flame in hell; we may go from our pulpit, having preached to others what we never knew ourselves, and have to join the everlasting wailings of souls we have helped to delude. May God save us from such a doom as that! But let no man fold his arms, and say, “I need not examine myself;” for there is not a man here, or anywhere, who has not good cause to test and try himself today. (Ed: Amen and Amen!) (Self-Examination or listen to the audio) Test yourselves - In context, this implies that they were testing the authenticity of Paul as an apostle (he did not fail the test 2Co 13:6) and failing to test themselves as to the authenticity of their conversion! In a sense the church at Corinth had put Paul to the test, a test to which he responded to in 2Co 11:16-12:6. Now it is their "turn for a test"! Jamieson agrees writing that what Paul is saying is… prove your own selves-This should be your first aim, rather than "seeking a proof of Christ speaking in me" (2Co 13:3). David