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Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. This is without question a necessary and practically important Christian duty. But the forms it takes and the estimates of its value differ according to the tones and peculiarities of Christian life and feeling in each age. When prominence is given to doctrine, and conflicts rage round precisions in the expression of opinion, self-examination is neglected, and, as a rebound, is unduly cultivated by the pietistic few. When feeling rather than truth is cultivated, and religion is conceived as a mood of mind rather than as a body of doctrines, self-examination is set forth prominently as one of the essentials of Christian living. It must also be added that self-examination has always been urged by the priesthood as an agent in preserving for such priesthood the control of men's thoughts, opinions, conduct, and life. Recognizing its importance, but carefully avoiding exaggerations in reference to it, we notice -

I. WHAT IT MAY PROPERLY CONCERN.

1. Conduct. This may include

(1) our mode of performing our ordinary life duties;

(2) the character of our relationship with others;

(3) the wise use of our opportunities of usefulness;

(4) the helpful occupation of our leisure hours;

(5) and the worthy meeting of our life responsibilities.

2. Opinion. St. Paul here enjoins a proving or testing of opinion, so that a man may know whether he is "holding fast the profession of his faith without wavering;" "holding fast the form of sound words."

3. Feeling. So far as this is related to the motive of conduct, and gives inspiration and character to the expressions of Christian life. Self-examination of feeling with a view to confidence of our state and satisfaction in our progress and attainment is always perilous and often ruinous. Watching frames and feelings is the most enervating thing a Christian can do. It never can culture humility; it often, in a very subtle way, nourishes spiritual pride and severs the soul from the simplicity of its dependence on Christ. It brings a false satisfaction in feeling right, or a needless distress in feeling wrong. It clouds the Christian life with hindering and weakening depressions, or it brings an extravagant joy which is really joy in self, not joy in God.

II. WHEN SHOULD IT BE UNDERTAKEN? Only occasionally, and under special pressure, such as comes with times of conscious weakness and failure; or times when error is being freely taught; or times when the Christian morality is imperilled; or times when the changes of life are bringing to us fresh responsibilities. St. Paul commends the duty in a special form in relation to the Communion of the Lord's Supper. And many Christian people have found special times of self-examination useful - at the New Year, at birthdays, etc. Where there is a natural tendency to morbid introspection the seasons should be very infrequent. Where the active side of Christian life is overdeveloped, the times for self-examination may safely be multiplied.

III. IN WHAT SPIRIT SHOULD IT BE CONDUCTED? There should be

(1) great seriousness;

(2) earnest prayer for a spirit of sincerity and faithfulness;

(3) careful avoidance of any desire to test themselves by any human standards;

(4) anxiously cherished dependence on the leadings and teachings of God the Holy Ghost; and

(5) firm resolve to turn the conclusions of our self-examination into principles and directions for the guidance and the improvement of our practical life of godliness. Compare the psalmist, who prays, "Search me, O God," before attempting to search himself.

IV. HOW MAY THE POSSIBLE EVILS OF IT BE COUNTERACTED?

1. By making Holy Scripture the standard according to which we test ourselves.

2. By making conduct rather than feeling the subject of our review.

3. By turning the results of the examination into prayer for more grace.

4. By persisting in seeing the things that we may have to rejoice in, as well as those which we may have to groan over.

5. And by regarding the Lord Jesus Christ - and none but he - as our Model of the interior, as well as of the exterior, Christian life. - R.T.

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KJV: 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?

WEB: Test your own selves, whether you are in the faith. Test your own selves. Or don't you know as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.