Joel M Bradshaw

5Examine 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!–2 Corinthians 13 

Paul was giving one last warning to the Corinthians. The chapter kind of had the vibe of a tired parent on a long road trip. “I will pull this car over! Don’t make me come back there!” And so he commanded them to do the verse above. To claim Christ is to actually live Christ.

I have come up with a simple spiritual test for you to examine yourself. Christians, it may reveal that you have some submission work to do with Jesus. There most likely will be conviction to stop some things and start others.

Let’s start with commandments. These are not negotiable. Here are three foundational commands of Jesus.

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

But how do you love? Look at your attitudes next. I know this is famously read at weddings, but Paul wrote this to the same Corinthian church, not to just married couples.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Finally, examine your branches. What fruit is growing on the branches of the tree that is your life? If you see fruit from the first list, time to repent. If you don’t see fruit from the second list, time to pray!

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:16-26)

You may have come away from this with the realization that you are not on Jesus’ team. If that is the case and you desire to be, please reach out to me. You might have been convicted that you are on Jesus’ team, but you aren’t wearing the uniform as expected. Pay attention to how the Bible works on you as you read it.–JMB