But Only For the Truth

2 Corinthians 13:5-8 ESV

“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! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.”

This was the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, and in this one he was correcting wrongs, addressing false teaching, and exhorting the Christians because they were listening to and they were receiving the teachings of false teachers who were teaching them another Jesus and a different spirit and a different gospel from the one that Paul and the other NT apostles had been teaching the people. At least that was what was going on in this particular context.

And so here he was exhorting them to examine themselves to see whether they were in the faith. For since so many appeared to be deserting the true faith to follow after liars and deceivers who were teaching another Jesus and a different gospel, it was critical that they did this self-examination. So this test had to be based on the truth that the NT apostles were teaching the people, for the people did not then have in their individual possession Bibles like we have today. 

I believe Paul was appealing to them on the basis of their professions of faith in Jesus Christ, too. For if they were truly “in Christ,” then they should show it by how they live, by the things that they do, and by what they believe and who they believe. For if they were genuine followers of Jesus Christ they would not be entertaining the lies of the enemy. They would not be listening to the “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who were feeding them lies in the name of Christ and of his gospel and of truth and righteousness.

Now part of this self-examination involves examining our own lives to see if what we are practicing is wrong (evil, sinful, wicked), or if what we are practicing is right (godly, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful). And it has to do with not doing anything against the truth, but only for the truth. But whose truth? God’s truth. And how do we know what is truth and what is not truth? The only way we can know is via the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth and via our walks of faith in Christ and via being students of the Word.

Thus, we need to be people who study the Scriptures prayerfully, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and who are seekers of truth. We must not be those who are getting our truth solely from the teachings of other humans, and especially not from the theologies and doctrines of men and their church denominations. So we must also not interpret the Scriptures in light of theologies we were taught which may or not be consistent with the truth of the Scriptures. Yet many people do that.

For if we are going to do this kind of examination to make certain that we are in the faith, for not all who say, “Lord, Lord,” are truly in the faith, then we need to be people not only who are willing to be honest with ourselves and about ourselves, but who are willing to have any wrong beliefs corrected and changed. For false doctrines of men are holding many people back from believing the truth and from entering into genuine relationship with Christ and into true salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

For many people are buying into a gospel message which makes no requirements of them for genuine repentance and walks of obedience to our Lord and for holy and righteous living. They are believing that they can make a once-in-their-lifetime decision to believe in Christ and now all their sins are forgiven and heaven is their eternal destiny and it can’t be taken away from them regardless of how they live. That is of man, not of God, for it is contrary to what the Scriptures teach on salvation.

For Jesus Christ died and rose back to life so that we would die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died so we would live for him and no longer for ourselves. And he shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of living in sin so that we will now honor God with our bodies (with our lives). For in his death he put our sins to death with him so we would be crucified with him in death to sin and be raised to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]

Pray, Pray, Pray  

An Original Work / September 6, 2012

Based off Various Scriptures

Pray that eyes may enlightened be,

So they may know Christ.

Pray that they may Him better know,

Strengthened by His pow’r. 

Pray that they may grasp 

How wide and long

And high and deep

Is Christ’s love.

Pray that they may be filled

To the fullness of God’s love.

Pray with thanksgiving.

Pray for an open door for me,

So I may share Christ.

Pray when the gospel is proclaimed –

Shared with clarity.

Pray words are given me so

I declare the gospel fearlessly.

I pray for you to be active

Sharing your faith, too.

Pray continually.

We oft not know for what to pray,

So we ask for help.

The Spirit intercedes for us – 

Words cannot express.

Just keep on praying for the saints

With all kinds of requests to God.

Pray they may have faith to 

Please their God in ev’ry way.

Pray with joyfulness. 

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