“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. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.” (2 Corinthians 13:5-10 ESV)
In the last devotion, which was part 1 of this devotion, the discussion revolved around the sinful condition of some of the people within the gatherings of the church in the city of Corinth. There were people among them professing faith in Jesus Christ who were living in sin. And sexual immorality and sensuality appeared to be the most predominant of the sins that were regularly being practiced, but they also included such sins as anger, hostility, slander, gossip, and disorder, among others.
So, one of the purposes of this letter to the Corinthian church was to correct these sinful situations and to bring the people who were sinning to genuine repentance and changed hearts and/or to exercise church discipline against them. For the apostle Paul took such situations as these extremely seriously, like he did in the situation with the man who was in an incestual relationship with his father’s wife, and the church was proud rather than doing anything to correct the man and to free the church of that growing evil influence.
And following his discussion with them in the area of discussing the habitual and deliberate sinning that was going on among them, he then encouraged them to examine themselves to see whether or not they were truly in the faith. For the Scriptures teach us that if we claim to be in fellowship with God but while we walk in sin, we are liars. And if we claim to know God but while we do not obey his commandments (New Covenant), in practice, we are liars. And if sin is what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life.
[1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Galatians 5:16-21]
So, it is not enough to just profess with our lips that we believe in Jesus Christ, but we must live as though we really believe in him. For true belief is persuasion of God. And we are persuaded of God in the Scriptures as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin and to be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and his righteousness. And true faith in God is obedience to God, and disobedience is unbelief.
[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2]
And this is critical that we do this self-examination because we have so many people today, at least here in America, who profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but whose hearts are far from him. They are still living for the sinful pleasures of the flesh, still charting their own life course, still doing whatever it is they want to do with their lives without regard for God and for what he wants for their lives, and without regard for the reality of what Jesus did in putting our sins to death with him on that cross.
For Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross so that we will die to sin and live to his righteousness. He died on that cross so we will now live for him and no longer for ourselves. And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we will now honor God with our bodies and so that we will now serve him with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands. So if sin is what we practice (obey), it will lead to death. But obedience to God ends in eternal life with God.
[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]
Now Paul and Timothy modeled for us what the Christian life should look like. For Paul said, “For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.” Amen! And this was not saying that they were absolutely perfect in everything that they did and said, but that they modeled for us what the Christian life should look like. And it requires that we deny self and die daily to sin and that we follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands in holy living, in practice, and that we no longer walk in deliberate sin.
Living Water
An Original Work / November 21, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures
My people have forsaken Me,
Their Savior, who died on a tree;
Made idols, and they worshipped them;
So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.
Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.
Those who turn away from You will be shamed;
The Spring of Living Water left behind.
Living Water satisfies.
The thirsty, let them come and drink;
Believe in Jesus as their King;
The gift of Jesus given them,
So they will never thirst again.
Indeed, the Living Water flows within.
It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.
Eternal life in heaven promised them.
Living Water glorifies.
Oh people, won’t you come to Him?
Obey Him and repent of sin.
Let Jesus come and live within.
Surrender all your life to Him.
My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?
Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.
Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?
Living Water sanctifies.
https://vimeo.com/379511565
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