What did Paul mean when he said to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith?
READING TIME: 4-6 MINUTES
November 18, 2019
2 Corinthians 13:5 — Being in the Faith vs. Disqualified
2 Cor 13:5 “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? (NASB).
According to Reformed Theology interpretation (see John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus (2008), 39; and Andy Stanley, Salvation Is More Complicated Than You Think, 17), professing Christians are encouraged to examine themselves to see if they are Christians.
Nowhere in the New Testament is such an examination demanded to discern whether one is saved. Instead, we much examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith as a way of life; to see if Christ is expressing His life through us.
One of the consequences of having a performance-based salvation (like we see in MacArthur and Stanley) is that assurance of salvation is not based on faith in Jesus Christ alone but one’s commitment, works, or faithfulness. This invites an unhealthy introspection. There is no passage in the Scriptures when properly interpreted that commands us to look inward to confirm the authenticity of our eternal salvation.
Second Corinthians 13:5 is often used as support for questioning whether someone is saved based on how that person lives. If someone professes to believe but does not persevere in faithfulness, that person is supposedly “disqualified” from salvation. According to Arminianism, this means that the person has lost his or her salvation. According to Calvinism, this means that the person has disproven the genuineness of his or her faith. The problem with this performance-based type of salvation is that it is impossible to have an assurance of salvation since it is not based on faith in Jesus Christ alone, but instead, it is based on one’s commitment, faithfulness, of works.
Paul did not doubt whether the Corinthians initially believed in Christ for salvation. Many of his appeals to them are based on the fact that they were believers. Notice in 2 Corinthians 1:21-24 (also see 3:2-3; 6:14-16; 8:9; 13:11-14) how Paul speaks to the Corinthians as though they have faith. The Corinthians became believers through Paul’s ministry (Acts 18:1-11; 1 Cor 4:15; 2 Cor 10:14-15), and he pointed to them as proof of the genuineness of his apostolic ministry. Despite their immorality and the Corinthians’ doubts about him, Paul affirms their salvation.
Though Paul had no question about the genuineness of their initial, saving faith, he challenges them for concluding that his apostolic authority is not from Christ. To their shame, the Corinthians sought proof of Christ working through Paul (2 Cor 13:3).
This context of Paul defending his apostleship to the Corinthians (2 Cor 10-12) is often ignored by those who interpret 2 Corinthians 13:5 as teaching the real possibility of being “disqualified” for heaven based on carnality and disobedience in the Christian life. The reason Paul says what he did in 2 Cor 13:5 is not to show that the Corinthians were not saved, but to prove or confirm that they were saved, to affirm the genuineness of Paul’s apostleship.
After inviting them to self-examination, he asks, “Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified.” This is a rhetorical question mixed with irony. Rhetorical because they know the answer— Yes, they are in the faith (the truth of Christ, not personal faith) and Christ is in them. Ironical because they want to examine Paul but he turns it around telling them the answer is in them, not him. Since they are saved, he is an authentic apostle of Jesus Christ, because he is the one who preached Christ to them!
When Paul says, “unless indeed (ei mēti) you are disqualified,” as mentioned above, there is no doubt in his mind that they are saved, for he uses the second-class condition in Greek (ei mēti) to express something contrary to fact or assumed not to be true. In other words, according to the grammar of the verse, Paul assumes that the Corinthians are not “disqualified” but are truly “in the faith” and “Christ is in [them].” Paul’s whole argument is that if the Corinthians are “in the faith” (and they are), then Paul’s apostleship is valid because he is the one God used to lead them to their faith.
Second Corinthians 13:5 does not mean what many assume it means. This passage does not support the practice of examining our faithfulness, perseverance, and good works to assure ourselves that we are saved, for how much obedience is enough to know with certainty that we are fully accepted by God? Assurance of salvation never comes from looking at our imperfect walk but at the objective truth of the gospel.
Serious misinterpretation of this verse has done major damage to God’s people. A person cannot grow in their faith if they have needless doubt and are asking questions like “Did I believe enough?” and “Do I behave good enough?” These questions are of course very subjective. The only valid question is an objective one: “Do I believe in Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, who died and rose again and who guarantees me eternal salvation?” This verse, when accurately interpreted, does not invite examination of behavior, but it does encourage believers to look at what they believe: “as to whether you are in the faith,” which refers to objective Christian truth and doctrine.
Therefore, this passage should never be used to make those who have believed the gospel doubt their salvation by self-examination. On the contrary, this passage should teach us that the best way to motivate Christians toward truth and maturity is not by making them doubt their salvation, but by affirming it. The fact that we are saved by God’s grace, belong to Christ, and have Him within us, is the best basis to appeal for godly attitudes and conduct.
Sources Used
Bing, Charles C. GraceNotes #53. < http://www.gracelife.org/resources/gracenotes/?id=53&lang=eng>.
________. Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship: How to Understand Some Difficult Bible Passages. Grace Theology Press, 168-170.
Dillow, Joseph. Final Destiny: The Future Reign of The Servant Kings: Fourth Revised Edition. Grace Theology Press, chapter 30.
Hixson, Whitmire, Zuck. Freely by His Grace: Classical Grace Theology. Gospel Press.
Stegall, Tom. Must Faith Endure for Salvation to Be Sure?: A Biblical Study of the Perseverance versus Preservation of the Saints. Grace Gospel Press, chapter 10.