Spiritual Self-Examination

Every believer must often conduct a spiritual self-examination to determine whether they are in fellowship and to assess their level of spiritual maturity based on the epignosis Bible doctrine in their soul. The first command in 2 Corinthians 13:5 is to “test yourselves to see if you are in the faith.” This means to test yourself to discern whether you are thinking and priorities in life are consistent with the Word of God that you have learned.

“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?” (2 Corinthians 13:5, NASB)

We are responsible to God to examine or test ourselves, but we can only examine ourselves if we have Bible doctrine in the right lobe of our soul. This absolute standard is always the Word of God. Only through the lens of Bible doctrine can we look at ourselves. How you feel about this is never the standard for spiritual self-examination.

The Test of Carnality or Spirituality

The most important self-examination the believer must learn to grow spiritually is to examine themselves regarding whether they are in a state of sin or not. If the answer is yes, then confession of known sins to God the Father is in order per 1 John 1:9. You have to have an awareness of sin in your life before you can confess it to God the Father. Mental attitude sins are the most common, so you examine yourself for fear, anger, animosity toward others, resentment, worry, and anxiety. This spiritual self-examination must be done at least once a day, if not more often.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NASB)

The Test of Priority of Bible Doctrine

The believer must constantly review their scale of values to confirm that Bible doctrine has number one priority in their life. If it is not, that is the first error to correct. There are numerous attractive and interesting distractions in life that can entice the believer to make them number one in their life. Anything that seems more important than the consistent intake of Bible doctrine even for a short time is a failure of this inner self test.

Consistent daily learning and application of Bible doctrine results in the believer conducting an accurate and objective self-examination of their spiritual life. Without the consistent intake and application of Bible doctrine, our spiritual life inevitably deteriorates. Any reduced emphasis on Bible doctrine inevitably leads to placing something else as a higher priority in life. Without positive volition toward the consistent learning Bible doctrine, everything in the spiritual life deteriorates as the believer remains in carnality for longer periods of time. Without spiritual growth, no believer can fulfill God’s plan for their lives.

The Test of The Basis for Relationships with Others

The believer must examine their relationships with others. Do those personal relationships include your mental attitude unconditional agapao love regardless of their behavior? Without this type of love based on the Bible doctrine in your soul, you cannot properly develop your personal relationships. Our personal relationships with others should not take first place. Our relationship with God should take first place in our priorities. The believer cannot do this without epignosis Bible doctrine in their soul.

The Test of Whether Suffering is Deserved or Undeserved

The believer must gain an awareness of whether they are under divine discipline and suffering from self-induced misery or whether they are in fact in fellowship and filled with the Holy Spirit and experiencing undeserved suffering. This type of spiritual discernment is important to either correct your carnal spiritual status by confessions of sin or to continue in a state of spirituality to rely on God's grace resources to handle the undeserved suffering. Handling such undeserved suffering while remaining filled with God the Holy Spirit produces divine good, results in spiritual growth, further fulfillment of the plan of God for your life, and thus glorifies God.

The Test of Understanding the Indwelling of Jesus Christ

In 2 Corinthians 13:5, “unless indeed you fail the test?” refers in this context to whether the believer understands the doctrine of the indwelling of the deity of Jesus Christ as the Shekinah Glory.

In the Church Age, the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit prepares a suitable residence in the physical body of every believer for the permanent indwelling of the deity of Jesus Christ as the Shekinah Glory and for the permanent indwelling of God the Father. This all occurs at the moment of salvation. This makes the body of the believer the sanctuary or temple of God. In the Old Testament, the sanctuary was the tabernacle in the tent in the desert or the temple in Jerusalem. 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 6:19-20.

"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, NASB)

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NASB)

Failure of this test means either the believer is ignorant of the doctrine of the indwelling of Jesus Christ or is not motivated in their spiritual life by the understanding of the indwelling of Jesus Christ. The indwelling of the deity of Jesus Christ as the Shekinah Glory is our guarantee that divine blessings will be given to the believer who advances in the spiritual life and fulfills the plan of God for their lives. These blessings will be conveyed while the maturing believer lives on earth and also the conveying of eternal rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

The indwelling of Jesus Christ guarantees our eternal security, our eternal life after death and a resurrection body at the Rapture of the Church and into eternity. You cannot lose your salvation, no matter how badly you fail in your life. The indwelling of the Son of God guarantees our eternal life with Him forever. At physical death, the Son of God leaves our body and escorts our soul and human spirit into the third heaven. You can’t see Christ indwelling your body until your death. 2 Cor. 5:8; Psalms 23:4.

“we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8, NASB)

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4, NASB)

The indwelling of Jesus Christ is a sign that every Church Age believer is a member of the family of God, a royal priesthood. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the means of forming the royal family of God. The indwelling of Christ is the sign of the royal family and the uniqueness of the Church Age. Because all believers in the Church Age are indwelt by Jesus Christ, we have equal privilege and opportunity with all other believers. 1 Peter 2:9.

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (1 Peter 2:9, NASB)

As a member of the royal family of God, the major issue is the indwelling of the Shekinah Glory as well as the indwelling of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in your physical body. The indwelling of Jesus Christ demands that the believer emphasize their relationship with God over their relationships with people. If you emphasize relationship and fellowship with people over relationship and fellowship with God, you cannot and never will attain spiritual adulthood. Your life will be characterized by self-induced misery and divine discipline.