Self-Examination

I know the heart of the true Christian longs to be in harmony with God. I also know that it is in these same hearts that the devil is so very hard at work. We are very fallible as people and require great attention to the blemishes of character to touch our goal, the character of Christ. This is why, to the dedicated Christian, self-examination is an integral part of spiritual life. It is a strict investigation into the integrity of our faith; a means by which to know our defects that we may overcome them. The Bible speaks on the necessity of attending to this duty in 11 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.” The only remedy for self-deception is self-examination. This is how we are enabled to guard against a wrong judgment of our spiritual condition.

Men in every age have been able to deceive themselves in regard to their characters; to call good evil, and evil good. Now, one may be tempted to think that good and evil are so far separated, how could there be any confusion? It is through the nearly imperceptible wiles of the devil, coupled with our finite and sinful minds, that allows the perception that evil could be good and vice versa. How many people live and die in self-deception? It is not a condition restricted to the ungodly. Please understand this, for to think so is dangerous ground. Every era has found the majority of professed Christianity to be blinded as to their true character. The Laodicean church has been entrusted with important and sacred truths of the last message of mercy and yet has become shamefully deceived as to their spiritual state. They are described as them that say, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” Revelation 3:17. And yet they know not that they are, “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

God’s true people have chosen to improve since this message was seen to apply to them. They have been enabled to make the necessary improvements by way of self-examination. But the scriptures clearly state that many will continue down the path of willful blindness until the day of the Lord when they will say, “Lord, Lord,” claiming a right to His favor. Because they have chosen to remain blind to the truths they would otherwise have accepted, He returns saying, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22, 23. How heart wrenching it would be to hear this from our Lord, our Creator, and how wholly unnecessary. If we were but willing to take a look in the mirror and remove the imperfections, we would be saved from this. Self-deception cannot exist where the work of self-examination is correctly and faithfully undertaken.

If we were in a perfect state and had no defects in our character, the view in the mirror would be one easy to accept and even easier to alter. But as fallible human beings this is not an agreeable duty to perform. Strangely, it is uncomfortable for us to admit to our faults, even when they cause us so much harm. We would not knowingly leave cancer in our bodies because we know the great peril in which our lives would be put. And yet most of us put our lives in the same danger by ignoring our sinful faults. The difficulty arises from the pride and deceitfulness in our hearts and our tendency to look upon our characters with complacency and nonchalance. We tend to excuse ourselves of our wrongs. The adversary is hard at work to keep us from our duty to our characters through our tendency to focus on the faults of others, which are by far secondary to the attention our own characters desperately require. The Bible asks us why we would pay so much heed to the sliver in our neighbor’s eye when we have a whole tree in our own. (See Matthew 7:3.) It is considerably less labor intensive and painful to point the finger than to do the necessary work in ourselves. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that the greater portion of professed Christians choose not to remove their tree. So if we fail to examine ourselves, we cannot obtain a thorough and correct knowledge of our characters. Satan exults in our self-induced blindness as we cannot see the necessity of overcoming, and consequently fail to advance in sanctification. But if we become acquainted with our hearts and open ourselves to the ugliness of our sinful nature, we shall realize the necessity of overcoming and progressing in holiness.

The view in the spiritual looking glass will not be a pleasant one for most of us at first. We are so prone to sin and, without even realizing it, we frequently allow sin into our lives. The arch-deceiver did not earn this title for no reason. He knows where our weaknesses lie and will use them against us in such a way that we believe what we are letting in does not relate to sinfulness. The devil is slowly dimming the lights of our spiritual awareness. If we are not careful, eventually we will be unable to see. Our eyes adjust to the growing darkness, making it seem like we do not need additional lighting. But what happens when we go too long like this? We damage our eyesight. Satan has the same plan with our spiritual well-being. Notwithstanding the unpleasantness of the work and the great opposition that we experience from the devil, we must push forward in our endeavor to perfect our characters for the Lord. We want to be among those privileged to live with our beloved Father. Is this not worth any discomfort we may experience in looking at ourselves for what we truly are? But how do we turn the lights back on?

We are constantly presented ways for self-improvement. One common expression we have all heard as advice is to “follow your heart.” Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that, “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” This warning is so vital given that we live in a world that operates on the emotional level rather than the intellect. There is nothing to keep emotions in check except the mind. So then do we follow our mind, or more specifically, our conscience? We answer only to our own conscience, but every person’s conscience will say something different, so how do we know whose is correct? How do we know that our own conscience has not been significantly blunted by the effects of living in a sinful world? And as how we think of things affects how we feel, we cannot safely accept feelings as a guide.

Humans are simply too inconsistent and incompetent to look to for any aid. One blind man does not lead another with great success. We cannot determine the status of our character without the Word of God. We are judged by the Word and so must live by the Word. The Bible serves as a light that can illuminate our beings and allow us to see ourselves. Just as a person would become quickly discouraged looking for something in a room completely dark, so would we become frustrated in trying to change if we did not see what we were asked to become. We need to become so acquainted with the truth that we see it, not merely as a theory, but as a standard by which to live. Just as we have the Scriptures as a guide, we have the unerring life of Christ as an example. We are asked to walk as He walked. This sounds intimidating and impossible, but we are promised that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us. “Without this,” says Helffenstein, “we shall be liable either to the extreme of presumption or despondency. While some cry, Peace, where there is no peace, others, overlooking the exercise of a renewed heart, will be held in perpetual bondage to their doubts and fears. Great care should then be taken to ascertain what the scriptures insist on, as essential to Christian character. It is by these points, and not by such as is merely circumstantial, that we are to determine the genuineness of our piety.

“There are some who place great dependence upon the pungency of their convictions, the ecstasy of their joys, remarkable dreams, sudden impulses, the unexpected application of some Scriptural promise, or the fact that they can refer to the particular moment and place of their supposed conversion. None of these things, however, constitute the distinguishing marks of race. Instead, therefore, of directing our minds to those circumstances which may be as marked in the cases of the self-deceived as in the cases of true believers, our inquiries should relate to those traits of character which are the invariable fruits of the Spirit, and which are common to all the subjects of its saving influence.”1

In looking at the Scriptures as a guide we must implore the Holy Spirit to be in our hearts and minds and illuminate the truths contained in what we read. Jesus said to the Laodiceans, “Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3:18. It may be slow at first. Just as coming out of a dark room our eyes are pained if we take in the light too fast, God will only reveal the light to us as we can deal with it. We must constantly be undertaking the work of self-improvement. The devil never ceases his work against us, so we must constantly be working against him to keep his deceptions out of our lives.

Christians tend to think that, once converted, the work is finished. But true conversion is a process. What are we working to be converted to anyway? Is it not Christ? And who can say that they are Christ-like? It is the consistent worker who does not lax in their duty who will reap the rewards. Dr. Watts tells us, “it was a sacred rule among the Pythagoreans that they should, every evening, thrice run over the actions and affairs of the day, and examine what their conduct had been, what they had done, or what they had neglected; and they assured their pupils that by this method they would make a noble progress in the path of virtue.”2 And should we Christians fall behind these heathen philosophers in this important exercise? Dr. Watts gives us some lines we would do well to remember here:

Sometimes it seems quite overwhelming with all the cares of the day to have yet one more thing to attend to. There are two remedies to this. Firstly, ask yourself what your purpose is in life? Is it to make money and be successful in the eyes of the world, or is your purpose to gain a closer walk with God to ultimately walk one day by His side? Secondly, take baby steps. Children are taught the alphabet before they are taught to read. If a child was handed a book and expected to be able to read, he would soon become discouraged and give up.

It is easier for our minds to grasp things which are tangible, such as our actions. Is our conduct that of a Christian? Do our actions uphold the fundamental principles of the Ten Commandments? As our actions and words are originated from what our minds contain, upon what are we thinking? Our thoughts determine our feelings toward a given situation which also provokes our actions. This is a question that needs to be carefully thought through. Much of the time we believe ourselves to be pious and yet our motives for our actions are less than admirable. The devil has tricked the mind so often into thinking that if we are doing the right thing we are okay. But Satan can lead us into doing the right thing and have it meet his purpose because our motives were not pure.

We can attach far too much importance to the idea that we are practicing a form of godliness and to the fact that we have attached ourselves formally with God’s people. Both of these are very beneficial and perhaps even necessary as a Christian. The Jews were a people who strictly adhered to one form of godliness and yet missed the heart of true godliness by a mile. A form of godliness can exist without the power of godliness. And Christ found it necessary to separate from believers at times for the respite of quiet communion with the Father. So these are not things that can necessarily aid in examining whether the heart of our actions are in alignment with that of Christ.

It is so very difficult to look at ourselves without being partial. Preconceived ideas tend to be steadfast and opinions are most often formed to our own favor. Yet through prayer, the Holy Spirit will shed light where it is necessary as we are able to handle it. This is not a light matter as we are preparing our robes (characters) for the second coming of Christ. Every spot on our character is a spot on our robe and we are called to be without blemish upon the return of our King. “It is in this life that we are to put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness. This is our only opportunity to form characters for the home which Christ has made ready for those who obey His commandments.” Signs of the Times, November 22, 1905. I know that it is discouraging to look at something ugly and think of all the work it is going to take to restore beauty. God likens our bodies to temples for Him, and thus we should treat our spirits. To look at a home that is in desperate need of remodeling can be overwhelming. But the task becomes far less daunting when we have a concept of what we want the finished product to look like. Most of us are in this position spiritually. Our temple has been sorely neglected and looking at this is not pleasant, but Christ is our model so we have a clear idea of what we are to change.

People tend to look at personal trial as defeating and harmful. I would encourage us to look at hardship rather, as an inner mirror. Our response to hardship tells us most clearly where we stand intellectually, morally, and spiritually. It is a way for us to fine-tune what we lack, and also to acknowledge change where it has taken place. Is it not when we endure trials with an unruffled temper, without fretting or mumbling, that we can truly say that we are patient? Is it not when we are in a position to forgive a wrong that we see where we stand with grace?

Dear reader, Christ asks us to be prepared for His second coming by putting on the robe of righteousness. Our attendance at the marriage feast depends on this. I want to be there and I know that hearts that belong to God long to be there also. Take upon yourselves the work necessary to be presentable to Him, and do so with the knowledge that, though the work is daunting, the Holy Spirit will shed light unto your path and strengthen you in your efforts.

  1. Jacob Helffenstein, Self-Deception: Its Nature, Evils, and Remedy, Published by Albert Sims, Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada, 1887.
  2. Isaac Watts, Joseph Emerson, The Improvement of the Mind, Boston, Hickling, Swan & Brewer, Cleveland: Ingham & Bragg, 1858.

Let not soft slumber close your eyes

Before you’ve recollected thrice

The train of actions thro’ the day.

Where have my feet chose out the way?

What have I learned where’er I’ve been,

From all I’ve heard, from all I’ve seen?

What know I more, that’s worth the knowing?

What have I done that’s worth the doing?

What have I sought that I should shun?

What duty have I left undone,

Or into what new follies run?

These self-inquiries are the road

That leads to virtue and to God.