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Examine yourself before
Passover!
(Part 1)
By Frank Borg
God’s Word tells us to
“Study to show yourself
approved unto God” (2
Tim 2:15). This
scripture emphatically
tells us that we are to
study if we are
to be acceptable before
God. The question is:
what exactly is
this section of
scripture admonishing us
to study?
The word “study” is a
translation from the
Greek word “Spoudazo”.
Strong’s Concordance
defines this word as,
‘to use speed,
that is, to make
effort, be prompt
or earnest, do
diligence, be
diligent, endeavor,
labor, study’.
Whatever it is that we
are to study, we are
encouraged to do it
diligently and with a
sense of urgency.
Back to the scripture:
What is it that we are
to study if we are to
show ourselves approved
unto God? The study of
our bible will certainly
help us. However,
studying the bible of
and by itself, will not
make us ‘approved unto
God’! Essentially, we
can study all we like
but without applying
what we learn, our study
is largely in vain. To
get a clearer
understanding of what
the first part of 2
Timothy 2:15 is
admonishing us to study,
we could take a look at
other Bible
translations. The
Amplified Bible for this
scripture gives this
rendition: “Study and
be eager and do your
utmost to present
yourself to God
approved, tested by
trial…”. This
translation includes
more of the literal
meaning of the Greek
word ‘spoudazo’, thus
giving us a clearer
interpretation. We must
certainly study God’s
Word to know what to
apply, and how we can
apply it, to be able to
take on His character.
We must study Christ and
His character so that we
know what to emulate,
and know how we have to
become. However, there
is more to 2 Timothy
2:15 which we need to
understand and which we
might not notice at
first glance.
Interestingly, many
foreign language Bible
translations state the
following for 2 Timothy
2:15: “Study yourself
to present yourself
before God as a man
approved!” There it is!
This is possibly the
most concise and
true translation of this
section of scripture!
Read that translation
again! It tells us that
we are to also study
ourselves! We must
do this to see how we
measure up to Christ and
the character of God!
This is all about ‘self
examination’! It is by
taking a close
look at ourselves,
seeing how we measure up
to the character of
Christ, acknowledging
our error, and doing the
right that will prepare
us and make us “approved
unto God”!
The Bible admonishes us
to ‘examine’ ourselves
before Passover (1 Cor.
11:28). This
‘self-examination’
includes testing,
discerning, proving and
trying ourselves.
“Spoudazo” (study: 2
Tim. 2:15) tells us that
this is to be a
laborious
examination and
therefore indicates that
it is to be detailed.
Importantly, the
attitude and manner in
which we examine
ourselves reveals
something about us to
God: it shows how badly
we want to be ruled by
Him, and how deeply we
desire to become like
Him! It also reveals the
depth of our conversion.
God emphasizes that we
are to examine
ourselves, repent and
overcome (Rom 12:21). We
are to exercise the mind
of Christ and let His
mind be in us (Phil
2:5)! How can we do this
effectively if we
continue in sin? If we
compromise with the
tiniest of sins, we run
the risk of it growing
and getting out of
control making it much
more difficult to
overcome. (Always
remember the mustard
seed parallel – it is
the tiniest of seeds but
grows into a six
to twelve foot tree! The
same is true with sin –
it starts out small and
often grows). If we are
serious about repentance
and overcoming, we must
cut sin down and root it
out of our lives.
In the run-up to
Passover, we must take
the time to search every
crevice of our being,
“bringing into the
captivity every
thought to the
obedience of Christ” (2
Cor 10:5). No matter how
well we know our bibles,
or how long we may have
been in the Church, we
are all still sinners (1
John 1:10). We are all
carnal and subject to
human nature which is
hostile toward God and
His ways: “Because the
carnal mind is enmity
against God: for it is
not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed
can be” (Rom. 8:7). We
need to be especially
careful at this time -
Satan knows he has but a
short time (Rev 12:12)
and will do everything
in his power to try and
make us overlook sin. We
must also beware of
becoming complacent with
sin!
Sin can hide itself in
many places in our
lives, therefore,
detailed
self-examination is
important otherwise we
risk partaking of the
Passover in an unworthy
manner: “For he that
eats and drinks
unworthily, eats and
drinks damnation to
himself, not discerning
the Lord’s body”.
Following are a number
of areas with related
scriptures designed to
help with our self
examination. This should
help us with some of
what we should be
looking at as we
endeavor to prayerfully
and carefully examine
ourselves before
Passover:
·
How important is
“self-examination” to
me?
1 Cor. 11:28-29
“Let a man examine
himself…for he that eats
and drinks unworthily,
eats and drinks
damnation to himself”
2 Cor. 13:5
“Examine yourselves,
whether ye be in the
faith; prove your own
selves. Know ye not your
own selves, how that
Jesus Christ is in you,
except ye be reprobates?
Gal 6:4
“Let every man prove his
own work…”
Lam 3:40
“Let us search and try
our ways, and turn again
to the Lord”.
·
Do I ask God to help me
examine myself?
Psalm 26:2
Examine me, O Lord, and
prove me; try my reins
and my heart”.
Psalm 139: 23
“Search me, O God, and
know my heart: try me,
and know my thoughts”.
·
How badly do I want
God’s Word to rule me?
Heb 4:12
“For the Word of God…is
a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of
the heart”
Col 3:15
“Let the peace of God
rule in your hearts…”
Psalm 119:165
“Great peace have they
which love thy law…”
Rom 7:22
“I delight in the law of
God…”
·
Do I see my own carnal
nature?
Rom 7:14
“…the law is spiritual:
but I am carnal, sold
under sin”
Rom 7:18
“For I know that in me
dwelleth no good thing…”
Rom 7:21
“I find then a law,
that, when I would do
good, evil is present
within me”
Rom 7:23
“But I see another law
in my members, warring
against the law of my
mind, and bringing me
into captivity to the
law of sin which is in
my members”
Matt 19:17
“And he said unto him,
Why callest thou me
good? There is none good
but one, that is, God:
but if thou wilt enter
into life, keep the
commandments”
·
Am I striving to repent
and overcome?
Acts 3:19
“Repent…and be
converted, that your
sins may be blotted
out…”
Acts 26:20
“…turn to God, and do
works meet for
repentance”
Rom 12:21
“…overcome evil with
good”
2 Cor. 7:10
“Godly sorrow worketh
repentance”
Heb 12:1
“…let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin
which doth so easily
beset us…”
Matt 5:29
“If thy right eye offend
thee, pluck it out, and
cast it from thee: for
it is profitable for
thee that one of thy
members should perish,
and not that thy whole
body should be cast into
hell”
Rom 6:1-2
“Shall we continue in
sin…? God forbid!” (Rom
6:1-2).
Rom 7:24
“O wretched man that I
am! Who shall deliver me
from the body of this
death?”
·
Do I put my faith and
trust in God or do I
rely on my heart?
Jer 17:9
“The heart is deceitful
above all things, and
desperately wicked: who
can know it?
Prov 28:26
“He that trusteth in his
own heart is a fool: but
whoso walketh wisely, he
shall be delivered”.
·
Am I solid in the faith?
2 Cor. 13:5
“Examine yourselves,
whether ye be in the
faith; prove your own
selves”
1 John 2:29
“If ye know that he is
righteous, ye know that
every one that doeth
righteousness is born of
him”
John 14:23
“If a man love me, he
will keep my words: and
my Father will love him,
and we will come unto
him, and make our abode
with him”
1 John 5:4
“For whatsoever is born
of God overcometh the
world: and this is the
victory that overcometh
the world, even our
faith”
Gal 2:16
“Knowing that a man is
not justified by the
works of the law, but bu
the faith of Jesus
Christ, even we have
believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be
justified by the faith
of Christ, and not by
the works of the law:
for by the works of the
law shall no flesh be
justified”
·
Is my attitude right
with God?
Isa 50:10
“Who is among you that
feareth the Lord, that
obeyeth the voice of his
servant, that walketh in
darkness, and hath no
light? Let him trust in
the name of the Lord,
and stay upon his God”
Psalm 111:10
“The fear of the Lord,
is the beginning of
wisdom”
Luke 5:8
When Simon Peter saw it,
he fell down at Jesus’
knees, saying, Depart
from me; for I am a
sinful man, O lord”
Prov 23:7
“For as he thinketh in
his heart, so is he: Eat
and drink, saith he to
thee; but his heart is
not with thee”
Mark 12:30
“And thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all
thy strength: this is
the first commandment”
·
Is my attitude one of
wanting to do the right
thing?
2 Tim 4:2
“…be instant in season,
out of season; reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and
doctrine”
Gal 5:22
“But the fruit of the
spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness,
temperance…”
·
Is my attitude right
with my brethren?
Gal 6:1
“If a man be overtaken
in a fault, ye which are
spiritual, restore such
an one in the spirit of
meekness; considering
thyself, lest thou also
be tempted”
John 13:34
“A new commandment I
give unto you, that ye
love one another; as I
have loved you, that ye
also love one another”
Rom 12:10
“Be kindly affectioned
one to another with
brotherly love; in
honour preferring one
another”
Col 3:16
“Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly in
all wisdom; teaching and
admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your
hearts to the Lord”
1 Cor 6:8
“Instead, you yourselves
cheat and do wrong, and
you do this to your
brothers”
·
What is my attitude
toward authority?
Heb 13:17
“Obey then that have the
rule over you, and
submit yourselves: for
they watch for your
souls, as they that must
give account, that they
may do it with joy, and
not with grief: for that
is unprofitable for you”
1 Peter 2:13-15
“Submit yourselves to
every ordinance of man
for the Lord’s sake:
whether it be to the
king, as supreme; of
unto governors as unto
them that are sent by
him for the punishment
of evildoers, and for
the praise of them that
do well. For so is the
will of God, that with
well doing ye may put to
silence the ignorance of
foolish men”
·
What is my attitude
toward disappointment?
Ps 62:5
“My sould, wait thou
only upon God; for my
expectation is from Him”
Job 13:15
“Though he slay me, yet
will I trust in Him: but
I will maintain mine own
ways before him”
Rom 8:28
“And we know that all
things work together for
good to them that love
God, to them who are the
called according to his
purpose”
·
What is my attitude
toward success?
Prov 16:18
“Pride goeth before
destruction, and an
haughty spirit before a
fall”
Jam 4:6, 10
“…God resisteth the
proud, but giveth grace
unto the humble…humble
yourselves in the sight
of the Lord, and he
shall lift you up”
·
Do I study and meditate
on God’s Word so that I
can better apply it in
my life?
Jos 1:8
“This book of the law
shall not depart out of
my mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest
observe to do according
to all that is written
therein…”
Ps 119:11
“Thy word have I hid in
mine heart, that I might
not sin against thee”
2 Tim 2:15
“…a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the
word of truth”
·
Am I allowing my light
to shine through a
positive example?
Matt 5:13
“Ye are the salt of the
earth: but if the salt
have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it be
salted? It is therefore
good for nothing, but to
be cast out, and to be
trodden under foot of
men”
Matt 5:14-16
“Ye are the light of the
world. A city that is
set on a hill cannot be
hid…Let your light so
shine before men, that
they may see your good
works, and glorify your
Father which is in
heaven”
Luk 8:16
“No man, when he hath
lighted a candle,
covereth it with a
vessel, or putteth it
under a bed; but setteth
it on a candlestick,
that they which enter in
may see the light”
·
Do I ask God to correct
me?
Jer 10:24
“O Lord, correct me, but
with judgment; not in
thine anger, lest thou
bring me to nothing”.
(To be continued)
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