Self-examination is a habit that followers of the Lord Jesus Christ should be doing on a daily basis. Although the blood of Christ has already washed us clean, the process of sanctification and growth into Christ-likeness takes a lifelong journey. We do it step-by-step, one day at a time. Self-examination is a crucial part of it.
Self-examination
Psalm 4:4 tells us that we should "ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent." We should all learn to ask ourselves if we did something that is not pleasing to God when we go to bed at night. If there's something wrong and sinful, then we must repent, and turn away from it.
Christ's death and resurrection is a one-time thing, but growing into the character of Christ is something that we should commit to for the rest of our lives.
A lifelong chipping process
Before we met Christ, we've all lived with worldly, fleshly mindsets that need to be completely overhauled and replaced with Christ's. After meeting Christ, we still face the challenge of not accepting everything we hear and see, filtering it through the truth of the Word of God.
We also face the daily challenge of living in a fallen world, complete with all sinfulness trying to make its way back into our systems, while we do our best in the grace of God to live a life pleasing to Him. Friends, these things make self-examination important for us.
1 John 1:9 tells us that, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." God will only forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness when we confess them to Him. We can only confess them when we realise our sins. We realise them after examining ourselves.
Friends, this is a lifelong chipping process. Just like how wood sculptors keep checking for wrong measurements in their works of art, we should keep checking for un-Christ-like thought patterns, behaviors and beliefs in ourselves. If we see any according to the standards of God's Word, we chisel them off by the grace and truth of God.
Our goal is Christ-likeness
Friends, our goal why we examine ourselves is not to prove that we're righteous or good. No, it's not self-perfection. Rather, it's Christ-likeness: being moulded into the character of Him who died for us to be children of God.
"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)
