The Self-correcting Soul

If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

1 Corinthians 11:31

The unexamined life is not worth living, Socrates famously said. Well, in a sense, the Lord agrees. First Corinthians 11:28 says, “Let a man examine himself”; the reason is in verse 31: “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.”

The context of this passage has to do with treating the Lord’s Supper with carelessness. Because of their flippant observance of Communion, some of the Corinthians were experiencing sickness and even death as a form of divine discipline (verse 30). The apostle Paul was telling them to look into their own hearts, to recognize their sin, and to confess it and turn from it.

It’s always better for us to correct our own behavior before someone else does it for us, or before the Lord steps in with loving discipline. Honest, prayerful self-evaluation is the habit of maturing people.

Where to begin? Ask yourself, Is there anything nagging at my conscience? And if so, sincerely offer the psalmist’s prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

The healthy soul is both self-controlled and self-correcting.

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