The Examined Life
In The Apology, Plato records Socrates’ defense to the
charge of corrupting the young men of Athens. In considering possible penalties,
Socrates dismisses the suggestion that he just leave, and go somewhere else, and
“mind his own business,” He retorts:
This is the hardest thing of all to make some
of you understand. If I say that this would be disobedience to God, and that is
why I cannot “mind my own business,” you will not believe that I am serious. If
on the other hand I tell you that to let no day pass without discussing goodness
and all the other subjects about which you hear me talking and examining both
myself and others is really the very best thing that a man can do, and that life
without this sort of examination is not worth living, you will be even less
inclined to believe me.[1]
We’ve made a proverb of Socrates’ statement, “the unexamined life is not
worth living.” Here he tells us what that means—it means daily discussing
virtue, and examining one’s own life and our life in society in light of virtue.
To do otherwise—to “mind one’s own business”—is to disobey God.
Compare this idea of Socrates’ with Paul’s counsel to the Corinthians. First,
from 2 Corinthians 13:5-9 (ESV):
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in
the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that
Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will
find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not
do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what
is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against
the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are
strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.
Paul has done plenty of examination of them already, in person and in
writing. He gives this counsel in anticipation of a future visit, suggesting
that they not be anxious about an examination by him, as if he were simply
trying to put them to shame. Rather, they should be examining themselves—not as
a point of pride, not as a way to compare themselves with others—but simply to
ensure that they are doing right, and maintaining the faith of Jesus Christ. The
goal is their restoration.
Paul had offered similar counsel in his prior letter, when discussing
preparation for the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians11:27-32 (ESV):
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks
the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and
blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread
and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body
eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill,
and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.
But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be
condemned along with the world.
This has been the source of much neurotic behavior by Christians. It’s one of
the reasons some denominations celebrate the Lord’s Supper infrequently—how
could you do it weekly and still take seriously this exhortation, some suggest.
But Paul isn’t counseling a morbid, neurotic self-obsession. That’s the furthest
thing from his mind, as is clear from the context. He is criticizing
celebrations in which the rich bring a feast to potluck and don’t share, gorging
themselves while the poor starve. To “discern the body of Christ,” in context,
is not merely to understand the bread to be that body, but it is to see that
those assembled, rich and poor alike, are members of his body, and to be treated
with dignity and compassion.
And he gives us a couple of alternatives. If we judge ourselves—and correct
our action based on what we find—we won’t have to fear God’s judgment. But even
those judgments are to be seen as parental discipline, seeking to save us from
condemnation.
Paul is applying a principle that we find in Jesus’ own teachings. In the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had said,
Why do you see the speck that is in your
brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you
say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the
log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and
then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Matt
7:3-5, ESV.)
And again:
So if you are offering your gift at the altar
and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift
there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then
come and offer your gift. (Matt 5:23-24, ESV.)
We find it easy to examine others. The Corinthians did plenty of that—and
they found others falling short of their expectations. Paul follows Jesus in
urging them to look first at themselves.
We look to worship as a time away from the stress of the week, as a special
time with the Lord. The Corinthians did, too—and they wanted others to see how
special it was. Paul follows Jesus in connecting that special time with God to
our relations with others. Don’t offer a sacrifice if something is unresolved
with a brother. Don’t sit down to eat and drink the Lord’s Supper if anything
divides you from those with whom you share the loaf and cup.
This, then, is what the “examined life” looks like for a Christian. It is to
reflect on our relationships with God and others, to see if we are living the
life we profess. It is to look at relationships within the church (and the
world), to see if they are marked by love and justice. It is to look first at
ourselves, to see if we are living lives of integrity.
Ellen White saw it as the consequence of “fear of the Lord.”
“The fear of the Lord is clean.” It uproots
evil from the soul, and leads to holy watchfulness and diligence. The
commandments of the Lord are exceeding broad; their principles extends to our
words, our actions, and our most secret thoughts, and we should examine our
lives in the light of the divine law. {BEcho June 1, 1887, par. 3.}
Should such self-examination take place only once a quarter, when we prepare
for the Lord’s Supper? Ellen White suggested a daily self-examination for
teachers.
Examineyourselves just as closely as you
please. When night comes, talk of where you have failed through the day, and
repent that you have given an example to the youth that you would not wish them
to follow. {GCB April 25, 1901.}
Consider making such self-examination a daily practice in your own spiritual
life. It doesn’t need to be long, simply a review of the major events of the
day. Call to mind the Ten Commandments, or the “Two Great Commandments.” Recall
some of Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. Ask the Lord in prayer,
“Show me where I have hurt others or you.” And, so that it doesn’t become morbid
or narcissistic, ask, “Show me, too, where your grace was present. Remind me of
the kindnesses I and others showed.”
Finally, lest this examination end in despair, conclude with simple, honest,
confession, claiming the promise of Scripture:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1
John 1:8-9, ESV.)
_____________
[1]
http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/dbanach/apology.htm
Originally published at
Spectrum. |
