2 CORINTHIANS

In This Section:

2 CORINTHIANS 13:5-6

"5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test ["are disqualified," NKJV]? 6 But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test ["are not disqualified" NKJV]. (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)

According to the typical NEST (Not Eternally Saved Theory) interpretation of this passage, people who are truly spiritually saved, need to relentlessly test themselves. Subsequently, as saved people are going along continuing to test themselves, they may fail, and so in failing, they lose their eternal spiritual salvation. This passage actually means nothing of the sort. (Some of the clarification of this passage's actual meaning can be found in the section of this chapter that deals with 1 Corinthians 9:27. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul's concern is about being qualified, or disqualified by the Corinthians in respect to his apostleship).

As a primary consideration concerning 2 Corinthians 13:5, we must recognize that the question Paul asks in this passage is the most important question we can ask ourselve:

"5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)

Paul is urging people to examine themselves to see if they are really in "the faith." Most often, in the Bible, "the faith" is a Euphemism for Christian doctrine, as we find the term used all throughout 1 Timothy. "The faith" can also be a reference to the whole realm of Christian practice in general. To a lesser degree, there are some times the term can be used as a reference to Christianity. In the context here, Paul identifies what he means by the self administered test of being "in the faith." Here it has to do with recognizing whether "Jesus Christ is in you." Only people who are once saved in eternal spiritual salvation can rightly answer yes to this examination question of Jesus Christ being "in you." Christ in you, is the concern of this passage. In Colossians 1:27, dealing with the same theme of the body of Christ, Paul speaks of,

"... Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)

The only hope of glory for any person, is that Christ the eternal redeemer, is "in" the person. Christ is in saved people through faith. Christ is in saved people spiritually, judicially, positionally, and redemptively as the miracle of their salvation. Christ is in saved people as the Eternal Life, which means He is in saved people as their eternal life source. If indeed Christ is in someone as their hope of glory according to Colossians 1:27, then they are saved, and so they pass the test that Paul states in the passage under dispute. Clearly then, this is not a "lose your salvation" passage. This is an "are you saved in the first place?" passage from a letter addressed to the church at Corinth, where just like any group claiming to be Christians, there may be some fakes among the real Christians who need to hear this instruction and act upon it.