Bible Strands
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you fail the test?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian believers at the conclusion of his letter, following his explanation of Christ’s crucifixion in weakness and resurrection by divine power. He writes this to prepare them for his upcoming visit and to establish the basis for evaluating spiritual reality.
The words — The text commands πειράζετε (peirazete), literally “do examine” or “test yourselves,” and locates the object of this examination ἐν πίστει (en pistei), meaning “in the faith.” This phrasing frames spiritual standing as a verifiable condition rather than a passive assumption.
The thread — This directive to self-test runs parallel to the call to examine one’s ways in Lamentations 3:40, the pre-communion self-examination in 1 Corinthians 11:28, and the plea for divine search in Psalms 139:23. Each passage treats spiritual integrity as something that must be actively verified.
Why it lands — The verse demands that readers actively verify their faith through self-examination, using the presence of Christ within them as the objective proof. It leaves no room for untested presumption, requiring a clear acknowledgment of whether one passes or fails the test.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
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?
Cross-references
- Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD.
- 1 Corinthians 11:28 Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
- Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.
- 1 Corinthians 9:27 No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
- Revelation 2:5 Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
- 1 Corinthians 11:31 Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.
- Galatians 6:4 Each one should test his own work. Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in someone else.
- Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.
- Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
- John 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.