Reflections on 1 Corinthians 11:31
“But if we properly saw ourselves, we would not bring down upon us this judgment.” (1 Corinthians 11:31, Williams)
“If we would admit the reality of our own terminal condition and accept God’s Remedy, we would not be subjected to diagnostic scrutiny.” (The Remedy)
Several translations read this verse as a warning: examine yourself, or you will be judged and punished. That is the wrong lens, the lens of imposed law, as if God were a judge standing by, waiting for us to fail so He can lay consequences and punishments on us. The truth is, we are doing it to ourselves. God is not punishing us; He allows us the outcome of our choices, and He is working to heal us. The question Paul puts to us is whether we will see ourselves honestly before those outcomes do the showing for us.
Know Thyself
Be open and honest with your own heart. This is one of the most difficult undertakings for a sinful human. We create so many justifications for our poor choices, excusing ourselves when no excuse will help. The damage is done. The fact that we would do such an act or make such a poor choice speaks volumes about the condition of our heart and mind. The choice was made in the heart long before the body performed the action.
Admit it. Own your faults. This is part one of the healing program for your heart and mind. Stop making excuses and take yourself, all the choices that have made you who you are today, to the Lord for His healing Remedy in your life.
A Rope of Sand
That is part two, and it is the part we cannot do ourselves. You cannot fix this brokenness in yourself; this is what the Lord is longing to do for you: to create a clean heart in you and restore a right spirit. This is the healing we need. Not merely to stop doing the hurtful things that are destroying us, but to stop wanting to do them. Our will without the heart change is as weak as a rope of sand. The slightest test and it crumbles.
The healing that comes brings knowledge, and knowledge is power. It shows us what our choices are actually doing to our hearts, our minds, and our physical bodies. Poor habits and the unrefined life are not things we can carry with us as we grow up into the image of Christ.
They Had Been With Jesus
We are becoming more. The very air of our presence becomes smooth and fragrant with loving care and the courtesies we show to everyone without thinking. It is who we are. A current of sweetness flows from deep within us outward to bless each one we deal with in our day.
This refinement of character will not happen without the inworking of the life of Christ in us. After Christ returned to heaven, people recognized His disciples because they could see in their lives that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Being with Jesus is not just reading about Him; it is knowing Him. We can know Him like this even today. Where before we were self-protecting, with eyes only for our own interest, the life of Christ in us is creating a new, healed, refined personality.
The knowledge that comes from above lifts us above the common concerns of everyday life. We know we can leave those matters with our loving Father, and we are free to focus on the care and support of those the Lord has entrusted to our keeping. This is where knowledge is power: understanding the damage our choices do to our very self keeps us from falling back into the old, worthless habits we once used to protect ourselves or to feel good about ourselves at the expense of others.
So look honestly at yourself this morning, not to condemn, but to be healed. Wrap your heart and mind around the truth of who you are and what you can become as Christ’s healing Love fills your life.
