Examine Yourselves: Are We Truly Remaining in the Faith?

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the Faith; prove your own selves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Many things occupy the mind of modern man. We examine the actions of politicians, the mistakes of our neighbors, the failures of our clergy(ooooo!), and the faults of our family members. Yet the Apostle Paul directs our gaze elsewhere. He does not say, “Examine your brother,” or “Test your neighbor.” He says, “Examine yourselves.”
This command is both simple and terrifying. It requires honesty. It demands humility. It calls us to stand before the mirror of the Gospel and ask difficult questions. Do I truly believe as an Orthodox Christian should believe? Do I struggle against my passions? Is my prayer sincere, or merely habitual? Do I love God more than my own opinions? Have I mistaken external religion for genuine repentance??
The Holy Fathers teach that self-knowledge is the beginning of salvation. A man who knows his own sins has already begun to walk the path of repentance. A man who sees only the sins of others remains blind to the disease of his own soul.
The Apostle’s words are therefore not intended to produce despair but awakening. They are an invitation to repentance, renewal, and a deeper union with Christ.
Yet there is another aspect to the Apostle’s command that deserves our attention. He does not simply tell us to examine whether we believe in God. He tells us to examine whether we are “in the Faith.”
This is an important distinction. A person may be a baptized member of the Church, attend the Divine Services regularly, and yet gradually absorb ideas that are foreign to Orthodox Christianity.
In former generations, Orthodox Christians learned their faith primarily through the Holy Scriptures, the Divine Services, their spiritual fathers, and the writings of the Holy Fathers. Today, many receive their theological formation from websites, videos, podcasts, social media, and self-appointed teachers.
Technology itself is not evil. It can be used to spread the Gospel and make spiritual resources available to people who might otherwise never encounter them. Yet it also presents dangers. The internet rewards novelty, excitement, controversy, and sensationalism. The Orthodox Faith, however, is not built upon novelty but upon Holy Tradition.
Many Orthodox Christians find themselves reading about alleged saints who have never been recognized by the Church, private revelations that have never been tested, apocalyptic theories, political ideologies disguised as theology, and various teachings that may sound Orthodox but are actually foreign to the mind of the Church.
Without realizing it, a person can begin to spend more time consuming religious content than actually living the spiritual life. Curiosity gradually replaces prayer. Speculation replaces repentance. Information replaces transformation.
To remain “in the Faith” requires more than identifying oneself as Orthodox. It requires fidelity to the Faith once delivered to the Saints. It requires measuring every teaching, every opinion, and every new claim against the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Fathers, and the living Tradition of the Church.
Each of us should therefore ask ourselves: Is my understanding of Orthodoxy being formed by the Church or by the internet? Do I spend more time reading online speculation than reading the Gospel? Am I seeking spiritual novelty, or am I seeking Christ?
The Faith does not change with every generation. New technologies appear, new controversies arise, and new voices compete for our attention, but the Orthodox Faith remains the same. The truth preached by the Apostles, defended by the Holy Fathers, and preserved by the Church is the same truth that saves souls today.
If we are to obey the Apostle’s command, we must examine not only our actions but also our beliefs. We must ask not only whether we are members of the Church, but whether our minds and hearts remain rooted in the Faith of the Church.
May God grant us the humility to examine ourselves honestly, the discernment to reject false teachings, and the perseverance to remain steadfast in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith until the end of our lives.