Bits of Torah Truths – #Torah Concept in the NT: Test Yourself – Episode 663
2 Corinthians 13:5
נַסּוּ אֶת עַצְמְכֶם אִם עוֹמְדִים אַתֶּם בָּאֱמוּנָה, בַּחֲנוּ אֶת עַצְמְכֶם; אוֹ שֶׁמָּא אַתֶּם עַצְמְכֶם אֵינְכֶם מַבְחִינִים שֶׁהָאָדוֹן יֵשׁוּעַ בְּקִרְבְּכֶם? –– אִם אָמְנָם לֹא נִכְשַׁלְתֶּם אַתֶּם בַּמִּבְחָן.
#torah #torahwisdom #torahtruth #torahforlife #torah4you #torahtruth
2 Corinthians 13:5
13:5 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? (NASB)
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In 2 Corinthians 13:5 we read: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” The concept is self-examination, testing whether one’s life aligns with covenantal faith. While the Torah doesn’t use that exact phrase, it does contain strong parallels in the form of covenantal self-testing, reflection, and proving loyalty to God.
– Torah Parallels to “Test Yourself” –
- Examine Your Heart and Motives Deuteronomy 8:2 “The LORD your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” Israel undergoes testing, but the implication is that they must also recognize what is in their own hearts.
- Circumcision of the Heart Deuteronomy 10:16 “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no longer stubborn.” A call to inner self-examination and transformation, not just outward ritual.
- Choose Life Deuteronomy 30:19 “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life…” This requires self-testing: Am I walking in the way of life or drifting toward death?
- Self-Examination in Worship Leviticus 26:40-42 Israel is told to “confess their iniquity” and examine themselves so that God may restore them. This is covenantal self-testing through repentance. Moses’ Charge Numbers 16:5 Moses says to Korah and his followers: “In the morning the LORD will show who is His, and who is holy.” Though framed as God’s test, it implicitly challenges them to examine themselves before confronting God.
Note how the NT provides a condensed synthesis of the Torah:
- Deut. 8:2 → God tests to reveal what’s in the heart.
- Deut. 10:16 → Inner circumcision (self-examination).
- Deut. 30:19 → Choosing life requires reflection.
- Lev. 26:40 → Confession as self-testing.
Paul’s exhortation in 2 Cor. 13:5 to “test yourselves” is not foreign to Torah thought. The Torah provides the covenantal framework of self-examination that Paul later applies to the Corinthian believers. This is how Paul taught Torah in the NT, the Torah has not passed away!
