Examination: Truth-Telling Before God
This Sunday (1/25/26), we are going to take an extended time in worship to participate in a worshipful process of examination. The goal of this time is not to give ourselves a “spiritual grade” or to “beat ourselves up.” The goal is to intentionally put ourselves before God and ask his Spirit to help us learn how we are to grow through a series of prompts and outcome statements. It is also to allow the Spirit of God to encourage us in how God has grown us more into the image of his Son. So, please make sure to join us in person or online this Sunday during our regular worship times (9 and 10:45 am).
So, what is the value of examination?
Introspection, examination, and self-reflection are all profoundly valuable assets in anyone’s interpersonal skills toolbox. That is, the ability and willingness to have an honest inward look with the intention of awareness and growth is a gift for any person and everyone connected to them. Yet, if we’re being honest, it is one of the most difficult things to do, isn’t it? I’m sure that you are a lot like me. I not only like to give myself the benefit of the doubt, but I am also really good at writing stories that make me the hero or at least minimize my share of the blame. We all do it, and so I write this with an immense amount of sympathy for you and me. Yet, I also have to acknowledge the immense importance of developing the skill of personal examination. And, it isn’t something that is only important for our relationships and careers. It is crucially important in our spiritual lives.
Thinker and theologian John Mark Comer helps us to understand the importance of examination as truth-telling about ourselves before God, particularly in how it helps us resist the devil’s primary strategy of deception. In Live No Lies, he argues that the core struggle of the Christian life is not merely moral failure but deception—the quiet acceptance of false narratives about God, ourselves, and the good life. As Comer writes, “The devil’s primary strategy is deception.”[1] For this reason, examination is not optional for discipleship; it is the means by which lies are exposed and replaced with truth in the presence of God.
Interestingly, he insists that many believers unknowingly live from unchallenged assumptions shaped more by culture than by Christ. Sounds a bit like the Corinthian problem, doesn’t it? They were becoming more like Corinth than Christ. The simple truth is that we don’t have to believe everything that we think. Without reflection, thoughts masquerade as truth, emotions become authoritative, and cultural values go unquestioned. Examination interrupts this process by inviting believers to name what they are actually believing—and to bring those beliefs under the light of God’s Spirit and the authority of God’s Word.
Crucially, for Christians, examination is rooted in grace rather than shame. Comer rejects the idea that honest self-assessment leads to condemnation. Instead, he argues that freedom begins when believers stop hiding from God and themselves. Living in Iowa, we understand the value of good soil. So, I love the image that is so relevant to us when Comer writes, “The soul grows best in the soil of honesty and vulnerability.”[2] Examination, then, is not self-accusation but courageous truth-telling before a loving God who already knows the heart.
Ultimately, examination functions as a relational practice. It is not merely a reflection on the self but attentiveness to God’s presence and desire to grow the believer. By slowing down, listening, and honestly naming inner realities, believers cooperate with the Spirit’s work of renewal. Examination is the gateway through which disciples move from living under lies to living in truth—and from spiritual stagnation to genuine freedom in Christ.
[1] John Mark Comer, Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook, 2021)
[2] John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook, 2019)