Why We Need to Examine Our Sin
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psa 139:23-24
In a culture that encourages self-expression and self-esteem, the idea of examining our sin can seem uncomfortable, even offensive. But Scripture tells us that honest self-examination is essential for a healthy and fruitful walk with Christ.
The first and most important reason to examine your sin is to understand your need for salvation from it. Without recognizing your own sin, and the eternal consequences of it, your won’t see your need to trust in Christ’s death and resurrection to pay for it and give you life! (1Co 15:1-4)
Even after our soul is saved by God’s grace, there is still a continual need to examine our sin. Paul tells believers in Corinth, “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?” (2 Cor 13:5).
This doesn’t mean that if you don’t live a certain way, you’re not a Christian or that your salvation is in jeopardy (we’re saved by grace through faith without works after all). It’s a reminder to align ourselves with who we already are in Christ. It’s an admonition to spiritual awareness.
It’s very easy to drift into habits, attitudes, or thought patterns that feel normal, even spiritual, yet are driven by pride, selfishness, or unbelief. When we fail to examine ourselves in light of God’s truth, we become vulnerable to deception, apathy, and spiritual stagnation. We must realize that sin can harden our hearts, blind us to God’s truth, and lead us away from the freedom Christ has given us.
Even though we fall so desperately short every single day, there is good news. God doesn’t ask us to examine ourselves so we can fix everything on our own; He calls us to see ourselves clearly so we can rely fully on His grace. As we honestly assess our hearts, we see how utterly sinful and wicked we are, and we subsequently learn to depend on the finished work of Christ and walk in the new identity we’ve been given in Him (Rom 6:11, Gal 2:20). His infinite love found in the gospel constrains and transforms us to walk according to who we already are (Rom 5:8, 12:1-2).
Examining our sin also protects the integrity of our testimony and our service to others. A clean conscience, a soft heart, and a renewed mind make us better ministers of truth and more effective stewards of the gospel (1Ti 1:5, Titus 2:6-8).
So ask yourself: Am I walking in the Spirit or excusing the flesh? Am I growing in love, humility, and grace, or coasting in comfort? Don’t be afraid of what you find. The light of Christ doesn’t just expose sin, it kills it, and His grace is sufficient for every failure (Eph 5, Rom 6, 2Co 12:9-10).
Take time this week to search your heart in the Word and in prayer, understand your own insufficiency, and rejoice in the forgiveness and newness of life found in Christ alone.
