The New Testament teaches clearly and emphatically that the sin of the believer is judged rigorously. If the believer continues to practice sin he may experience physical and spiritual weakness, sickness, premature death, and even spiritual death, according to the New Testament.

To "examine" ourselves is to judge our own conduct regarding righteousness and unrighteousness.

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. (I Corinthians 11:29)

Some of the Corinthian believers were not regarding the elements of the Communion service with the proper reverence. The rich were becoming drunk and the poor went hungry. The believers did not realize that the very elements of which they were partaking are to be regarded as the Body of Christ. Their attitude was reprehensible.

Did God ignore their conduct and impute (ascribe) the holiness of Christ to them, or did He judge their conduct to be worthy of "lashes"?

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. (I Corinthians 11:30)

God revealed His displeasure with their behavior by sending weakness and sickness upon them. Some died prematurely because God judged that their actions warranted their removal from the earth.

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (I Corinthians 11:31)

God commands us to judge ourselves. We are to examine our behavior, resisting that which is sinful and praying for strength to walk in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God. We can see at a glance that the concept that God does not see our behavior but only the righteousness of Christ is incorrect—terribly incorrect! Fatally incorrect!

But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:32)

If we refuse to correct our conduct, God will judge us in order to save us from being under the same condemnation as the world.

While there are numerous statements in the New Testament (the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation and the Books of First John and Jude, for example, plus many exhortations of Paul) that demonstrate beyond all doubt that God indeed judges the sins of His people, the passage from First Corinthians (above) seems sufficient for the student who is willing to flee from the prevailing Christian error concerning Divine grace.

What, then, should be our attitude toward the sins we are committing? We are commanded to confess our sins, turning away from them with the Lord's help. When we confess our sins with the purpose of turning away from them, God is faithful and righteous to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We wash the robes of our conduct and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. We are to do this every day because we are living in a morally filthy environment.

We Christians do sin, and we are not to evade this fact by stating that God does not see our behavior. God sees every action we take. He hears every word we speak. He knows every thought we think. God's plan of redemption through Christ is able to transform every one of our actions, our words, and our thoughts, until they are acceptable to Him. This moral transformation is the Divine salvation, the Divine redemption.

To be continued.