SEV Biblia, Chapter 13:5
Examinaos a vosotros mismos si estis en la fe; probaos a vosotros mismos. ¿No os conocis a vosotros mismos, si Jess, el Cristo, est en vosotros? Si ya no sois reprobados.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Corinthians 13:5
Verse 5. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith] eautouv peirazete? Try yourselves; pierce your hearts; bore yourselves throughout; try yourselves by what I have written, and see whether ye retain the true faith of the Gospel. Prove your own selves.] eautouv dokimazete? Put yourselves to the test, as you would try gold or silver suspected of adulteration. No more take that for Gospel which is not so, than you would take adulterated money for sterling coin. This is a metaphor taken from testing or assaying adulterated metals.
Know ye not your own selves] Are ye not full of wisdom and understanding? And is it not as easy to find out a spurious faith as it is to detect a base coin? There is an assay and touchstone for both. If base metal be mixed with the pure you can readily detect it; and as easily may you know that you are in the faith as you can know that base metal is mixed with the pure. Does Jesus Christ dwell in you? You have his Spirit, his power, his mind, if ye be Christians; and the Spirit of Christ bears witness with your spirit that ye are the children of God. And this is the case except ye be reprobates; adokimoi, base counterfeit coin; mongrel Christians. This metaphor holds excellently here. They had a Judaizing Christian among them; such, presumptively, was the false apostle: they had received his Judaico-Christian doctrine, and were what the prophet said of some of the Israelites in his time. Reprobate silver, adulterated coin, shall men call them, Jer. vi. 30. And thus, when they were brought to the test, they were found reprobate; that is, adulterated with this mixture of bad doctrine. There is no other kind of reprobation mentioned here than that which refers to the trial and rejection of adulterated coin; and, by way of metaphor, to the detection of false Christianity. This reprobation came of the people themselves: they, not God, adulterated the pure metal. Man pollutes himself; then God reprobates the polluted.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith , etc..] These words are to be considered in connection with ( 2 Corinthians 13:3) for seeing they sought and demanded a proof the voice and power of Christ in the apostle, he directs them to self examination, to look within themselves, to try, prove, and recognise their own souls; where if things were right, they would find a proof of Christ's speaking in him, to them: he advises them to examine the state of their own souls, and see whether they were in the faith; either in the doctrine of faith, having a spiritual and experimental knowledge of it, true love and affection for it, an hearty belief of it, having felt the power of it upon their souls, and abode in it; whether, as the Syriac version reads it, ymyq atwnmyhb , ye stand in the faith, firm and stable; or in the grace of faith, either of miracles, or that which is connected with salvation; and which if they were in it, and had it, is attended with good works; operates by love to Christ and to his people; by which souls go out of themselves to Christ, live upon him, receive from him, and give him all the glory of salvation: and if this was their case, he desires to know how they came by their faith; and suggests, that their light in the doctrine of the Gospel, and their faith in Christ Jesus, as well as the miraculous gifts many of them were possessed of, were through his ministry as the means; and this was a full proof of Christ's speaking in him: prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you ; by which he means, that if they took a survey of things in their own souls, it would appear that Christ was in them; not as he is in all the world, filling heaven and earth with his presence; or as he is in every rational creature, as the Creator and author of the light of nature; but in a special and spiritual manner, by his Spirit and grace; the Father reveals him in his people, as the foundation of their hope of glory; he himself enters and takes possession of their hearts in conversion, communicates his grace, and manifests himself, and is formed there by his Spirit; his graces are implanted, his image is stamped, his Spirit is put within them, and he himself dwells by faith: and this upon inquiry would be found to be the case of the Corinthians, except , says the apostle, ye are reprobates ; meaning not that they were so, as such may stand opposed to the elect of God; for persons may as yet neither be in the faith, nor Christ in them, and yet both be hereafter, and so not be left of God, or consigned to destruction; but that if they were not in the doctrine of, faith, then they were reprobate concerning it, or void of judgment in it; and if they had not the grace of faith, and Christ was not in them, then they were not genuine, but nominal professors, like reprobate silver, counterfeit coin; which when detected, would be disapproved, not only by God, but man, as this word also signifies, and so stands opposed to them that are approved, ( 2 Corinthians 13:7) or if they did not make such an examination, probation, and recognition of themselves, they would be without probation: or as the Arabic version, without experiment. The apostle hereby brings them into this dilemma, either that if upon examination they were found to be in the faith, and Christ in them, which blessings they enjoyed through his ministry, then they did not want a proof of Christ speaking in him; but if these things did not appear in them, then they were persons of no judgment in spiritual things, were not real Christians, but insignificant and useless persons.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - Though it is God's gracious method to bear long with sinners, yet he will not bear always; at length he will come, and will not spare thos who remain obstinate and impenitent. Christ at his crucifixion appeared as only a weak and helpless man, but his resurrection and lif showed his Divine power. So the apostles, how mean and contemptibl soever they appeared to the world, yet, as instruments, they manifeste the power of God. Let them prove their tempers, conduct, an experience, as gold is assayed or proved by the touchstone. If the could prove themselves not to be reprobates, not to be rejected of Christ, he trusted they would know that he was not a reprobate, no disowned by Christ. They ought to know if Christ Jesus was in them, by the influences, graces, and indwelling of his Spirit, by his kingdo set up in their hearts. Let us question our own souls; either we ar true Christians, or we are deceivers. Unless Christ be in us by his Spirit, and power of his love, our faith is dead, and we are ye disapproved by our Judge.
Greek Textus Receptus
εαυτους 1438 F-3APM πειραζετε 3985 5720 V-PAM-2P ει 1487 COND εστε 2075 5748 V-PXI-2P εν 1722 PREP τη 3588 T-DSF πιστει 4102 N-DSF εαυτους 1438 F-3APM δοκιμαζετε 1381 5720 V-PAM-2P η 2228 PRT ουκ 3756 PRT-N επιγινωσκετε 1921 5719 V-PAI-2P εαυτους 1438 F-3APM οτι 3754 CONJ ιησους 2424 N-NSM χριστος 5547 N-NSM εν 1722 PREP υμιν 5213 P-2DP εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S ει 1487 COND μη 3361 PRT-N τι 5100 X-NSN αδοκιμοι 96 A-NPM εστε 2075 5748 V-PXI-2P
Vincent's NT Word Studies
5. Examine yourselves (eautouv peirazete). Yourselves is emphatic. Instead of putting Christ to the test, test yourselves. Rev., try, is better than examine. Examination does not necessarily imply a practical test. It may be merely from curiosity. Trial implies a definite intent to ascertain their spiritual condition.The faith, See on Acts vi. 7. In a believing attitude toward Christ.
Prove (dokimazete). As the result of trying.
Or know ye not, etc. Assuming that you thus prove yourselves, does not this test show you that Christ is in you as the result of your faith in him?
Reprobates (adokimoi). An unfortunate translation. A retrobate is one abandoned to perdition. The word is kindred to the verb prove (dokimazete), and means disapproved on trial See on Rom. i. 28.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
13:5 {Unless indeed ye be reprobate} (ei meti adokimoi este). Paul challenged his opposers in Corinth to try (peirazete) themselves, to test (dokimazete) themselves, whether they were "in the faith" (en tei pistei), a much more vital matter for them than trying to prove Paul a heretic. Such tests can be made, unless, alas, they are "reprobate" (adokimoi, the very adjective that Paul held up before himself as a dreadful outcome to be avoided, #1Co 9:27).
