12 Modern Questions for Spiritual Self-Examination
John Fletcher of Madeley composed 12 questions for spiritual self-examination in the 18th century. I’ve published them previously, but today I’m republishing an updated and modernized version.
1) Did I fill my mind with spiritual thoughts and refrain from distractions when I began the day?
2) Have I set aside time for prayer and fostered a prayerful spirit, or have I given way to distractions and laziness?
3) Have I lived today prepared for Christ’s second coming, or have I forgotten to watch for his return?
4) Have I walked by faith and remembered God throughout the day?
5) Have I denied unkind words and thoughts, and instead delighted when others receive God’s blessings?
6) Have I made the best use of the precious time that God has given me?
7) Have I controlled my emotions, and brought them into obedience to the Word of God?
8) What have I done today for God’s people?
9) Have I wasted money on my own pleasure when I could have used it more profitably for God’s work?
10) Have I carefully controlled my speech, knowing that ‘when words are many, transgression is not lacking’?
11) How have I denied myself today?
12) Have I lived today in such a way that it would attract others to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Questions such as these are troubling as they presume a discipleship that, while likely “biblical” would eliminate 99.99% of people from continuing their faith journey if these were seen to be expectations.
I have remarked that to be a disciple of Jesus in the fullest sense would mean that we would a) be single, 2) be homeless, 3) largely depend upon other for food and shelter and the necessities of life.
Then putting these before us we eliminate our TVs, our radios, avoid the movies, sell our cottages (for those who have them), never take a vacation away from home, never eat at a fancy restaurant or go to any form of entertainment, and the list goes on.
This seems to move toward a spiritual legalism if it is taken as more than an opportunity to reflect.
Hi Ron,
Thanks for your comment. As you correctly pointed out, these questions are not ‘easy’ – they significantly challenge us in our faith. Although this could be discouraging for some people – and perhaps could even ‘eliminate’ certain people from their faith journey – it is good for us to remember that Jesus set the bar even higher than these questions indicate. He said that we should be ‘perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (Matt. 5:48). Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount presents one of the highest levels of discipleship, a standard which even the most devoted Christians will inevitably fail frequently. Thankfully, because of the work of Jesus, we are not justified by our efforts, but by Christ’s work for us. However, this does not lower the standard of perfection which Jesus reminds us of.
Further, while we often spend much of our time (rightly) focusing on what Jesus has done for us, we fail to present the ‘full counsel of God’ if we do not at the same time challenge God’s people to constantly pursue holiness. The Bible repeats this frequently, even if some churches gloss over this: “Strive…for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14); “you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Pet 1:15); “what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness” (2 Pet 3:11); “put on the new self” (Eph 4:24); “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rom 12:1)…and I could go on with many others.
Finally, I would mention that these questions are modeled off of John Fletcher’s original 12 questions (as the article mentioned). They were highly regarded by many Christians of that time. So, while I certainly want to avoid spiritual legalism, I believe that we can benefit greatly by challenging ourselves to pursue the Biblical ideals more. This was more commonplace in the past – and I fear that we have lost this emphasis on godliness, to some extent, in the present.
Blessings,
Daniel
Thank you, Daniel, for this posting. So grateful for these wise words of encouragement to quietly come aside and ‘tune our hearts and minds’ to those things that truly equip us to walk graciously and confidently ..and productively.. amidst the varied blessings and buffetings of daily life.
…Not obsessively/‘legalistically’ .. but rightfully resting in His promises…embracing and walking in the loving, sufficient providence of God…
All these self -examination questions are basic consecration that are expected of a true follower of Christ. While salvation is totally a work of grace, it is important to also know that the bible also teaches that grace teaches us to deny all ungodiliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly and godly in this present wirld. We need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling…