The necessity of testing our work.
"But let each one prove his own work." It is not a mere call to self-examination, though that is a commanded duty which tends to deepen the sense of our infirmity and our need of a higher strength; it is a call to prove, not himself, but his work—for there is a sort of introspection which might only foster his self-importance; but a powerful check is provided by a rigorous account being taken of "work." The self-deception is mainly subjective; the correction is supplied by an objective standard applied to the work done—the broad practical result of his life. The result will be that "then," on the supposition that the work has stood the test, "he shall have his ground of boasting only in relation to himself, and not in relation to the other:'—the man with whom he was comparing himself. He may test his own work, but he cannot test the work of the other man. The apostle does not mean to say that the test would be favourable, for, judging by himself, self-examination would discover, along with graces and virtues, many frailties and follies, that would lead him to glory, not in himself, but in the mercy and love of the Lord. Self-examination is not designed to leave us satisfied with ourselves or even free from doubts and fears, but to lead us to the Lord for fresh pardon and grace. It is a useful corrective to the merely morbid self-scrutiny with which men torment themselves, to have the test applied to their work.