2 Corinthians 13
“Examine Yourselves, Whether Ye Be in the Faith”
Leaders in God’s kingdom have often been targets of criticism. During New Testament times, some of the Church members in Corinth had become critical of Paul. He responded by inviting them to examine their own connection to Christ. This lesson can help you overcome the temptation to criticize others, including Church leaders, by examining your faithfulness to the Lord.
Honest questions or criticizing?
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What are some examples of how people today might be critical of Church leaders?
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What is the difference between having honest questions or concerns about something a Church leader taught or said and criticizing that person?
Generally, to criticize someone means to judge them negatively, pointing out their faults or mistakes. In the scriptures, criticism may be referred to as evil speaking or murmuring against someone.
It is possible to recognize faults or weaknesses in others without being critical. We are being critical when we speak or write about others in a judgmental or negative way.
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Why is it important to overcome the temptation to criticize others, including Church leaders?
As you study 2 Corinthians 13, look for how we can avoid being critical, especially of those the Lord has called to lead in His Church.
Criticism, evil speaking, and murmuring
It appears that some of the Saints in Corinth were publicly critical of Paul (see 2 Corinthians 10:10; 12:10–15). In 2 Corinthians 13:1–2, Paul called them to repentance with strong language.
Read 2 Corinthians 13:3, looking for what some Church members in Corinth were seeking proof of from Paul. The demand of these people to see proof that Paul was truly speaking for Christ may be additional evidence that people were publicly criticizing him. Read the following statement by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency, looking for how criticizing our leaders can affect us.
President George Q. Cannon gave a warning that I pass on to you as my own. I believe he spoke the truth: “… No man … can speak evil of the Lord’s anointed and find fault with God’s authority on the earth without incurring His displeasure. The Holy Spirit will withdraw himself from such a man, and he will go into darkness. This being the case, do you not see how important it is that we should be careful?”
(Henry B. Eyring, “The Power of Sustaining Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 59)
Read 1 Nephi 2:12–13, 16, 19–21. Compare Laman and Lemuel’s murmuring against Lehi and the Lord to Nephi’s faithful actions.
1. Answer the following questions in your study journal:
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What does this account teach about the difference between being critical versus exercising faith and about the consequences of each?
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Why do you think the Spirit withdraws when people “speak evil of” or “find fault” with those the Lord has called to lead His Church?
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What are some ways we can act in faith if we have questions about what a Church leader has taught or do not agree with something a Church leader has taught?
Avoiding criticism
Read 2 Corinthians 13:5–6, looking for the counsel Paul gave to the Corinthian Saints who questioned whether the Lord spoke through him. It may be helpful to know that a reprobate is someone who is unworthy or has failed a test.
Based on what Paul taught, finish the following statement: Rather than criticizing Church leaders, we should …
From 2 Corinthians 13:5, you may have identified a principle like this:
Rather than criticizing Church leaders, we should examine our faithfulness to the Lord.
President Eyring stated the following about our attitude toward those whom the Lord calls to serve. Look for how his words reinforce what Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 13:3, 5:
The Lord Leads His Church
President Eyring teaches us that the Lord leads His Church through prophets and that we need to have faith to sustain those called to lead in the Church.
It takes faith to believe that [Jesus Christ] knows the people He calls perfectly, both their capacities and their potential, and so makes no mistakes in His calls.
That may bring a smile or a shake of the head to some in this audience—both those who think their own call to serve might have been a mistake as well as those who picture some they know who seem poorly suited to their place in the Lord’s kingdom. My counsel to both groups is to delay such judgments until you can better see what the Lord sees. The judgment you need to make, instead, is that you have the capacity to receive revelation and to act on it fearlessly.
(Henry B. Eyring, “The Lord Leads His Church,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 82)
2. Answer the following questions in your study journal:
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How could President Eyring’s counsel help us if we are tempted to judge or criticize the Lord’s chosen leaders?
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How does examining our faithfulness to Jesus Christ help us not speak evil of or judge others?
Examine yourself
When we are interviewed for a temple recommend, we are asked if we sustain Church leaders. President Eyring suggested some questions that can help us prepare to answer this. Seek the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as you ponder these questions.
You may have been asked, or you will be, whether you sustain your bishop, stake president, the General Authorities, and the General Officers of the Church. …
… You could prepare by asking yourself questions like the following:
Have I thought or spoken of human weakness in the people I have pledged to sustain?
Have I looked for evidence that the Lord is leading them?
Have I conscientiously and loyally followed their leadership?
Have I spoken about the evidence I can see that they are God’s servants?
Do I pray for them regularly by name and with feelings of love?
Those questions will, for most of us, lead to some uneasiness and a need to repent.
(Henry B. Eyring, “The Power of Sustaining Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 59)
If these questions “lead to some uneasiness,” pray and write about what you can do to repent and change.
Optional: Want to Learn More?
What is the danger of being critical of those the Lord calls?
The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught:
[If a man] rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent, will apostatize, as God lives.
(Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 318)
Is it all right to have questions?
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, taught:
Is it all right to have questions about the Church or its doctrine? My dear young friends, we are a question-asking people … because we know that inquiry leads to truth. …
… Some might feel embarrassed or unworthy because they have searching questions regarding the gospel, but they needn’t feel that way. Asking questions isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a precursor of growth. …
Fear not; ask questions. Be curious, but doubt not! Always hold fast to faith and to the light you have already received. Because we see imperfectly in mortality. Not everything is going to make sense right now.
(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Reflection in the Water” [Church Educational System devotional for young adults, Nov. 1, 2009], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Are prophets infallible?
Sheri Dew, a former counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, said:
Some people get tangled up in the question: But, are prophets, seers, and revelators infallible? That’s the wrong question. A better one is, Who exactly are prophets? They are the ordained holders of priesthood keys that authorize the Lord’s power to be distributed throughout the earth. They may not be perfect. But they are the most perfectly inspired leaders on earth, and their only motive is perfectly pure—to help us find our way back home by pointing us to Jesus Christ.
(Sheri Dew, “Prophets” [BYU–Pathway Worldwide devotional, July 13, 2021], 2, byupathway.org/speeches)