1 Corinthians 11:31Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

“For if we would judge ourselves,” the Apostle says, “we would not be judged” (1 Cor 11:31). He did not say: if we punished ourselves, or tortured ourselves. He said only: if we were willing to acknowledge our sins, to condemn ourselves, and to admit our iniquities, then we would be delivered from punishment both here and there.

The one who condemns himself makes God merciful in two ways: by acknowledging his sins and by being ready not to commit them in the future. Yet we do not wish to do even this easy thing as we should.

He did not say, “If we punished ourselves,” but only, “If we judged and condemned ourselves.” Then we would not be judged by God here, and we would escape punishments both here and there.

Indeed, many sins seem to remain unnoticed and are not repaid with punishment, but their punishment is transferred to the future. For it is not without reason that the day when the Judge of all the living and the dead will come is called the Day of Judgment.

Since we receive punishment here for certain sins and they are forgiven, we may be certain that they will not harm us in the age to come. Therefore, concerning certain temporal punishments that befall sinners in this life, the Apostle addresses those whose sins are washed away and not left to the end.

He says: “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But being judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”

“Seek judgment” (Is 1:17). This may mean the judgment of Christ, by which Christ judges us and repays us according to our worth. If we do not seek it and keep it before our eyes, we cannot continue doing good. For meditation on the fearful standing at the Judgment proclaimed to us serves as an instructor in piety.

Or, since everything will be subject to investigation and judgment, nothing happens without discernment or by chance. For it is said: “Do everything with counsel” (Sir 32:21), and, “The thoughts of the righteous are judgments” (Prov 12:5).

But if we discerned ourselves and then approached Him, we would undoubtedly not be judged and would not be condemned by Him. At all times, for a man to reproach himself is the purification of sins.

Here Paul says that if we ourselves correct our errors, we will not be judged by the Lord. It is for our benefit that we are judged by ourselves, for we are already corrected by fear itself. For even in a small thing there is the correction of the whole. “Not with this world” means not to be condemned with unbelievers. For the one who has come to the table of the Lord without due preparation and understanding differs in nothing from an unbeliever.

If we wished to examine what we have done in our life and pronounced a just sentence upon ourselves, we would not hear from God a decree condemning us to torment. Yet the Master punishes even those who have sinned grievously in measure, so that we may not be handed over to destruction with the ungodly. That the Apostle set forth the word about the Mysteries as an example is shown by what he adds. He is teaching the Corinthians to conduct common meals in the churches while looking to that sacred table.

Consider what I will say to you. Suppose that once, while making a long journey, you became thirsty from the heat and happened to meet one of the brethren. You said to him, “Give me relief in my thirst from exhaustion.” But he said to you, “It is now the time of prayer. I will pray and then come to you.” Yet before he had prayed and come to you, you died of thirst. What seems better to you: that he should go and pray, or that he should relieve you in your exhaustion?

Then follows: “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” That is, if we considered ourselves unworthy to receive the mysteries whenever we suffer a wound of sin, then we would take care to be corrected through repentance and approach them worthily.

Then we would not be punished by the Lord with the harsh scourges of infirmities, so that, being crushed at least in this way, we might seek healing for our wounds. Otherwise, if we are judged unworthy of brief correction in this age, in the future we shall undergo judgment together with the sinners of this world.

Therefore we must be pure and holy, so that we may worthily be called members of Christ and partake of the Holy Mysteries. But if, through inattention, we happen to be overcome by evil desire, anger, rage, enmity, remembrance of wrongs, or any other sin hated by God, let us repent at once. This is not surprising, for we are men, not angels. Then let us again enter our former disposition and order. For we are sanctified if we do not persist in sin.

Do not accept thoughts sown in you against your neighbor on the basis of suspicions. They are false, destructive, and always deceptive.

Know that through them the demons attempt to cast into the pit of perdition those who are already making progress in the virtues. They cannot direct anyone among the ascetics into the pit of condemnation and active sin in any other way. First they suggest that he accept evil suspicions about his neighbor, based on that neighbor’s outward conduct and habit.

But for those who show worthy repentance and begin to fulfill the commandments of Christ with faith, and also with fear and trembling, it is opened and becomes visible. Of itself it undoubtedly produces in them such a judgment as is to come. Or rather, it becomes for them the day of divine judgment.

Whoever always shines and is illumined by this grace truly sees himself, what he is and in what wretched state he is. He sees in finest detail all his deeds, both those he committed with the body and those enacted only in his soul.

At the same time he is judged and examined by the divine fire. Consequently, being watered by the water of tears, he is sprinkled throughout his whole body. Little by little he is wholly baptized, soul and body, by that divine fire and Spirit.

Do you wish, sinner, not to be condemned at the dread judgment of God? Condemn yourself, forestalling God’s judgment by your self-condemnation. The Apostle does not speak in vain: “If we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.” If each of us learns to know and judge his sins, he will be delivered from eternal condemnation. It will not be useless here to recall the account of David’s sin and repentance (2 Kgs 12).

There are very many conciliar and patristic rules concerning penances, and in none of them are they called satisfactions for sins. They are called only remedies for sins, as we have already seen. The Fathers of the Church set forth the same teaching in their private writings.

For example, one of the universal teachers, St. John Chrysostom, who spoke so much about repentance, proclaims with complete clarity that through repentance and self-condemnation we can, if we wish, be freed not only from eternal punishments, but also from temporal punishments.

God subjects us to the latter only when we ourselves do not wish to repent. He does this with the aim of healing us from sins.

To judge ourselves here is the same as what was said above: “Let each one examine himself.” This means that, if we examined ourselves properly before communion and prepared for it as we should. “we would not be judged.” That is, we would not eat and drink judgment to ourselves, nor would the sentence be pronounced over us: guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord.

Condemnation, meaning judgment and the assignment of punishment, comes for unworthy communion. Unworthy communion is permitted because we do not judge ourselves, do not examine ourselves, and do not cleanse ourselves from sins by repentance. Some things we conceal, and others we tell by halves.