Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgement against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1Corinthians 11:27-32)

We are to examine ourselves. We are to dokimazo: test, assess, and prove our true value. This is the same testing that is applied to metals and coins. Do we find solid gold, or tarnished silver, or dull lead?

We are to judge - diakrino - our bodies. We are to discriminate between what is fine and what is failed. We are to separate the good from the bad. This is the same Greek used to withdraw into the desert for meditation.

Paul teaches that we undertake serious self-examination. He is confident that each of us shares the essence of our Creator. When we find what is less than fine, Christ provides all that is needed to shed or redeem it.