<p>11:31 <em>If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged- </em>If we perceive ourselves as worthy of condemnation, we will be saved. If we would judge i.e. condemn ourselves, we will not be judged / condemned. This is written in the context of the breaking of bread. When we examine ourselves then, and at other times, do we get to the point where we truly <em>feel</em> through and through our condemnation? If this is how we perceive our natural selves, then surely we will be saved- if we <em>also</em> believe with joy that God&rsquo;s righteousness is counted to us. See on Lk. 17:10.</p><p>Our self-examination must be so intense that we appreciate that we ought to be condemned; if we achieve that level of self-knowledge now, we will not be condemned at the judgment. In the context of the self-examination command in 1 Cor. 11, Paul is speaking of the need to completely focus our attention on the sacrifice of Christ. Yet this command must have its basis in the directive for Israel to search their house for leaven before eating the Passover (Ex. 12:19). &quot;Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven... of malice and wickedness&quot; (1 Cor. 5:8). The disciples&rsquo; question at the first breaking of bread, &ldquo;Lord, is it I?&quot; is another prototype of the command to examine ourselves at the feast (Mt. 26:22). Combining Paul's command to examine ourselves that we are really focusing upon our Lord's sacrifice, and the Exodus allusion which implies that we should examine our own lives for wickedness, we conclude that if we properly reflect upon Christ and His victory for us, then we will inevitably be aware of our own specific failures which Christ really has vanquished. But this will come as a by-product of truly grasping the fullness of the Lord's victory. The Passover was to be a public proclamation to the surrounding world of what God had done for Israel. Likewise our feast 'shows forth' (Greek: 'publicly declares') the Lord's death. Our memorial meeting should therefore include a degree of openly declaring to others what spiritual deliverances the Lord has wrought for us. This is surely the sort of talk that should fill up the half hour between ending the service and leaving the hall.</p>