Test! What Test?!

Everyone is headed back to school and we’re excited! (Well, some are more excited than others.) School is about learning and growing; it’s about personal development and stretching the limits of one’s potential. Unfortunately, that process includes tests. Not everyone is concerned about tests while others suffer from “exam anxiety.” I once knew someone who decided to go to college, enrolled in a class and did very well, for two weeks – until the first exam – and then the vision for higher education was set aside. What is it about tests that is so scary for some, and why do we need them anyway?

If you don’t like tests you won’t like me pointing out that they occupy a prominent place in Scripture. Abraham is “the father of all those who believe,” the model of faith, but Abe’s faith only grew as a result of a series of tests (not all of which he passed):

1.   Abraham is called to leave his country and travel to a land God would show him – test passed (Genesis 12:4).

2.   There was a famine in the land and rather than trust God, Abraham “went down to Egypt” – test failed (Genesis 12:10).

3.   While in Egypt, when questioned about Sarah Abraham said, “you are my sister” – test failed (Genesis 12:12-15).

4.   After a conflict with his nephew Lot Abraham trusted the Lord with his inheritance – test passed (Genesis 13:8-9).

5.   When Lot was taken captive Abraham obeyed the Lord and rescued him – test passed (Genesis 14:14-16).

6.   When the King of Sodom sought to honor Abraham, he refused the honor and gave glory to God – test passed (Genesis 14:21-24).

7.   After the Lord promised Abraham a son, he sought to fulfill the promise with Hagar – test failed (Genesis 16:3-5).

8.   When Abraham was challenged by the Philistines, to protect himself he once again said, “She is my sister” – test failed (Genesis 20:1-3).

9.   When Abraham was instructed to offer his son Isaac to the Lord, he trusted God who provided a lamb for the sacrifice – test passed (Genesis 22:8-14).

The fact is, Abraham’s faith would not have grown apart from a series of tests.

That’s why the New Testament speaks so often about the value of tests. “It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work” (1 Corinthians 3:13). “And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test” (2 Corinthians 13:6). “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3). On our faith journey, God, who is our Father and Teacher, will lead us through a series of tests. God is not testing us to make our lives miserable. Tests have two important purposes: (1) To demonstrate the authenticity of our faith, and (2) to provide an opportunity for our faith to grow to the next level by stretching its limits. “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7). As someone has said, “You can’t have a testimony without a test.”

However, not all tests are learning/growing experiences sent to us from the Lord. Scripture also tells us to test ourselves (Romans 12:2; Galatians 6:4) and to not test God (Matthew 4:7; 1 Corinthians 10:9). In fact, some experiences are not tests but are rather “temptations.” A temptation may look and feel like a test but its intent is very different. Instead of being a growth opportunity, a temptation is a trap, often in the form of deception or discouragement, designed to weaken your faith. The apostle James discussed the difference between a test and a temptation: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed” (James 1:12-14). Discerning the nature and purpose of a test is essential. Knowing how to respond to a test will determine its growth potential.

When the apostle Paul was traveling back to Jerusalem, he received a variety of confirmations that prison awaited him there. The disciples in Tyre, “through the Spirit…urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem” (Acts 21:4). In Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus indicated that Paul would be jailed in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-11). As a result, “we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem” (Acts 21:12). This was a classic test of Paul’s faith. God was leading him to go to Jerusalem, and now he found out that obeying God would result in a prison sentence. Did he trust God to get it right, to know what God was doing? While these prophetic insights would prove to be true, would they lead Paul to disobey God? “Then Paul answered, ‘Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus’” (Acts 21:13). With his confidence in God and his commitment to submit to the Lord of the Harvest, Paul refused to bow or bend, forcing everyone to conclude, “The Lord’s will be done” (Acts 21:14). Test passed!