Can You Pass God’s Tests

CAN YOU PASS GOD’S TESTS

By: C. Mason Davis

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Jeremiah 17:9–10: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

The Bible states that God tests people to prove the strength of their faith and character, not because He is unaware of it, but most likely because we are unaware of it. These tests are meant to refine and strengthen believers, helping them to grow more mature and rely more on God than on their own strength. His tests are not for him but are for us. Just like taking tests in school as kids, those tests were not only to show what we knew, but what we didn’t know and what we have to work harder on to learn.

Tests serve to prove to us that our faith is real and to demonstrate to the world that we are truly His children. They are designed to strengthen character and develop perseverance, which leads to spiritual maturity. God tests us to show us what is in our hearts, whether or not we will keep His commandments, and if we love Him. God wants to prove that we depend on Him rather than our own strength to overcome challenges.

There are several examples of such tests listed in the Bible, such as: Abraham. God tested Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham's obedience demonstrated his faith and proved he was willing to do anything God asked.

God stopped Abraham just before he sacrificed his son Isaac. At the last moment, an angel of the Lord called out from heaven to prevent Abraham from harming Isaac, and then provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice instead; as read in Genesis 22:1-18.

Another example is when God led the Israelites through the desert for 40 years to humble them, test them, and show them what was in their hearts, to see if they would keep His commandments, as evidenced in: Exodus 16:4: “Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.'”

In the Garden of Eden, the forbidden tree represented a test of their obedience and trust in God's provision. The serpent tempted Eve by twisting God's command to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but instead promising that eating the fruit would make her "like God." With the use of free will, Eve, and then Adam, exercised their free will to give in to the temptation, choosing to believe the serpent's words over God's. Their choice led to humanity's "fall." Their disobedience had immediate and devastating consequences, including expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the introduction of sin, suffering, and death into the world; as written in Genesis 3:1-6.

The Bible teaches that God's tests have several important goals.

Tests expose what is truly in our hearts—our trust, weaknesses, and allegiance. To foster growth and dependence we face challenges that are too great to overcome alone which encourages a deeper dependence on God.

What's the difference between God’s tests and tempting according to the Bible? The key difference lies in their source, purpose, and outcome. God’s tests are to build and strengthen faith for a good purpose, while temptation originates from one's own desires and Satan, with the purpose of causing a person to fall into sin. God's tests are situational which God allows or orchestrates in a person's life. He may use circumstances or difficult situations to prove the genuineness of faith. God also has control over what tests a person faces.

The Bible makes a distinction between God testing people and Satan tempting them. God tests us as His purpose is to prove our faith and strengthen us. But Satan also tempts us. He tempts us with the intention of leading us away from God. During these times of temptation, Satan also taunts us in an attempt to wear us down until he get us to turn away from our faith. We live in such a competitive society that most of us try to fend off the attacks of Satan without God’s help or guidance. We hate losing. Even more, we hate asking for help. This is why Satan has been so successful at turning our attention away from God because it’s more important to a lot of us to choose the shiny baubles and riches over faith. God could easily step in and fight our battles for us, but if He did that, we’d be apt to learn nothing and repeat our mistakes and sins over and over. That’s why He created us to have free will to do and think the way we choose, which is how God knows if our hearts and devotion are part of our faith and not just performance. Some of the examples from the scriptures about temptation and the use of free will are: