Dr. Pat Humphrey was brilliant. She taught Biology at Ohio University and belonged to Mensa, which only allows very smart people to join. Pat was a world traveler. She had hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail. She was also a Presbyterian elder. I recall her once saying, “I don’t want to sing hymns with lines like, `Search me and try me Master today.’ I don’t want to face such testing.” But she had to anyway. A couple years after she retired she developed a rare disease which progresses a littlelike Alzheimer’s, but more quickly. As her mental faculties rapidly failed Pat found she had nothing to hang on to but her faith, which was indeed tested. I’m sure we’d all agree with Pat that none of us wants to be tried or tested in ways that threaten our health or challenge our faith. But we are now in that season of the Church Year called Lent. So this is a good time to look at Paul’s words in II Corinthians 13:5, 6; “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith: test yourselves. Do you not know that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test. And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.” We may think testing is OK in school, but it’s not a thing we want to face in life. But if we don’t test ourselves, how will we know we’ll survive when some trial enters our lives? At least we should agree with Socrates, who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
It seems to me there are two main kinds of tests Christians face; tests of our resolve and tests of our faith. Temptations are tests of our resolve just as surely as Jesus’ temptation in the desert was a test of His resolve to work salvation for us in God’s way, no matter the cost. Would he put physical hunger ahead of spiritual purpose? Would he test God’s promises and by doing so put on a spectacular show? Would he take the easy road to authority by worshiping the devil rather than the hard road through Calvary? (Luke 4:1-13) These were all tests of Jesus’ resolve to do what God sent him to do. If we mean to live as Christians, temptations of all sorts will arise to test our resolve..
Then there are the tests of faith, which can involve serious illness or the death of a loved one or some other crisis. No doubt many of those killed or hurt in the recent tornadoes are asking, or left behind folks who are asking, “Why?” or are questioning the love and goodness of God. We all either have or will face some form of that test. The issue of how we respond when it comes is so important it’s the first thing James mentions in his letter. In James 1:2-4, he says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Like it or not, these kinds of tests of faith will come to us all so we must be ready to persevere in faith through the pain. Jesus states the obvious when He says, in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble.” Yet he went on, “But take heart for I have overcome the world.”
If we don’t like temptation or faith tests, there is one kind of test we don’t mind at all. That involves putting others to the test. We do it all the time. We learn it as children when we want to find out just how far we can push our parents before they lose it. Most of us outgrow that kind of thing, or if we don’t we go into politics. Most adults put others to the test by forcing them to measure up to an impossible standard that they can’t even meet themselves. We set up standards, many of them based on the Bible, which is OK, then expect others to adhere to them. When they don’t we call them hypocrites. Notice that there was only one person in the Bible who ever called anyone a hypocrite, and that was Jesus. That’s because He is the only person who ever lived who had the right to call someone a hypocrite because He is the only person ever who wasn’t a hypocrite Himself. None of us live up to the standards we set for ourselves and we all know it. So nobody else can live up to those standards either. I’m convinced that one of the greatest problems we have in the church today is that we are all trying so hard to hide who and what we really are from other folks in the church, while at the same time we’re more concerned with the faults of others than with our own shortcomings and failures.
Now, here’s a really curious thing. Paul actually says it’s OK for us to put other people to the test. It’s OK for us to look to see if others measure up. He invites the Corinthians to look at him and see if he measures up. But he says it’s only OK if they have already done the same thing for themselves. In other words, if we’re going to test others to see if they measure up it’s OK, so long as we’ve already taken a good look at ourselves to see if we measure up–and few of us do that. That’s why the first command Paul gives the Corinthians in II Corinthians 13:5 is, “Test yourselves.: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” Christians ought to examine themselves as to the condition of their faith first.
So during Lent I want you to do two things. First of all, examine your life. Obey Paul’s command and test yourself to see whether you really are in the faith. Ask yourself questions like: Do I really believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins or am I only going to church because I was taught to do so? Do I trust God to do what is best for me, even if it hurts? Do I forgive in myself what I condemn in others? How important is my Christian faith to me? Do I intend to die a Christian or will I abandon the faith should something that looks like a better offer comes along? You can probably think of a good many others. So put your faith to the test before something comes along to test it for you. The second thing to do is this: every time you are tempted to fault someone else for a shortcoming, look at yourself and consider how many times you may have been guilty of the same kind of failure. Commit yourself to doing that with everyone you meet. Then, even if you must say something about the matter to them or to somebody else, you will do it with humility, not as the all-righteous judge but as the fellow-sufferer and fellow-sinner in need of God’s grace to overcome your own faults.
About the Author: Rev. David R. Faulkner has been a pastor in the PCUSA for over 30 years. He recieved his Bachlors in History from Michigan State University, His Masters of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and Did Graduate Work at Ohio University. He is currently preaching at The Harrisonville Presbyterian Church in Harrisonville Ohio. He is also married and has four kids
Also Available from Rev. David Faulkner's College Commitment
Hawthorne Vs. Christianity
Playing With a Thunderstorm
A Chosen Generation: Devoured, Withered, Choked and...Alive? By Angel Edwards
The Truth: Why Love The Word by Jonathan Faulkner
Confessions of a College Freshmen: That 1 AM Feeling By Amy Faulkner
God's Heart For Those By Jonathan Faulkner
To contact 10:31 Life Ministries Email us at: hi1031.ministries@yahoo.com or visit it us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/1031ministries
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