Have you had this nightmare? You're back in school and the teacher hands out a test. You go into the test confident. You can answer most of the questions, but there is just one thing on there that you do not understand. The teacher, though, says this unknown thing is the key to passing the test. How could you not know something the teacher says is so important? Did you not study hard enough? Was the teacher hiding this from you? Whatever the reason, because of this one thing, you fail the test. Concerning this scenario: here's a follow-up question: Do you ever think maybe God is like this teacher? Is there ever the worry that when God looks at your life, He'll say, "Hey, you forgot this one thing. Now, you won't get to heaven." These thoughts can lead people to ask themselves, "Will I pass God's test?"
Let's examine this scenario and see if it reflects reality, starting with seeing if God is our teacher. The Bible, indeed, says God is a great teacher. The prophets refer to God as the "Wonderful Counselor," who is a "Mighty God," (Isaiah 9:6). The Psalmist says of God that He "will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go," (Psalm 32:8). When Jesus, who is God, spoke in front of crowds, the people who heard Him thought "He taught as one who had authority, and not as their [other] teachers of the law," (Matthew 7:29). So, God is absolutely a great teacher.
Does our teacher give out tests? Well, the point of a test is to see how someone "measures up". The Bible says that some of God's angels hold "a measuring line" and they use this line to measure out nations, cities and people (Zechariah 2:2-5). The prophet Amos once saw God holding such a measuring line, and God used it to show how His people were not "measuring up" (Amos 7:7-9). Jesus also says there is a way to test whether someone is speaking truthfully or false (Matthew 7:15-16). The Apostle John wrote about how believers are to test whether something is Godly or not (1 John 4:1). Finally, the Bible says everyone who ever lived will be judged by God, and God will see whether they pass His examination (2 Timothy 4:1, Hebrews 9:27). So yes, our great teacher does have a test.
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Not only is God our teacher, but He cares for His students (1 Peter 5:7) and He would love to see them all pass His test (2 Peter 3:9). |
Is God, by chance, like the teacher in the nightmare, hiding information? Adam and Eve thought so. They entertained the question that God hid crucial knowledge from them (Genesis 3:1-5). God, though, says He has not hidden anything from us that we need. It is written, "the things [God] revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow" Him, (Deuteronomy 29:29). Now some have thought that God keeps information from them, because He wants them to look dumb. This is a lie. God longs to give people what is best for them (Matthew 7:11). He has given everyone the knowledge they need, but many have rejected it. The Psalmist says people have rejected what they needed most, and what they rejected "has become the cornerstone," (Psalm 118:22). If someone fails God's test, it will not be because God hid something they needed. It will not even be because someone did not study enough. It will be because someone rejected what God gave them to pass His test.
So, what is God's test, and what is the key to passing this test?
Many have asked this question, but it was once asked by a fearful man; a man who worried he was lacking something crucial. This man was a jailer. He oversaw multiple prisoners, but two in particular were the Apostle Paul and his companion Silas. One night while these two disciples were under his guard, "there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken," (Acts 16:26). The jailer was terrified that his prisoners would use this opportunity to escape. Fearing his life would be taken for his negligence, the jailer "drew his sword and was about to kill himself," (Acts 16:27). Before he could, Paul shouted to him that no one left the jail and all his prisoners were safe (Acts 16:28). The jailer was astounded that these men did not run away when they had the chance. Trembling, the jailer fell before Paul and Silas and asked them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:29-30). In other words, "What must I do to pass God's test?"
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| Jesus says His teaching is easy (Matthew 11:29), and if anyone wants to pass God's test, then they must be willing to learn (Proverbs 4:1-2). |
Paul and Silas told this man one thing; the key to passing or failing. They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved," (Acts 16:31). That's all. The Jailer heard this, and in that hour "he and all his household were baptized," (Acts 16:33). The jailer even washed his prisoners wounds and served them a hot meal, (Acts 16:31-34). He did this because "he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God," (Acts 16:34). He had found the one thing that truly matters (Luke 10:42) and nothing could ever take it away from him (John 10:28). He believed in the Lord Jesus and passed God's test.
If believing in Jesus is what saves someone, then what does it mean to believe in Jesus? Anyone can believe Jesus walked the earth, lived a pretty decent life, taught some nice things, but believing none of that will truly save. Paul says someone must believe Jesus is Lord; someone must acknowledge Jesus as their God (John 8:58), master (John 6:68) and, of course, teacher (Matthew 28:20). Someone must see the one who suffered and died on a cross and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) as the one who is their creator (John 1:1-3), deliverer (Jeremiah 15:21) and savior (Luke 2:11). Believing in these things is all it takes for someone to pass God's test. There are no other "hoops" through which someone has to jump. It's simple.
The Apostle Paul writes, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved," (Romans 10:9). So, when God gives you His test and He asks you what is the one thing you need to pass, you now know the answer. Everyone who says Jesus is their Lord will not fail but will pass from this life into eternal life (John 3:16). There is no need to lose sleep over this nightmare. Rest well child of God.
Source
- The Bible (New International Version)