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“Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.” (Romans 4:8)
God tests all of us. He has foreordained for each of us to go through particular times of testing; some of us are tested more and others are tested less. And the primary test for all of us is, ‘Will I accept the Blood Atonement of Jesus?’
21“Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? 22What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessel of wrath prepared for destruction, 23and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory, 24even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also the Gentiles? 25As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
26“And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
27Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved.” (Romans 9:21-27)
God imputes sin according to His Perfect Knowledge of each person. He imputes some with more challenging weaknesses regarding sin to overcome, and others less. And it’s ALL for our own good on a highly individual level. For God is saying in verse 25, that some of those He creates will start out rejecting Him, but then come to Him later on in life, that implies that they are those who have passed the tests of GOD. And His Rewards are worth the trouble we come under. We can trust Him. He knows what He’s doing.
The school of God is not as strange a concept as it may seem. The Bible tells us that God tests us in order to spur on our growth and learning, and that there is unspeakable value in learning God’s Word and applying it to our lives. Our surroundings are much like a classroom, because what we observe and experience carries a multitude of life lessons, and spiritual lessons for believers.
HE TESTS US—Because of God’s tender mercies and perfect understanding of human weaknesses, He uses all sorts of testing for those He is calling, in order to help us overcome those things that stand in the way of our spiritual growth and learning. For those whom He loves, He also chastises like any good father. This is clearly laid out in Hebrews 12:6-11, particularly in the final verse of this passage:
“For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” (Hebrews 12:6)
“Now no chastening seems to be joy for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11).
However, unlike school, God always gives us chance after chance to pass our tests:
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2Peter 3:9)
Furthermore, The Bible says He refines us in the fire:
“For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.” (Psalm 66:10)
“And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” (Exodus 20:20)
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,” (Hebrews 11:17)
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” (1Peter 1:6-7)
“But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)
Also See: Deuteronomy 8:2, Psalm 7:9, 26:2 & 139:23, Proverbs 17:3, Ecclesiastes 3:18, Jeremiah 17:10, 1Chronicles 29:17 & Job 7:18
LIFE IS OUR CLASSROOM—Our surroundings, relationships and experiences, more importantly our response to the Lord in all these things, parallel a generalized framework of the classroom setting:
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2Corinthians 3:18)
HIS WORD IS OUR TEXTBOOK—Every class has a textbook that helps guide and teach throughout the course of study. God’s instructions to Paul in order to instruct Timothy in the faith and the ministry reveal the importance of our study of His Word:
“If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.” (1Timothy 4:6)
“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” (2Timothy 1:13-14)
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2Timothy 2:15)
And there are other Scriptures illustrating this Precept:
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” (Ephesians 6:17)
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
Also See: Proverbs 1:1-7 & Proverbs 9
IT’S HIGHLY BENEFICIAL TO COME TO CLASS PREPARED—When we open ourselves up to what God’s Spirit is teaching us we prepare ourselves. Our preparation is all about the surrender and the application thereafter of what has been learned and absorbed:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God ,and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17)
AND OUR CURRICULUM?—With God, learning coincides with spiritual growth:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26)
WE RECEIVE REWARDS FOR STAYING FAITHFUL—God’s rewards far exceed the rewards of this life! He has crowns for those who have been faithful, so much more intense and meaningful than a thousand test papers marked A+!:
“And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” (1Corinthians 9:25)
GOD HAS HIS OWN VERSION OF OUR FINAL EXAM—We have our entire lives, until we leave this world, to repeatedly take our tests. Our final exam?--When we stand before Him, and we can have confidence in this if we have been faithful:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2Corinthans 5:10)
One final point that is key in this late hour: all people, the saved and the unsaved can expect this time to be a time of testing, perhaps even greater testing, as God separates those who will be going with Him and those who will be left here to face the preliminary fires of hell, right here on the earth—
“Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew 13:30)
Also see the entirety of Jesus’ Parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Matthew 13:24-30 and the one in which He uses the illustration of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46.
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Linzy is a children's author, Christian writer, including Bible Prophecy reporting. Her portfolio includes, poetry and short stories for all ages.