Why
does there have to be a testing of our Faith? Isn’t professing our belief in
Christ as Lord, good enough? These are some good questions we all ask from time
to time. The short answer would be that
without proving, by our actions, that we are who we say we are, we may not
truly believe what we profess. It is not
only about being real; it is about putting action to our words. As we have previously looked at being
overcomers, we have to understand that it is not just once that we need to
overcome, and then we get a prize, we have to overcome until we die. If we are honest, it is much easier to stay
unsaved, because when one confesses Jesus as Lord one walks a difficult walk in
enemy territory. We will look at a snapshot of one of Paul’s journeys in Asia
and see the testing of his faith.
It
may be hard for some to understand in a culture that does not reward hard work
anymore, but instead gives rewards for simply showing up. There is a realization from the older
Christian adults that the younger Christians adults of our day have grown up
weak. They have not been taught the benefits
of working hard and pursuing a goal, but rather believe that everything should
be easy, and when it’s not, crying ensues.
Younger Christian adults believe that since they possess a piece of
paper from a university, they should direct the older Christian adults into
“new” ways of faith. The problem is that
younger Christian adults have not been tried.
Their faith has barely been put through the tests and trials that the
older Christians have lived through. As
with many Christians, the head knowledge is there, the actual journey has not
been made.
James
writes that he is a servant to the twelve tribes, unlike Peter and Paul who
were sent to the Gentiles, James writes from a perspective of serving those who
were descended from Jacob. If we remember, the council at Jerusalem decided not
to impose the law on Gentiles who believed in Jesus. They sent Paul and Barnabas off to Syria to
let the Christians know what the council decided. There are some treasures present within this time
period of what Paul was enduring. The
book of James was possibly written before this time in History. Let’s look closely at what James tells
people.
James
1:1-4 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve
tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.2 My brethren, count it all joy
when ye fall into divers temptations [3986];3 Knowing this, that the trying [1383]
of your faith [4102] worketh patience.4 But let patience have her perfect work,
that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.KJV
NT:3986
peirasmos (pi-ras-mos'); from NT:3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of
good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by
implication, adversity: KJV - temptation,
try.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:3985 peirazo (pi-rad'-zo); from NT:3984;
to test (objectively), i.e. endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline:KJV -
assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt (-er), try.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
NT:1383
dokimion (dok-im'-ee-on); neuter of a presumed derivative of NT:1382; a
testing; by implication, trustworthiness: KJV - trial, trying. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers
and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003,
2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:1382 dokime (dok-ee-may'); from the same
as NT:1384; test (abstractly or concretely); by implication, trustiness: KJV -
experience (-riment), proof, trial. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's
Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright ©
1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:4102
pistis (pis'-tis); from NT:3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction
(of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher),
especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such
profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: KJV -
assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive
Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.
Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible
Translators, Inc.)
NT:3982 peitho (pi'-tho); a primary verb; to
convince (by argument, true or false); by analogy, to pacify or conciliate (by
other fair means); reflexively or passively, to assent (to evidence or
authority), to rely (by inward certainty): KJV - agree, assure, believe, have
confidence, be (wax) confident, make friend, obey, persuade, trust,
yield.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
First
of all, I doubt that we will ever see Hollywood play up the idea that testing
and trying of one’s morality is a good thing.
This word for temptation is
not simply being led astray by lust; it is a proving of one’s character. The word trying
denotes trustworthiness. The word faith
denotes conviction. How well one can be trusted to do the right thing; it is
the exposing of one’s credibility. If we say we are believers in Christ, can we
be counted on to act like believers in Christ?
This really is not speaking of self imposed stupidity, such as when one
makes poor decisions or does something that is illegal. That is self imposed
stupidity. The Amplified broadens this
section out a bit.
James
1:1-4 JAMES, A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve
tribes scattered abroad [among the Gentiles in the dispersion]: Greetings
(rejoice)! 2 Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped
in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. 3 Be
assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out
endurance and steadfastness and patience. 4 But let endurance and steadfastness
and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people]
perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. AMP
There
are only two usages of this word for trying,
in James and in Peter. This is
significant as James was called to the twelve tribes, and Peter to both Jews
and Gentiles.
1
Peter 1:6-7 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye
are in heaviness through manifold temptations [3986]:7 That the trial [1383]of
your faith[4102], being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though
it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the
appearing [602] of Jesus Christ: KJV
NT:602
apokalupsis (ap-ok-al'-oop-sis); from NT:601; disclosure:KJV - appearing,
coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation.(Biblesoft's New
Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
Peter
gives us the reason our faith is tried, so that we might we be praised and
honored at Jesus’ appearing. When is that? When he comes with his army at the
end of the age to establish His kingdom on earth, we will be with Him.
1
Peter 1:8-16 Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even]
now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and
glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy. 9 [At the same time] you receive the
result (outcome, consummation) of your faith, the salvation of your souls……..13
So brace up your minds; be sober (circumspect, morally alert); set your hope
wholly and unchangeably on the grace (divine favor) that is coming to you when
Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is revealed [602]. 14 [Live] as children of
obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed
you] in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the
Gospel]. 15 But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy
in all your conduct and manner of living. 16 For it is written, You shall be
holy, for I am holy. [Lev 11:44,45.] AMP
The
purpose of being tried is for our benefit.
Remember the man who attempted to sneak into the wedding banquet, who
didn’t have a white garment, we cannot sneak into the marriage supper of the
Lamb. Revelation 19:6-ff, Matthew
22. We looked at a portion of this
parable last week, the Jews rejected the invitation, so the King said they were
not worthy, the kings servants went into the highways and gathered (sunago) all
the other people they found. When
someone attended a wedding, the guests were given a white wedding garment to
wear. White wedding garments are the
righteous acts of the saints, Revelation 19:8. One man tried to sneak in
without being righteous, let’s look at Matthew.
Matt
22:11-14 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which
had not on a wedding garment:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou
in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.13 Then said the
king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him
into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.14 For many
are called, but few are chosen.KJV
The
man who tries to sneak in is thrown into the outer darkness, we simply can’t
sneak in. The preview of the events of Jesus coming with his saints, which
coincides with this last statement in Matthew, is in Revelation 17. Revelation
17 is a preview of what will be happening when Babylon falls. Babylon tries to make war with Jesus, but
Jesus and His armies overtake Babylon, the Beast, and the False Prophet. Then satan is bound for 1000 years.
Rev
17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for
he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called,
and chosen, and faithful.KJV
The
point we need to be aware of is that many are called but few are chosen, and
the when Jesus comes to defeat evil, He comes with the called, chosen, and
faithful. Therefore if we are not
faithful, we are not among those who return when Jesus is revealed. This is the
purpose for the trying of our faith until we die, so that we are found
faithful. If many are called, yet few are chosen, the chosen are the ones who
have been found faithful. Out of the
entire world, everyone is called, only a few are chosen because those people
are faithful to Jesus until their death. Those are the ones who are glorified
at Jesus’ apocalypse [602]. Let’s look
at a short time in Paul’s life. If we
remember we saw how in Antioch, Turkey, Paul and Barnabas were asked to talk
again in the synagogue by the Gentiles.
We saw how that caused a division among the people, between those who
believed on Jesus and those who didn’t.
The unbelieving Jews stirred up the people and expelled Paul and
Barnabas from the region.
One
point to remember is that there are two Antioch’s. One is in Syria and one is
in Turkey. The Antioch in Turkey was inland. The Antioch in Syria was very
close to the coast. At this time there were synagogues all throughout the
region. Paul came to Jesus after his
crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, just like us. While his conversion was quite dramatic, we
also have to be rescued out of the snares of the devil. The difference between
Paul and us seems to be in attitude. Paul
did not shrink away from the hard things in life. He did not cower and give up. Let’s read this section in Acts from the
Message.
Acts
14:1-2When they got to Iconium they went, as they always did, to the meeting
place of the Jews and gave their message. The Message convinced both Jews and
non-Jews — and not just a few, either. 2 But the unbelieving Jews worked up a
whispering campaign against Paul and Barnabas, sowing mistrust and suspicion in
the minds of the people in the street. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in
Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
From
Antioch, Turkey, Paul and Barnabas went to Iconium, Turkey. They did miracles
there which caused a division and the unbelievers stirred up the people and
wanted to stone them. They left and went to Lystra and Derbe, both in
Turkey. Paul did a notable miracle there
and the people thought that the Greek gods had come to visit them, Barnabas was
called Zeus, and Paul was called Hermes. Zeus was thought of as the Father of
gods and men; Hermes was the son of Zeus.
The people started sacrificing animals to these gods who healed the lame
man at Lystra. Paul and Barnabas tried
to stop the people by witnessing to them about God.
Acts
14:13-18 The priest of the local Zeus shrine got up a parade — bulls and
banners and people lined right up to the gates, ready for the ritual of
sacrifice. 14 When Barnabas and Paul finally realized what was going on, they
stopped them. Waving their arms, they interrupted the parade, calling out, 15
"What do you think you're doing! We're not gods! We are men just like you,
and we're here to bring you the Message, to persuade you to abandon these silly
god-superstitions and embrace God himself, the living God. We don't make God;
he makes us, and all of this — sky, earth, sea, and everything in them. 16
"In the generations before us, God let all the different nations go their
own way. 17 But even then he didn't leave them without a clue, for he made a
good creation, poured down rain and gave bumper crops. When your bellies were
full and your hearts happy, there was evidence of good beyond your doing."
18 Talking fast and hard like this, they prevented them from carrying out the
sacrifice that would have honored them as gods — but just barely. (from THE
MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All
rights reserved.)
After
this, the unbelieving Jews from Antioch, Turkey, and Iconium banded together
and went to Lystra and stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city. They left him for dead. Imagine, people so venomous that they killed
Paul, and left him for dead. This may be the time Paul was snatched away into
Paradise, as well as the third level of heaven if in fact he was speaking of
himself in 2 Corinthians 12 1-ff. This
is the testing and trying of faith, like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:32, what
good would it do to fight wild beasts at Ephesus if the dead don’t rise?
Instead, he, like others, would say let’s eat and drink because tomorrow we
die.
Paul
lived on the edge, maybe closer to death than any of us have been, yet it
didn’t bother him, he pushed through life, even being left for dead at Lystra. But God, as the saying goes. Just
when it looks like the story is finished, God changes the situation and Paul
rises from the dead. The disciples gathered around Paul, probably praying, and
Paul got up. Where did Paul go, back
into Lystra. He didn’t hide in the desert, or run away, he went right back into
the same town where the silly people were about to sacrifice animals to him
because they thought he was a God. The unbelieving Jews didn’t seem to fear God
when they killed Paul and threw him outside the city. We have to wonder what
exactly was in their hearts when they attempted to kill Paul.
Acts
14:19-20 Then some Jews from Antioch and Iconium caught up with them and turned
the fickle crowd against them. They beat Paul unconscious, dragged him outside
the town and left him for dead. 20 But as the disciples gathered around him, he
came to and got up. He went back into town and the next day left with Barnabas
for Derbe. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene
H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
The
stoning didn’t deter Paul, he went to the next city on his list. From Antioch,
Paul and Barnabas headed west to Iconium, then southwest to Lystra and
Derbe. After making disciples in Derbe,
Paul and Barnabas turned right around and went the way they had previously come. They didn’t keep going west or south, they
went back into the same cities they had just been in. They went back into the very places where
people were trying to kill him.
Acts
14:21-22 After proclaiming the Message in Derbe and establishing a strong core
of disciples, they retraced their steps to Lystra, then Iconium, and then
Antioch, 22 putting muscle and sinew in the lives of the disciples, urging them
to stick with what they had begun to believe and not quit, making it clear to
them that it wouldn't be easy: "Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God
has to go through plenty of hard times." (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in
Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
While
I recognize this is only a small portion of Paul’s life, this snapshot is a
great example of a hard life and a hard walk. We know the back story and the
rest of Paul’s story; sold out by the Jews and eventually sent to Rome in
chains. Finally set free, Paul continued
evangelizing until Nero ascribed all the trouble with the burning of Rome on
the Christians. Paul again imprisoned at this time was killed. We have to ask what gives someone the courage
to keep fighting beasts, and imprisonment, and stoning, and the like. The Holy Spirit living inside gives us
strength and also the understanding of trying and testing keeps us moving
ahead. Some of Paul’s last words, written in 2 Timothy are quite sad.
2
Tim 1:13-15 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in
faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.14 That good thing which was committed
unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.15 This thou knowest,
that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus
and Hermogenes.KJV
While
Paul may have died thinking that all the people in Asia turned away from him,
today we can see that the foundation he laid continues to support the continued
growth of the church. Paul’s last
epistle is putting Timothy in remembrance of some things.
2
Tim 2:8-15 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the
dead according to my gospel:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even
unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.10 Therefore I endure all things
for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in
Christ Jesus with eternal glory.11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead
with him, we shall also live with him:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with
him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth
faithful: he cannot deny himself.14 Of these things put them in remembrance,
charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit,
but to the subverting of the hearers.15 Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.KJV
If
we suffer, we shall reign with Him. That
is the summation of the testing and trying of our faith. As Paul starts to wind
down his letter, he again reminds Timothy of some things.
2
Tim 4:1-2 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who
shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;2 Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine.KJV
Paul
knew that all Disciples of Christ would suffer persecution. The problem we face today is that we think
the suffering is abnormal. We have tried
to create a world where everything is like Disneyland, the happiest place on
earth.
2
Tim 4:5-8 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an
evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.6 For I am now ready to be offered,
and the time of my departure is at hand.7 I have fought a good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the faith:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me
a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at
that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing.KJV
The
proving of our faith by our actions yields a crown of righteousness. It is to our benefit that we suffer, and are
tried, because when we die we will be crowned for keeping the faith. It is time for all of us to change our
mindset to recognize that we may have been sold a Christian Disneyland
fairytale but the truth is the opposite. Therefore instead of thinking
something is wrong when we are tried, we should rejoice because we can stand
faithful until we die. When we do, we
know we will reign with Jesus and receive a crown of righteousness.
