Trials of Life (Behle)
by Jack Behle
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 2, June 1995
If it is not certain that God knows the condition of our hearts at all times, it is certain that He could know. In I Samuel 16:7 we find, "The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” In Luke 16:15 Christ repeats this claim for his Father when he states, “.... Ye are men which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts...” God knows whether we have chosen to follow Him or be a servant of Satan.
What then is the purpose of the tests He sends our way? If He already knows how we stand, who benefits? The suggestion here is that it is we who benefit for the outcome of the test reveals our true condition to self, to others, and perhaps to Satan. We may say we are believers. We may think we are followers of our Savior, but until we have to stand with Him in the face of trial, we cannot be sure.
For example, it is said that God tested Abraham by ordering him to sacrifice his son of promise, Isaac (Genesis 22). Hebrews 11 indicates that Abraham considered the command a sentence of death and had every intention of carrying it out, believing that God could raise Isaac from the dead, if necessary. God could surely have known this without putting Abraham and Isaac through the pain of its performance. The point is that Abraham, Isaac, and their fellows could not be sure until Abraham stood with the knife poised, attempting to take the life of his precious son. Abraham needed to know that he was God’s man and that God would work out what He had promised.
Similarly, God could have delivered the promised land to the Israelites intact and with no work on their part. A disease could have struck the Canaanites, destroying the entire population, and then the children of Israel could just have settled in empty cities and towns. They would then have to take no chances, face the enemy, and drive them from the land. But no, God wanted each man’s faith tested so that he would know just where the land came from.
I do not think it was easy for each man to face larger, probably better-equipped soldiers who were fighting to preserve their homes. Even believing the promise of God that victory is ours (meaning a possession for the whole tribe), does that mean that I will survive my particular battle? Am I destined to enjoy the promised land? Thoughts such as these may have been a part of each man as he entered the battle. If God had just handed them the land, would they have known for sure with whom they stood and on whom they must rely?
A large part of the religious world sees no necessity for baptism. After all, does not God already know the condition of the heart of each man? When we say we believe, is that not enough? Even some of our brethren in the Lord speak of "Christians in prospect." Is not a mental assent the faith that saves? The indication here is that the answer is "No."
Abraham had to act on his faith to show where he stood. Each of the children of Israel had to face the enemy to let it be known where he had placed his faith. We must act on our faith and perform what may otherwise seem an unnecessary act, baptism for the remission of sins. Abraham could have declared his faith in God from the housetop, but if he would not sacrifice his son, he failed the test. We, too, may declare our faith in His Son, but if we cannot perform the comparatively simple act of being baptized for the remission of sins, we, too, must be failing the test.
Our decision to be baptized is not the last test we have to pass. It is here that they only begin. Each day, in many ways, the Christian, like the early Israelite, must face the battle of the day and declare his faith in the Son by standing with Him, come what may. When the Israelite’s faith failed, they were probably killed physically. When the Christian's faith fails, he may be killed spiritually. When he passes the test, he is made stronger; when he fails here, he sees his true condition; and even this can make him stronger. If the Christian asks for forgiveness and tries again, God will make him stand. In this way, the trials purify like fire.
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (I Peter 1:7)
Trials are never easy nor enjoyable, but when we view them as an opportunity to show where we stand and to find out where we fail, they may even be something to look forward to.
