The Test of Love

by Terry Wane Benton

The Lord allows the false teachers to test your heart. Have you ever thought about it that way? Maybe you are supposed to love the Lord your God enough to check behind every teacher and preacher to see if they are telling the truth, and your job is to have enough faith and love for God to reject error and hold firmly to God’s revealed truth. If they say we are saved by “faith only”, it is a test. God is looking to see what you will do with what they said. Perhaps God expects you to tell that teacher, writer, or speaker what God said in James 2:14ff. You are being tested as to whether you truly love the Lord.

"You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 13:3-5 NKJV).

The noble and loving thing to do is to address the matter, test it, and see if it is so. "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11 NKJV).

This is what God is looking for when you read and hear anything represented as coming from God. You are being tested on whether you truly love the Lord your God with all your heart. God does not appreciate being misrepresented. That is why we are to “test the spirits”(I John 4:1-3).

Those who truly love God will know that this is very important, and those who do not truly love God will be content to let everything go and all religious claims to be equal.

Are you passing God’s tests?