Why does God test the faith of believers

  • Thread starter Thread starter thursday63
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

thursday63

Guest
I have a vague recollection of scripture that this leads to one thing after another and the final thing is hope, Does anyone know the verse I am thinking of? I just found Rom 5:3-5 but it was about suffering. I still need a scripture about why God tests the faith of believers.
 
Last edited:
So that we discover for ourselves that the way to true happiness is through accepting the cross?
don’t know the scripture verse sorry
 
thursday63 said:
I have a vague recollection of scripture that this leads to one thing after another and the final thing is hope, Does anyone know the verse I am thinking of?
Click to expand...
Romans 5
Peace and Hope
5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

[a] Romans 5:1 Many manuscripts let us
Romans 5:2 Or let us
[c] Romans 5:3 Or let us
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I was thinking about Rom 5:3-5 but that addresses suffering. I need a scripture reference to explain why God tested Abraham when he asked him to sacrifice Isaac.
 
You mean this:
‘By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your descendants be named.” He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back’
Hebrews 11:17-19
 
We are treated as metal is tested, not as in a “what is he gonna do?” sort of way.
It makes us stronger.

With Abraham, many factors at play. He’s the kid promised to fulfill the promise of God.
 
At Genesis 22:1 it says that “God tested Abraham.” The Hebrew word for “tested” is nasah. It actually means “to tempt” as tempt into doing something unfaithful.

This would seemingly go against the text at James 1:13, which reads: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘I am being tempted by God.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does God tempt anyone.” The Greek word for “tempt” here in James is peirazó, and it has the same meaning as the Hebrew word in Genesis. While it can mean “tempt,” it basically means “test” as the word in Genesis. But does this mean that James is wrong?

First let me clarify that I am Jewish. While I am not advocating Christianity, I am teaching from a purely academic point of view that James isn’t lying. How can that be so?

Well, that’s because the story in Genesis isn’t as literal as some hold it to be. While definitely a touchstone of both our faiths, the story of Abraham being tested by God is more like the story of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. If you’re an American, you were probably taught that was factual history. But Paul Revere never made that “famous” ride. He was captured by the British, and instead it was Samuel Prescott, a companion of Paul Revere, who actually gave the warning. History doesn’t honor Samuel Prescott however. Instead American school children are given the details of a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow entitled Paul Revere’s Ride.

The same goes for the story of Abraham being tested by God. Did God personally test Abraham? No. James is right. But the story in Genesis isn’t useless. It does teach us that God allows us to face tests and to learn from them. We won’t be spared them.

James teaches that God doesn’t cause the tests. Just as in the case of Job, God wasn’t the cause. Why does God allow them? When Job asked God, even though Job was said to be the most righteous man on the earth at the time, God neither spared Job nor gave Job the answer to his question. Instead God reminded Job that there were things beyond Job’s ability to comprehend. God questioned Job with things too marvelous for Job to answer. Job understood that mortals cannot grasp the issues regarding suffering.

So even though I am Jewish, I can agree with James. God does not tempt or test people. When suffering comes your way, it is not of God. God is there, but God is not going to necessarily step in and stop things from happening. Being righteous doesn’t make you somehow special and mean you get to be spared something that the evil must go through. “God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45) You will not be spared either just because you are a believer.
 
God tests our faith to reveal it to ourselves.
Peter 1:7
so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Click to expand...
2 Cor.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!
Click to expand...
1 Cor
.the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.
Click to expand...
James 1-3
because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance;
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Thank you Midge for your response. The quote I thought I was looking for was Rom 5:3-5

3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Catholic Biblical Association (Great Britain). (1994). The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition (Ro 5:3–5). New York: National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

But I searched the question section of the main page www.catholic.com and got a hit to the question Why did God test Abraham. The priest writing the answer said it was not for God’s benefit since he already knew what Abraham would do but for Abrahams benefit so that he would know what he was capable of.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
thursday63 said:
I have a vague recollection of scripture that this leads to one thing after another and the final thing is hope, Does anyone know the verse I am thinking of? I just found Rom 5:3-5 but it was about suffering. I still need a scripture about why God tests the faith of believers.
Click to expand...
Or could it be James 1?

2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Or 1 Peter 4?

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of gloryand of God rests upon you.
 
Last edited:
Another user just sent me Jam 1:2-4

2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
 
Last edited:
God tests our faith to proof our faith making us stronger, contrast that with Satan, his goal is to tempt us to make us fall and fail. At the end of testing we have a testimony.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top