Test yourselves

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – Unless you fail the test?” I am an Enrolled Agent. This is someone who is allowed to practice before the IRS to represent taxpayers. To get this certification I had to pass three tests. I had to show proficiency in Individual Tax, Business Tax, and Representation. I studied hard for each of these tests. Reading publications and Internal Revenue Code. At the time I took the test you had to pass each one before moving to the next test. I remember the day I went to take the first test on Individual Taxes. I felt I had studied really hard for this. You are given a Pass/Fail, there is no grade. You had to score at least 105 points on each test section. Each test had 100 questions, with up to 15 questions that are called experimental questions that don’t count against your score. The test is offered May 1 through February each year. I had to go to a specific testing center. You couldn’t take anything into the room. They gave you a pencil and a blank piece of paper. I remember taking a deep breath, praying for help to remember what I had studied and sitting down at the computer to begin. You have two and a half hours to complete the test. As each question came up on the screen, I selected the answer I thought best matched the question. Some I was confident about; some were a bit challenging. At the screen for the last question, I was given the opportunity to review my answers or submit the test. I hesitated to hit submit. Do I go back and change a question to maybe the wrong answer? I put the mouse on the submit button, prayed again, closed my eyes and clicked the mouse. It only takes a few seconds for the screen to display the results, but it felt like forever. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the word “PASS” on the screen. I was so excited while waiting for the verification to print eager to study for the next two tests. Each section was harder and taking each test, I did the same thing, answer the questions, pray, close my eyes and click. I passed each test on the first attempt. That was 15 years ago, yet I remember the anxiousness I felt each time I took the test. Did I study well enough? Did I study the right areas? There was no grade just a PASS/FAIL result. Only me and the IRS saw my answers. The testing center only saw the results. As I read this passage in 2 Corinthians, I thought of what it was saying. There is no score God gives us. It isn’t a 95% Christian or a 70% Christian, it is a pass or fail test. Paul said test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; if Jesus Christ is in you – Unless you fail the test.