Why does God test us?

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Perhaps the most famous passage of testing in the Bible...

Gen 22:1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
Gen 22:9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
Gen 22:10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Gen 22:11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
Gen 22:12 He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;

This passage challenges some preconceptions about God. I believe God is omnipotent. I believe God knows the future... and yet.
in Gen 22:12.. God says... "now" I know... as if He didn't know before. Some people believe God withholds some future knowledge even from Himself.

Deut 8:2 "You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Again... you have to wonder... why did God test these people, if He already knew the outcome? Of course they did not pass the test. They even built a golden
calf to worship. As a result of this... most of them did not enter Canaan.

Heb 3:17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
Heb 3:18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?

Some say, the testing is more for us to see the results, that for God to see the results.

Deut 13:1 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
Deut 13:2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,'
Deut 13:3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deut 13:4 "You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.
Deut 13:5 "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.

Sometimes God will send others to test us. He certainly allows us to be tested. Even to see if we will follow false prophets and false teachers.

Zech 13:7 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate," Declares the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones.
Zech 13:8 "It will come about in all the land," Declares the LORD, "That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it.
Zech 13:9 "And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' And they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"

Most scholars consider this to be a prophecy about Jesus, and the nation of Israel. It's true that a few centuries after Jesus ascended back into heaven
Israel ceased to exist as a nation for a while. (until 1948) But Jews never left the region entirely. It's very possible that a third of the people remained.
But if they did remain there... they would be tested.

 

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Isa 48:9 "For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off.
Isa 48:10 "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
Isa 48:11 "For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.

Sometimes God tests us, simply for His own sake. It's part of a greater plan. I will diverge slightly here on this passage.
"My glory I will not give to another"... and yet I wonder how many Christian artists we give Gods glory to? It's almost like some of them are
worshiped. Even worse how many non-Christian artists do we have posters on the wall of?

Exod 20:19 Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die."
Exod 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin."
Exod 20:21 So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

Is there any verse in the Bible more relevant than this one right now today? People have lost the fear of God. They don't respect Him
or hold Him in awe. It seems many believe that God is "just a good ole boy". They are going to pat Him on the rear when they get to heaven and tell Him what a great guy He is.

 

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Then of course we have Job. This is a hard book to understand in some ways.

Job 1:8 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil."
Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
Job 1:10 "Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

In Job 1:13-20 Satan takes all of Job's property and children. Some people find it appalling that God would allow Job's children to be killed
just for the sake of a test. ...and yet despite all of that, Job remains faithful. Job passes the first test.

Job 2:3 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause."
Job 2:4 Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
Job 2:5 "However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face."
Job 2:6 So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life."
Job 2:7 Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
Job 2:8 And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.
Job 2:9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!"

As if the the test of chapter one wasn't enough, God allows Satan to test Job again. I have noticed in my own life, sometimes when you pass a test, God allows you to be tested with an even harder test. Passing the first test in no guarantee you won't be tested again.

 

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Most of the scriptures I have posted so far.. are in the Old Testament, but what about the New Testament? Does God still allow people to be tested?

Jas 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
Jas 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Jas 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

It seems, even our very faith is tested. If it's a gift from God, why would it need to be tested?

1Pet 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
1Pet 1:7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1Pet 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Often, it is this very act of being tested.. that proves your faith in God. I have personally known people who have given up on God because they faced some traumatic experience in their life.

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;

Could any of us kill our children because God asked us to? ...and yet, Abraham was willing to do so.

Luke 22:31 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
Luke 22:33 But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!"

Satan needed God's permission to test Job. It seems Satan still needs God's permission to test us even today. But even so... God allows us to be tested. Unlike Job, Peter didn't do so good on his test. He told Jesus he would follow Him til death and prison, but yet when the time came, we all know what happened. Peter denied Jesus three times.

 

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But the question remains... if God already knows the outcome of our testing in advance.... why does He allow us to be tested?

Jas 1:12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Jas 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

Could it be... we have to pass a test of faith at some point?

Rev 2:10 'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Is it possible, that just saying we believe isn't enough? Sometimes.. we have to prove it.

2Cor 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 indeed you fail the test?