All Faith must be Tested: we Grow and God is Glorified by the Proving of our Faith

The proving of our faith, much more precious than that of gold, must result in praise, glory, and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ; our faith needs to be tested, tried, to be approved, and this brings glory to God’s name. Amen!

On one hand, God infuses Himself into us to become our faith, our believing ability. In this sense, all we have to do is open to the Lord and place ourselves under the hearing of faith so that He may continue to infuse Himself into us as faith.

On the other hand, however, there’s the proving of our faith through our passing through trials, tribulations, and tests.

There can be no faith without testing; we can’t say we have faith yet we do not pass the test. All faith must be tested, and there are two main reasons for the testing of our faith.

First, God tests our faith so that we may grow. If we are Christians, genuine believers in Christ, we need to have our faith tested in order for us to grow in faith.

All the Christians who had their faith tested can testify that their faith has grown as they passed through these tests.

The only way that God can help us grow is by testing our faith.

On our side, we come to the Lord to enjoy Him and receive Him by faith, and we enjoy Him as grace in faith.

On His side, He arranges things, situations, and persons around us in order for our faith to be tested.

Secondly, God tests our faith not only for us to grow but also for Him to be satisfied and gain the glory.

The testing of our faith, the proving of our faith, shows that we have genuine faith.

But if we don’t pass the test, if we fail in the proving of our test, this shows that our faith needs to increase and be developed.

The testing of faith proves that we have genuine faith, and we cannot avoid the testing of faith.

We believe in God when everything is fine, when there are no problems or troubles, and when there’s peace all around.

But when we pass through tribulations, when we encounter obstacles and persecutions, and we still believe after these tests and still stand after these trials, this is genuine faith, and God gains the glory.

God is glorified when the faith of His believers is tested, for this shows that they still trust in God even after all the things they go through.

May we be humbled under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt us in due time.

Though we may pass through tests and trials, we should cast all our anxiety upon Him because it matters to Him concerning us.

May we be sober and watch, for our adversary, the devil, is like a roaring lion walking about seeking someone to devour.

Let us stand, being firm in our faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being accomplished among our brotherhood in the world.

And the God of all grace, He who has called us into His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after we have suffered a little while, will himself establish, perfect, strengthen, and ground us (1 Pet. 5:6-11). May He gain all the glory!

All Faith must be Tested: we Grow and God is Glorified by the Proving of our Faith

1 Pet. 1:7 speaks of the proving of our faith; this is the testing of our faith for approval, for in Greek the word rendered “proving” means “testing for approval.”

The proving of our faith, much more precious than that of gold, which perishes though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The faith of every genuine child of God will and must be tested; it will be tested by trials and sufferings.

Peter in his writings focuses on the Christian life under the government of God.

We all were born of water and of the Spirit, and we are in the kingdom of God as a realm of the divine life; practically, we are in the church life as the kingdom of God in practicality.

However, the kingdom has also the aspect of the government of God.

Our God is a holy God, and He carries out His government by judging; He judges us in order to perfect us so that we may be as holy as He is holy.

The judgment of God begins with the household of God (1 Pet. 4:17) so that He may purify everything until He obtains a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells.

The Lord knows our situation and He arranges all things under His government in order to carry out the proving of our faith.

He needs to get through in us first by allowing us to pass through trials, tribulations, and persecutions so that our faith must be tested.

We are put into trials because our faith needs to be tested, and approved (1 Pet. 4:13).

As we enjoy the Lord and experience Him by faith day by day, we are “preparing for the test”; when the trials come, the test is here, and we have the proving of our faith.

No one who has believed in the Lord and has received grace can avoid the testing of faith (John 3:15, 36; 1:16).

This will happen to us all, there is no exception; at the same time, there’s the grace, the supply, and the loving care of our Shepherd, who cares for our soul and will bring us all the way through.

We should not be afraid of the tests and trials, for the Shepherd of our soul will take us through, and He will not stop until we are fully transformed and glorified.

The Bible shows that there’s no faith without testing; all faith must be tested.

God tests our faith in order that we may grow in life and in faith (Eph. 4:15); no Christian can grow without first having his faith tested.

When our faith is tested, we spontaneously grow (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18; 1 Cor. 3:6-7).

We may look back at our life and realize that, though we passed through unpleasant things, trials, and tests, we now have more faith in the Lord and the level of life has increased.

Our wise God is caring for each one of us in this way; He knows exactly what the trial will be for each one, and He knows exactly what part of our being He needs to touch.

The result of the proving of our faith through trials is always our growth in life and His name is glorified.

God tests our faith, on one hand, for us to grow in life, and on the other, for Him to be satisfied and glorified, proving that we have genuine faith. It is this genuine faith that glorifies God (1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5).

May we be saved from having fake faith, faith that vanishes in face of trials and tests.

A faith that is approved is a glory to the name of God (1 Pet. 4:11; John 12:28); God’s name is glorified in this world through an approved faith.

For example, as Ukraine is under the invasion of Russia these days, the real thing at stake is not the country or people in Ukraine but God’s people in Ukraine.

They are under suffering and trials, and their faith is being tested. May they have faith to overcome whatever happens, whatever God allows to happen.

They may not understand why this happens, why there’s shelling and attacks and they have to hide in bomb shelters, but they experience the proving of their faith, and God will be glorified through their approved faith.

We see this in Revelation also, when the martyrs are praying under the throne that God would avenge them, for they paid the price, and they still vindicate God.

The Lord may not come in miraculously to rescue us out of our trial, test, or persecution; will He still be our God if He allows us to remain there?

We may not understand why this happens to us, and we may not even agree or like the test and trials, but we can exercise our spirit of faith and stand in faith, one with the Lord.

May we be those who take the lead who vindicate God, and declare our faith in God even in the midst of our situation.

The overcomers in Rev. 15 stand on the glassy sea: they conquered the Antichrist, and they are now rejoicing.

When we pass through tribulations, persecutions, obstacles, and darkness, and we still believe after these tests, and we still stand fast after these trials, this faith will glorify God’s name (1 Pet. 2:12; 4:12, 16).

Lord Jesus, we love You. We come to You to be infused with You as our faith. Cause our faith to increase and grow as we enjoy You and experience in our daily life. Save us from thinking it is strange to pass through fiery ordeals, tests, and tribulations. May we remain in faith, stand in faith, and still believe in the Lord even after passing through trials and tests. Amen, Lord, may the proving of our faith be found unto glory to God. Grow in us, dear Lord, even as we pass through trials and tests. May the divine life in us grow, and may our faith be approved for You to gain all the glory. May we have genuine faith, even approved faith. Oh Lord, may You be satisfied and glorified by the proving of our faith being found unto praise and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ!

The Proving of our Faith is Precious, for our Faith is Approved by Trial and Testing

When a student is in school, he is supposed to study; however, whether he studied, how much he studied, and whether he studied the right thing and in the right way is proved by the test.

A good student welcomes the opportunity to be tested, for he knows he is prepared for the test.

The test proves how thoroughly a student has studied and how much he knows concerning the material or subject on which he is being tested.

If a student studies diligently, he is looking forward to the examination, for he knows that this exam, this test, will prove both to the student himself and to others that he is an excellent student.

What is tested is not how he studied but whether he knows what he studied and he understands it.

Similarly in 1 Pet. 1:7, Peter speaks of the proving of our faith is much more precious than of gold which perishes though it is proved by fire.

The comparison here is not between our faith and gold; it is between the proving of our faith and the proving of gold.

Gold is proved by the purifying fire, and our faith is proved by the tests and trials.

The proving of our faith is precious, for our faith is approved by trial and testing.

This doesn’t mean that we seek to have trials and tribulations as if we’re competing in a tough competition to show everyone how strong we are.

It is God who is responsible to arrange things, situations, persons, and matters around us so that we go through trials and tribulations; we don’t have to seek the trial or test, God will take care of this.

We simply need to take care of enjoying the Lord and exercise our spirit to be filled with faith.

The proving of our faith is precious; it is precious before God and even before man when our faith is approved.

In Peter’s epistles, we see five precious things: the precious stone – Christ Himself (1 Pet. 2:4, 6-7), the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:19), the precious promises of God (2 Pet. 1:4), the precious faith (2 Pet. 1:1), and the precious proving (1 Pet. 1:7).

Our faith is precious, and the proving of our faith is also precious. The proving of our faith is much more precious than gold.

The approval of faith comes out of the proper faith; the stress here is not on faith but on the proving of faith by trials that come through suffering.

All men go through suffering, no matter whether they are believers or not.

But for us, the believers in Christ, the sufferings work out an eternal weight of glory, and the trials are for the proving of our faith.

It is part of the Christian life under the kingdom of God in this age that we pass through trials and sufferings so that our faith would be approved.

Our soul may not have much enjoyment in this world as other people around us seem to have because of the trials and sufferings, but if we endure to the end, we will enter into the joy of the Lord at His wedding feast.

May we be those who pay the price of our soul life in this age so that we may gain the Lord in full joy and enjoyment in the next age.

And may we focus on the Lord, not on the trials and tests; may we simply enjoy Him day by day, take Him as our portion, and grow in faith by contacting Him again and again.

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us the precious blood of Christ, the precious promises, the precious faith, and the precious stone, which is Christ. Hallelujah, our faith is precious, the blood is precious, God’s promises are precious, and Christ is the precious stone! Amen, Lord, may we consider that the proving of our faith is precious, even much more precious than that of gold. We do not pray for more tests and trials; we simply pray that we enjoy You and partake of You every day so that faith in us would grow. Amen, Lord, grant us the experience we need to mature in life, to have our faith perfected, and be faithful to the end!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers, and portions from, Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 24, The Overcoming Life, ch. 8, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, God’s Economy in Faith (2022 spring ITERO), week 7, entitled, Taking up the Shield of Faith, Experiencing the Proving of our Faith, and Receiving the End of our Faith – the Salvation of our Souls.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling, / And needing more each day Thy grace to know: / Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing; / We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go. (Hymns #881)
  – As we travel the pathway thru life’s shadowed valleys, / Fresh springs of His love ever rise; / And we learn that our troubles, our sorrows and losses, / Are blessings just sent in disguise. / So we’ll follow Him faithfully where’er He leadeth, / The pathway be dreary or bright; / For we’ve proved that our God is the “God of all comfort, / The God who gives songs in the night. (Hymns #728)
  – To the foe my word is always, “No,” / To the Father it is, “Yes”; / I completely would obey Him, / Though deep suff’ring may oppress. / If the Lord will save and keep me, / As I forward press with Him, / Then no trials shall prevent me, / Nor will opposition grim. (Hymns #880)