EXAM I HATE

By Rick Mathes

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB77) 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?

Isn’t it interesting that the oldest New Testament fragment in the Vatican library is a torn corner of a page that clearly asks Pilates question to Jesus, “What is truth?” That question has hounded me from my earliest memory as a struggling teenager on the streets of Detroit Michigan. I now know, of course, that my Lord is the way, the truth and the life, amen!

But could you examine yourself and say that you truly walk in the truth at all times? I doubt it. Say for example there was a video screen on your forehead and speakers on each of your ears. Got the picture, so to speak? Now imagine that every thought you have is projected and heard by the Lord and all those within sight and sound of you: that which is in the deepest recess of your mind exposed for everyone to know the real truth. How horrifying!

Apparently you are a hypocrite like the rest of us; a saved hypocrite I hope. How shocking? I don’t think so. We all fall short of the holiness we are commanded to pursue. This doesn’t excuse us from talking self-examination and working the rest of our lives to improve the grade.

There’s not much hope for you if your spiritual studies or “boning up” for the exam. This is just a superficial effort to appease those that you are sucking up to. A counterfeit Christian is the most despicable chuck of sewer waste any human can descend to.

Or worse yet, you may have them all fooled by your apparently passionate efforts to be heavily involved in church activity. The more works the better! This camouflage only lasts until the Son rises and your dungeon of darkness is truly revealed as your instant gratifying hogwash you call “committed to the Church.”

So if you are a hypocrite, superficial or heavily involved in church, you need to put your face in the mud, the blood and the tears at the foot of the Cross and repent, submit and obey.

Or are you afraid you might get a failing grade and flunk the final exam when He returns? Afraid?  You should be terrified!