Imagine you walk into your high school algebra class and your instructor informs you of a surprise exam. She informs the class that your high school graduation and diploma is riding on this test. Those who do not pass the test will not graduate high school or receive a diploma. Not only that, but she lets the class know that the only passing grade is a perfect 100% score! If you get even 1 question wrong, you’ll fail the test. Your heart starts to beat faster, your palms start to sweat and your nervously bite your finger nails while you wait for your copy of the test that she’s handing out. You think to yourself, “I think I know this material. I’ve been doing pretty well all semester – getting A’s and B’s. Maybe I can do this.” As she hands out the exam to other students in the class looks of horror come to their eyes and you hear murmurs and complaints about the test being unfair. Then she comes to your desk and hands you a copy and you look at it. You can’t even recognize the problems on the page! It might as well be written in Chinese. Little does the class know, the test contains advanced college level calculus problems.
This may as well represent a nightmare of a student in a high school algebra class, since we know it would never happen in reality. But we all must realize that there is a “Big Test” coming. And we will not be able to “pass it” on our own merit. That “test” will occur on judgement day and those who are not “in Christ” will not pass it – guaranteed. They will be judged on whether they perfectly kept God’s law. God does not grade on the curve either. James 2:10 says “And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws.”
Fortunately for us, God grades on Christ. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. Likewise, Jesus Himself said “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death to life” – John 5:24. And He also said “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of God’s one and only Son.” – John 3:17-18.
So, you needn’t worry about the big test if you are in Christ. If you are not a believer in Christ, what are you waiting for? No one will be able to stand before a Holy and Righteous God on judgement day and claim to be a “good person”. There is no one righteous – not even one! (Rom 3:10)
1 Peter 4:12-16 