A friend of mine is the principal at a private Christian school. He will be leaving to take the reins at another school in the next few weeks.
As a final exam for one of the courses he was teaching he wanted to illustrate the "Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." He had a few ideas and he ran this one past me and asked if I had some thoughts. I certainly did and I responded to him yesterday. I was too late! The final exam had taken place on Friday. Here is my friend's response on what happened on Friday...
Had the final on Friday. It worked perfectly though! I had spent the past three days building up this final exam as nearly impossible and that they had better spend a lot of time preparing.
I wrote out three of the most complex essay questions I could think of and then handed the test out to the class. After a few minutes of sighs of disbelief and groans of despair, I offered the class an opportunity they may be interested in. I told them that I had selected one person in the class who could take this test for them but if they chose this option then nothing they could do could change that decision.
I had not talked to the student in advance but, in front of the class I asked, "Are you willing to take this test for your friends? Some of them have worked very hard and some have put in little effort but if you take this test for them, they will all receive your grade as a gift."
Nearly in tears and shaking so badly she could barely write, she nodded her head, "yes". The student went to work and took the exam for nearly an hour while her friends sat in silence watching. Her two closest friends were nearly in tears watching her struggle. When she handed in the exam, I reminded the class that while some had worked very hard this semester and others had done nothing, none of them could have passed this test but their friend took the burden on herself for them.
I then projected a slide on the screen with a pic of the cross and "For by grace you are saved, through faith" written under it. I said, "This has happened once before in history. There was a test that we could not pass, but someone else has already taken the test for us.
All of you were very quick to accept your friend's grade when she took the test for you, but accepting the gift of the cross isn't always so easy for some. Someone else did all the hard work for you, you just have to accept the gift. Something to think about....class dismissed"
Some wandered away quietly, others sat thinking and the student who took the test later told me that was the most important thing she had ever learned in school.
Seems like I got my point across...
Jeff... you got your point across! Well done!
As a final exam for one of the courses he was teaching he wanted to illustrate the "Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." He had a few ideas and he ran this one past me and asked if I had some thoughts. I certainly did and I responded to him yesterday. I was too late! The final exam had taken place on Friday. Here is my friend's response on what happened on Friday...
Had the final on Friday. It worked perfectly though! I had spent the past three days building up this final exam as nearly impossible and that they had better spend a lot of time preparing.
I wrote out three of the most complex essay questions I could think of and then handed the test out to the class. After a few minutes of sighs of disbelief and groans of despair, I offered the class an opportunity they may be interested in. I told them that I had selected one person in the class who could take this test for them but if they chose this option then nothing they could do could change that decision.
I had not talked to the student in advance but, in front of the class I asked, "Are you willing to take this test for your friends? Some of them have worked very hard and some have put in little effort but if you take this test for them, they will all receive your grade as a gift."
Nearly in tears and shaking so badly she could barely write, she nodded her head, "yes". The student went to work and took the exam for nearly an hour while her friends sat in silence watching. Her two closest friends were nearly in tears watching her struggle. When she handed in the exam, I reminded the class that while some had worked very hard this semester and others had done nothing, none of them could have passed this test but their friend took the burden on herself for them.
I then projected a slide on the screen with a pic of the cross and "For by grace you are saved, through faith" written under it. I said, "This has happened once before in history. There was a test that we could not pass, but someone else has already taken the test for us.
All of you were very quick to accept your friend's grade when she took the test for you, but accepting the gift of the cross isn't always so easy for some. Someone else did all the hard work for you, you just have to accept the gift. Something to think about....class dismissed"
Some wandered away quietly, others sat thinking and the student who took the test later told me that was the most important thing she had ever learned in school.
Seems like I got my point across...
Jeff... you got your point across! Well done!
My iWitness...
This is indeed the "Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" The only minor difference from the story above is that Jesus, the Son of God, knew ahead of time that he was going to have to take the test of a lifetime. He saw that we were failing and willingly offered his life on the cross so that he could take on our "failing grade" and in turn offer to us his "A+"!
When I face God the Father face to face and He gets ready to give me my "grade", Jesus the Son steps in and says, "Hey Dad! Here's David's grade. I took the test for him. David gets an A."
And God says, "Do you accept this grade David?"
And I say, "You better believe it!!! Thank you Jesus!!!"
Then God looks right into my bewildered eyes and face and says, "Well done good and faithful servant. Come on in!"
Does that sound logical and fair to you?
Of course it doesn't!
If it was logical and fair then it wouldn't be what it is... GRACE!
And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!
David!
"Christianity is not based on what I do but rather on what has been done..."
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
(Ephesians 2. 8-10)
(Ephesians 2. 8-10)
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