Unit Testing

Unit Testing
2Cr 13:5-6 NIV - [5] Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test? [6] And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.

Computer programming has been developing a rather recent innovation to deal with the increasing complexity of software and, as many of us have probably figured out, the notorious level of “bugs” in software. The trouble is that complexity in software grows exponentially. If you flip one “switch” on the circuit board, you have two possible outcomes. If you have two switches, four; three switches, eight; 20 switches—over a million. There’s simply no way to ensure that all of this software works in concert all the time. A method was developed, however, to help solve this problem. It’s called “unit testing.” Unit testing is a jargon word that describes a rather simple idea—test each piece of software separately. The programmer writes code to simulate certain functions. These tests can all be run in the click of a button. If they all pass, you can be fairly certain your software works the way it should. If one or more tests fail you fix the bug(s), run all the tests again, and repeat the process. In this way, testing is a constant bombardment of your software. You must constantly challenge yourself to see if your assumptions are true.

Long before unit testing came around for software, Paul was well aware of this concept. That is why he tells the Corinthian church to “examine [themselves] to see whether [they] are in the faith.” What is the point of this? Paul’s point is that we should check to ensure that our attitude and actions fall in line with God’s Word. If we pass the test, we know “that Christ Jesus is in [us].” While most of us are, I hope, confident we live in Christ and that He lives in us, we must check to make sure that is, in fact, the case. To me, this is a daily test. We must examine our actions every day to see whether what we do falls in line with the Holy Spirit’s direction. I realize this is perhaps not the same sort of testing Paul was talking about—we aren’t questioning our salvation daily. Rather, we are looking to ensure that we are behaving as one who has been saved. Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1.18 that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Notice the tense, here—we are being saved. Salvation is a process we undergo daily. The Scripture implies that every day Christ is saving us, not from sin—for the sacrifice needed only happen once. Rather, He is saving us into His kingdom. It is the sort of salvation one receives when he does not realize he is even lost. It is the sort of confirmation, the hardening, of that which was already there. Schools test students at the end of the semester not to give them some knowledge they did not already have, but to re-enforce that knowledge.
The same, I believe, is true with continual testing of our faith. At the end of our day, we should check to see if our actions were Christ-like. If they were not, we can learn from our mistakes and not make them again. It is a method of self-checking which constantly builds us. Our tests will show that Christ is alive and well. Even if we fail them, the conviction and direction from the Holy Spirit ought to alert us that God still lives within us, that we are still His temple, in spite of our mistakes.

If you have been failing your spiritual tests, God has continual office hours. Come to Him and make it right. There’s no reason to be frightened. God is just, but He shows us mercy through His Son. We have forgiveness, and that forgiveness extends out to us every day. Praise be to God for His continual mercy and blessings of tranquility. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich