The test. Another dreaded exam from an aging professor where it seemed no matter how hard or how long I studied, the chapters I reviewed, and notes I memorized, it was never enough to score well. There were always test items that stumped me, which I had no knowledge of and therefore had little to no hope of a high grade.

Sometimes we may feel that way with God, that no matter how hard we work at trying to be obedient and do things right, we continue to fail. That’s where the good news comes in. God knows we have a sinful nature and could never get a perfect score. That’s why He sent His Son to take the test for us. Not only did Jesus take the test and score perfectly, never sinning, He gives His perfect test score to everyone who believes in Him!

In Romans 4:5-6, Paul explains that our “faith is credited as righteousness” and that “God credits righteousness apart from works.” Obviously, we could never work our way or score high enough to attain salvation or God’s heaven. Paul goes on, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him” and “God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4:8, 24).

Faith not only permanently deletes our ‘F’ and replaces it with an ‘A+,’ but we receive Jesus’ extra credit, eternity with Him. May we thank the Lord for His grace in making a way for us to stand in righteousness before the throne of God!