Overview
Probation is God's test of human faithfulness and obedience. Adam and Eve faced probation in the Garden with a clear command and consequence (Genesis 2:16-17). Throughout Scripture, believers experience seasons of testing to develop faith and endurance. The principle culminates in Christ's teaching that those who remain faithful will enter His kingdom, while those who turn away will be shut out.
Key Scriptures
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" (Genesis 2:16-17, ESV)
"And Jesus said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time... and in the age to come eternal life.'" (Mark 10:29-30, ESV)
"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (James 2:26, ESV)
Application
Recognize that your obedience today determines your faithfulness tomorrow; remain steadfast in following Christ through seasons of testing.