Several years ago our church started offering a leadership training course once or twice a year. The class began as a training seminary for those who had been nominated for elders or deacons. Now the course must be completed before a man can be considered for the office of elder or deacon.

At the end of the 12-week class there is a test. The exam contains a couple longer essays, short answers, and a series of questions testing basic Bible knowledge. We are careful to say that you don’t have to be a brilliant student to serve at University Reformed Church. There is much more to effective ministry than passing a written test. Much more. And yet, we do not want our staff, teachers, and officers to be biblically illiterate. Granted, people aren’t usually too excited about taking a test, but they are almost always glad to have taken the class. And more often than not, the test proves to be an edifying experience.

For fun, and for your own evaluation and learning, I thought I’d post the questions that comprised the knowledge portion of the exam. We have changed the exam in recent years, so these are not the exact questions we currently use. (I’m not going to show everyone the test ahead of time!) But this will give you an idea of the sort of Bible knowledge we want our lay leaders to have. No one gets every question right, but most people get most of them right, and a few erudite members have nearly aced the thing. I have not provided below the answers to test, because, well, it’s a test.

A. Who did the following?

1. Wrote the book of Acts?

2. Appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration?

3. Directed the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem?

4. Killed a thousand Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone?

5. Led the Israelites into the promised land?

6. Was exiled to the island of Patmos where he wrote Revelation?

7. Was going to curse Israel, but had to bless them?

8. Became the first King of the 10 tribes that broke away?

9. Rescued David from her foolish husband Nabal?

10. Was rebuked by Paul for refusing to eat with Gentiles?

B. Where geographically did the following events take place?

11. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments?

12. A silversmith caused a riot?

13. Elijah had a confrontation with the prophets of Baal?

14. Believers were first called “Christians”?

15. The river Jesus was baptized in?

16. The walls of the city collapsed after the Israelites marched around it?

17. Jesus walked on water?

18. The place where Jonah was supposed to be going when he fled to Tarshish?

19. The place where Paul was heading when he was blinded on the road?

20. The river Ezekiel was at with the exiles when he received a vision from God?

C. In which book of the Bible do you find the following?

21. Peter visits Cornelius where he learns that God accepts Jews and Gentiles?

22. Paul asks a runaway slave to be welcomed back?

23. Israel worships a golden calf made by Aaron?

24. The story of Joseph and the brothers?

25. Twelve men explore the land of Canaan, but only two trust God to give it to them?

26. God’s judgment on Israel is pictured by a prophet as horde of locusts?

27. A description of the armor of God

28. The words “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” in the Old Testament?

29. A prophet marries a prostitute?

30. The Magi visiting the Christ child?

D. In which book and chapter(s) do you find the following?

31. God first speaks the Ten Commandments?

32. The call of Abram?

33. The Sermon on the Mount?

34. The Great Commission?

35. The Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples in wind, fire, and tongues?

36. Just as Adam was the head of the old humanity, Christ is the head of the new: “Just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous”?

37. “But these three remain: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love”?

38. A religious leader hears “Unless a man is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven”?

39. Satan bound for a thousand years?

40. The three Hebrews saved from the fiery furnace?

E. Give the main topic or event of the following Bible chapters

41. Genesis 3

42. Isaiah 53

43. Romans 4

44. Psalm 119

45. Hebrews 11

46. Acts 15

47. John 17

48. Revelation 21-22

49. Luke 15

50. Exodus 3

F. Who said the following?

51. If I perish, I perish.

52. What is truth?

53. After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?…Will I really have a child, now that I am old?

54. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

55. Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in the kingdom.

56. The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?

57. He must increase; I must decrease.

58. Am I dog that you come at me with sticks?

59. I know my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth?

60. Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.

G. If you encountered the following error, to which book would you turn for help? Choose the book that best addresses the error. Use each of the listed books only once: Genesis, Job, Song of Songs, Amos, John, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 Timothy, James, Revelation.

61. “As long as you believe the right things, it doesn’t matter how you live your life.”

62. “I’m sure I don’t have any spiritual gifts. Only special people do.”

63. “We are saved by Jesus, but we also have to do our part by obeying the law of the Old Testament.”

64. “If you are sick, you must have sin in your life. Good people don’t suffer.”

65. “God doesn’t care about the poor and oppressed. That’s the social gospel.”

66. “I know God promises to bless me, but I can’t really trust him through the hard things in life, like famine, barrenness, and imprisonment.”

67. “In the end it won’t make any difference who we followed or what we did with our lives. Jesus will treat everybody the same when he comes back.”

68. “There’s nothing special about Jesus. He’s just one way among many, just another prophet or good moral teacher.”

69. “The best way to pick your elders is by looking at how successful they are in the business world. Next, consider how many degrees they have. After that, popularity matters most. Finally, if you still can’t decide, go by good looks.”

70. “The Bible doesn’t say anything about intimacy between a man and a woman. That’s too fleshly for God to care about.”

H. Arrange the following events in proper chronological order.

71-80.

a. The giving of the Law

b. The atoning death of Christ

c. Malachi prophesies

d. The promise to Abraham

e. creation and fall

f. Pentecost

g. Exile in Babylon

h. David is King over Israel

i. Paul is shipwrecked

j. The Judges rule over Israel

I. Match the verse with the doctrine it best supports. Each doctrine from the list will be used only once: providence, atonement, election, justification, immutability, sanctification, inspiration, deity of Christ, Trinity, total depravity

81. Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. 1 Peter 1:15

82. God demonstrated his love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

83. What you meant for evil, God meant for good. Genesis 50:20

84. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4

85. I the Lord do not change. Malachi 3:6

86. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not count against him. Romans 4:8

87. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1.

88. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

89. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21

90. There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. Romans 3:10-11

J. In which Old Testament book would you find the following Messianic prophecies? Books may be used more than once.

91. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

92. He would crush the head of the serpent.

93. He would come riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

94. Born of a virgin.

95. Came to preach good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, release the prisoners from darkness, proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and comfort all who mourn.

96. Would be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

97. Would be like a sun of righteousness rising with healing in its wings.

98. “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

99. Buried with the rich in his death.

100. Like a lion’s cub of the tribe of Judah.