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>> Nowhere does the passage say that only the pastors and leaders are tested or that the individual church members are tested in order to judge the leader.<<

You seem to still be trying to apply the passage to personal works for all. I’ll try this one more time.

First of all the entire chapter is talking to and about the leadership or teachers in the church. The responsibility of a teacher or pastor is to teach scripture which strengthens a believer. If a pastor or teacher only teaches milk the “lay people” will not be strong in the faith or founded enough to sustain the temptations or struggles that come to believers and will “fall away” from the faith. That is what “burned up” refers to.

On the other hand, if a pastor or teacher progresses to teaching the “meat” of scripture the people will have a deeper faith and stronger understanding and will more likely stay firm in their belief and have more knowledge to withstand the temptations and struggles that Christians go through.

There are other parables that reinforce that concept. The wheat and tares, the seeds that fall on good ground and bad ground, etc. The chapter starts out talking to the leadership of the church and when it gets to “everyman’s work” Paul is still talking to the leadership. There is no switch in thought pattern anywhere above that verse.

>>Observe, too, that your bizarre reading has the milk-fed believers burned off and the teacher saved; is that consistent with salvation by faith alone<<

Of course it’s consistent. First off the word translated “believeth” is a progressive word. That means that one must continue to believe. Salvation is dependent on continued belief. If that belief is weak, as in milk fed Christians, those people can be convinced that it isn’t real. We see that often and those people can be drawn away from true faith by false teachers or when trouble comes. It would be analogous to you using the word “bizarre” in an attempt to derogatorily put down ones belief. If I wasn’t well versed in scripture rather then just the teachings of men I might be inclined to be intimidated but I’m not. I just see it as an immature attempt to demean rather than stay founded in scripture.