A Promise for Every Temptation
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Paul has just walked the Corinthians through Israel’s failures in the wilderness and warned, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (10:12). Then, in the very next breath, he gives one of the most encouraging promises in all of Scripture. No temptation that comes to us is unique. God is faithful. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. And with every temptation, He provides a way out.
Words Mean Things
Most translations carry this promise clearly. Goodspeed says God “can be depended on, not to let you be tried beyond your strength.” Beck and the NCV both say simply, “you can trust God.” Phillips puts it beautifully: “He will see to it that every temptation has its way out, so that it will be possible for you to bear it.”
But not every translation gets it right. Knox renders the verse, “Not that God would play you false; He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your powers. With the temptation itself, he will ordain the issue of it, and enable you to hold your own.”
When I first read Knox, I knew something was wrong but couldn’t put my finger on it. Once it settled with me, I began to understand what was so off. Words mean things, and the words he chose cast a very bad light on the character of God. “Not that God would play you false” raises the idea that God could deceive us, even while denying it. “He will ordain the issue of it” makes God the one arranging how the temptation turns out. Both are convoluted and off the mark. The text is showing us a faithful God who provides a way out.
How we picture God matters. A God who might play us false, or who ordains the outcome of our temptations, is not a God we can trust. The God Paul presents is dependable and faithful, always on our side.
Resources, Options, and Supports
The Remedy draws out just how much God provides: “God is reliable and trustworthy; he will not allow temptation beyond your ability to resist, but when you are tempted, he will always provide resources, options, opportunities, supports, and alternate ways out so that you can stand your ground and overcome the temptation, thereby growing stronger with each victory.”
Notice what the text does not say. It does not say we overcome in the strength of God. It says God will provide a way for us to escape, to endure, to overcome the temptation. He supplies the way; we choose to walk in it. And with each victory, each time we grasp the hand of the Lord and follow His leading, we are stronger to do it again the next time.
Why We Look for the Easy Way
We talk ourselves into many wrong actions by allowing our minds to look for an easy way around the duty we know we should be doing. Change is never easy, but the truth is that every change for the better increases the quality of our lives.
The time of change can be uncomfortable: learning something new, accepting that I have been wrong in my understanding or my actions. That is always a hit to the pride. But knowing the new way of thinking or acting is going to increase the joy in my life is encouragement enough to accept the humbling of admitting my wrong, and the learning curve (which I am so tired of) becomes endurable. The outcome, the changes in myself, makes it all worthwhile.
Never Alone in the Climb
We are never alone in our struggles with ourselves. Anyone who is not working on doing better is just drifting through this life, wasting the years here, ensuring that this sad, sorry life is all they will ever have.
Life is an uphill climb; the joy comes as we develop the spiritual and emotional muscles to make the climb. Exercising our talents, becoming more than we ever thought we could be: this is the glorious, victorious life, the beginning of heaven here on earth. To be an overcomer now. To walk each day breathing the air of heaven. To go to bed each night knowing you have broken faith with no one, that all your good intentions were kept and all the good you were able to do that day was done. This is living the victorious life. This is truly living.
The promise is here: no temptation will be too strong for you. You can do this. Why? Because Christ, your big brother, has gone this way before you. He has prepared a way out of every trial and temptation. These times are for growing, for becoming more.
The Cost of the Easy Thing
Don’t waste these times with fear, regret, or failure. When temptation comes, embrace the opportunity to grow that you are holding in your hands.
You can do the easy thing, give in and lose this opportunity for growth, but look at the cost: breaking faith with yourself, with God, and with everyone your influence touches. The outflow of a bad choice will continue to affect lives far beyond our small minds’ ability to comprehend. Nothing we do is without effect.
The effect on ourselves is devastating enough, but knowing that our selfish actions have brought pain or heartache to another soul can be the strongest deterrent of all. The more we understand about how love works, who God is, and the truth in our own hearts, the easier it becomes to accept our personal responsibility and stand in the place God has created for us to fill. We are each a perfect fit for the work and ministry the Lord has put in our hearts to do.
Stronger Every Time
God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, and He has already prepared the way out. The next time temptation comes, look for the way He has provided. Take His hand and follow His leading. Each victory makes you stronger for the next, until walking in His way becomes the natural rhythm of a life lived in the air of heaven.
