“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

Can you imagine the ROAR of two million people when the waters of the Red Sea engulfed and swallowed the Egyptian chariots? Exodus 14-15 describes the great faith that came from that moment for the nation of Israel and even recounts a song that the people composed and performed for the LORD on the shores of salvation. There was a redemptive quality to the event as the band of Hebrew tribes was there forged into a holy nation before God, a people with a name and a God. It was an event that would brand itself into the collective consciousness of the people for thousands of years, so much so that when the Israelites returned from captivity nearly two thousand years later, they would liken the journey to the crossing of the Red Sea.

 It was epic.

 However, if you have ever read this story in Exodus, then you have likely also read chapter 16, where, on the heels of a great victory, the people immediately fell into sin and complaints. In fact, it happens in verse 2! This is the section of scripture that Paul employs to instruct us about temptation in our lives in 1 Corinthians 10. 

 You’re probably familiar with 1 Corinthians 10, and if not, you have at least most likely heard verse 13. It’s the verse that says that God “will not let you be tempted beyond your ability”—which sounds as if God is promising that we will never face any temptation that is stronger than we are. But that’s not exactly what God is promising. Let’s face it—there are countless temptations that we face each day that are too great for us to handle. To assert that God is promising to only allow softball temptations to come our way is to disagree with the entire biblical record. 

 So what does 1 Corinthians 10:13 mean? I’m glad you asked.

Paul never skimps theologically on the fact that Christians will be tempted. He must have hung out with James (James 1:1). That’s why he begins this section in 1 Corinthians 10 by saying something that most of us need to hear when we feel like our world is imploding—“You are not alone.“ 

There is no temptation you face that is unique among the world. Sure, it may have unique circumstances, but the core of the temptation is unchanged and is not unique (1 John 2:16). And temptation is always something you can bear… because you can flee it! 

Truthfully, however, we so often focus on the temptation in this verse that we miss the point entirely. Paul grammatically arranges the sentence with one key piece of information.

The key to this verse is God’s faithfulness. Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 10 that Israel stopped believing God was faithful, and it led them to sin time after time. Israel stopped believing God was faithful, and they complained about how they would survive from day to day when their resources appeared low (verse 10). Israel stopped believing God was faithful and abandoned faithfulness to him for present sexual gratification (verses 7-8). Israel stopped believing God was faithful, and they submitted him to a test to see (verse 9; Luke 4:12).

When we stop believing God is faithful, we become spiritually arrogant and think that we can overcome temptation by just trying harder (verse 12). When we stop believing God is faithful, we fall into idolatry. When we stop believing God is faithful, the waves of our temptation look far beyond our control (because they are). When we stop believing God is faithful, we fall to sin and destruction.

You see, these verses are not about our temptation—they are about God’s faithfulness. 

God has provided help for temptation in corporate unity with one another and spiritual unity with him in Christ. We fall to sin when we forget that and instead choose to focus our attention and affection on something else. God wants us to get to the end of ourselves so that we depend on him. That’s where we find strength!

FINAL WORD:

God loves you and has demonstrated that on full display through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8). When you are tempted, you do not need to frantically search for the escape hatch. Just believe God is faithful and continue to ask him for help in that faith. The next time you are tempted to click a link you shouldn’t, to buy something because you had a bad day, to yell in anger at your spouse because your boss yelled at you, to lose sleep over your bank account balance, would it change anything to remind yourself that God is faithful—to ask him to provide/help and then rest in that promise? Paul sure seemed to think so.

In Greek mythology, ancient sailors faced many dangers at sea. One of the most unusual was that of the sirens, who used their mesmerizing songs to lure sailors to their deaths on the rocky shore. Two famous Greeks were able to sail by them successfully.

One was Odysseus, who stopped up the ears of his men with wax and then had his men tie him to the ship’s mast. This way, his men were safe, and he was able to hear the siren’s sweet song with relatively little harm.

The other was the legendary Orpheus, who was sailing with Jason and the Argonauts. As they approached the sirens and began to hear the siren’s voices drift across the water, Orpheus took out his lyre and began to sing an even more charming melody to the men.

Orpheus, not Odysseus, represents the success we want. We can pass some tests by restricting our bodies (be tied to a mast) or limiting our access to temptation (fill our ears with wax). But in the end, the holy desires of our hearts must rise and conquer. The desire to love and follow Jesus must be a sweeter song to us than the music of the world and our flesh.

REFLECT:

Record your answer to this question in your journal: Why do you think God (in His sovereign plan for redeeming people from out of Adam’s race) has allowed our sin nature to remain inside of us following our initial conversion/salvation/baptism?