“ 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. Therefore, my beloved, flee . . . .” 1 Corinthians 10:13-14
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today’s encouragement from the Scriptures comes from the first of Paul’s two letters to the Church at Corinth. And in these inspired words discovered in 10:13-14, we find one of the strongest encouragements in all of the Bible.
If you take a moment or two in order to get familiar with the context, you’ll see that this word of encouragement is set within the larger framework of a warning about falling into sin, the kind of sins that the Old Testament Israelites were guilty of, especially the sin of idolatry (10:1-22). One commentary suggests that this is primarily a “ warning against complacency and overconfidence” on the part of the professing believers there in the great city of Corinth. And this prideful self-dependence would ultimately reveal itself in the practice of pagan worship.
But it is the word of consolation and hope that we want to focus upon today. And we see it in two phrases from this passage. First, “ No temptation has overtaken you that is not commonto man,” and second, “ God is faithful, and he will not let you be temptedbeyond your ability.”
In the first place, we learn here that the temptations and struggles we face each day are not at all unique! Perhaps it’s just human nature to assume that our particular points of weakness, vulnerability, and spiritual failure are exceptional, and that there are few believers who can understand them, or who have even experienced them at all.
Do you ever feel that way? In a moment of weakness, or when you actually succumb to a temptation, do you ever get the sense that you are alone in this, and that no other children of the Father have ever been tempted in such a way, or have ever yielded to it? Do you ever think, ‘No one has the weaknesses I have,’ or ‘No one is as afflicted as me,’ or ‘Other believers don’t struggle with this like I do, or have to face such awful challenges’?
I would imagine that we can all answer this question in the affirmative! We’ve all felt terribly alone and isolated in our tribulations and battles with sin. And I would go so far as to even suggest that this is one of the things that is so insidious about temptation. It seems to always alienate. Despite the exact nature of the temptation, be it greed or lust or idolatry, it always attempts to disconnect us from our Father and from others, leaving us alone and often seeking to hide. And so we feel isolated. And we embrace the false notion that no one suffers with us in this exact way, no one else deals with our issues, and no one can relate to our particular pains and afflictions. And, sadly, this defective assumption leads us further down the road to even greater misery as we come to embrace the lie that our Lord and Savior has also turned away from us in our most acute time of need.
Well, here is where we must joyfully claim and resolutely believe the beautiful and eternal truth that we find in the words of the Apostle.
In the first place, Paul explains to us that there is absolutely “ no temptation” or struggle that we might possibly face that is truly unique! The sins that often overtake us are “ common” to all believers. Some of the details may certainly be distinctive, but the core temptations are all the same for everyone, no exceptions!
Now, if I may speak personally here, this really makes a huge difference to me. I find great encouragement in knowing that the temptations and wars that I face each day have confronted all of God’s people through the ages! That means that people like Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and David in the Old Testament, and Paul, Peter, and Timothy in the New Testament, all walked the same pathway of temptation as I am on! There is really nothing exceptional about what I am currently dealing with. Thus, I am not alone in my battles, or in my frequent failures! I am always surrounded by a great company of saints (and not just the dead ones, but my fellow-believers today) who can fully identify with me in my afflictions and conflicts. Every redeemed child of God has traveled on this same road of discipleship, one that is fraught with difficulty. And together, we will do so until that great Day that our Lord and King appears for a second time!
But then, there is another aspect of our assurance and encouragement for times of temptation. And it is this: Our Father in Heaven, who is perfectly “ faithful,” will never permit us to be “ tempted” beyond what we are able to endure as we are empowered by His Spirit! He Himself “ will not let you be tempted” in such a way that you are hopelessly overwhelmed! In the words of Dr. Simon Kistemaker, “ What a relief to know that God has set limits!”
Among other things, this certainly means that our Dear Father exercises His complete sovereignty over all of our afflictions, troubles, temptations, and trials! Admittedly, this involves a profound and impenetrable mystery, but it is nonetheless true enough! Our Great God and Father has, as it were, set His loving and immovable boundaries around us, and nothing may touch our lives that does not first conform to His will and ultimately achieve His eternal purposes for us!
So, in the end, your story, that of your walk with Christ through the valley of affliction and trial, is really not unusual at all. Others walk with you, just as others have walked this road before you, and this has been the case since God first called out and redeemed His Covenant people. And today, you, like every saint in Christ’s body, are also protected by your Father’s mighty and loving hand. He is the eternal Governor of every aspect and detail of your existence, even your temptations and wars!
Find your hope on this new Monday in these truths! And then, as you embrace them by faith, do what you must do . . . “ flee”! Run away from temptation, and run toward your Savior! And when you do, you will know in your own experience that we are “ more than conquerors though Him who loved us”! (Romans 8:37).
May our Lord bless you all with His great peace as you serve Him today!
I love you so very much, and joyfully labor for you in my every prayer,
Mike