Friday, February 14, 2014

1 Corinthians 10:13–Escaping Sin's Temptations

1 Corinthians 10:13–"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."

At the onset two observations must be made.  First off, we should remember the beginning of this verse that there are no unique or new temptations.  We should, then, not spend too much effort focusing on the nature of our temptations, and we certainly should not allow ourselves to fall prey to the lie that no one else can "know what we're going through."  In truth, this sort of isolation will only end in our demise and the temptation's victory.

The second observation to be made about this verse is a simple, three-word phrase: God is faithful.  So much can be solved if we would only remember the reality of this statement.  If we would only place this at the centre of our lives we may find that it is true and provable not merely as a theological assertion but, much more so, it would proven true in our very own lives.

In addition to these, it would be lacking for me not to also point out one too-oft overlooked truth: temptation is not the same as sin.  Just because we are tempted should not dissuade our certainty about Christ's grace or God's justice.  There is purpose in temptation, namely that through temptation our righteousness, which is found solely in Christ, will be refined and made more sure.  The point is not that we are tempted but how we will handle those temptations when they arise.

But through all this, let us remember this:

God is faithful.

Amen.

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