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.

1 Corinthians 10:13–A Bit About Temptation

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 a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

There seems to be not a day that passes without some temptation that attempts to pull us away from the righteous, the good, and the godly.  Fortunately, that is precisely what this verse is about.  In it Paul gives us a certain hope for the trials of temptation, that we would find confidence in the fact that God will preserve us amidst temptation.  This is a good and awesome thing.  We should praise God for this truth and let it build a confidence within us that even though we may be tempted, we need not shrink or cower.  We can face temptation with the certain knowledge that God is securing our safe perseverance whilst we face temptation.  In response to this, I can only say this:

Praise be to God!

Man Does Not Live on Bread Alone

One of my favorite verse in all of Scripture is uttered by Christ during His temptation (Matt 4).  After forty days of fasting and prayer, Jesus is hungry and tired.  It is at this moment that Satan comes to Jesus and tempts Him, attacking His flesh, His power, and His loyalty.  As for attacking Jesus' flesh, Satan knows that Jesus is hungry and he challenges Jesus to command the stones to turn into bread.  Jesus' response:

"Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

While this may seem like a simple response to the temptations of Satan, it is quite dense with theological weight and lovely revelation.

In the first, it asserts that there is a distinct qualitative value between anything fleshly and the things of God–there is really no comparison.

In the second, Jesus' statement points to the reality that despite man's inclination to feed the soul through the belly, it is God who truly feeds us with the sustenance of eternity.

While there is so much more to be said about this single verse, it would suffice to say that when we feel the hungry voices of our bellies trying to pull us away from God in any way whatsoever, we have an example to follow in Jesus' words here to Satan.  Thank God for that!

Proverbs 6:27-28–Don't Carry Fire

Proverbs 6:27-28: "Can a man carry a fire next to his chest and not get burned?  Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?"

This whole chapter of Proverbs focuses on adultery but these two verses in particular can be applied across the spectrum.  Two questions, two poignant questions.  But could they be any more clear?

Truly, when it comes to sin of any kind, but especially of the carnal order, the most effective way to prevent sin is to keep the temptations as far away as possible.  We should not think our  resilience so strong that we need not be concerned about the weight and pull of fleshly temptations.  This would be the deadliest pride.


Instead we should admit our own proclivities as we seek God's hand of protection.  Let us put on the full armor not as an excuse to enter the battle but as an acknowledgment that the battles will take place.  Freedom in Christ comes into play here as well.  Our freedom is not only from sin but it is also from the inclination to sin too.  Thank You, Lord, that you have so saved us!  Please help us to protect the deposit of grace that You have invested in our hearts through Your Son!

Adam Gained only the Loss of Everything

Whether film or theology, the beginning is always a good place to start.  The Bible starts with the story of creation: God speaking creation and the created order into existence merely by the power of His spoken word.  Then comes the apex of God's creation: man.  Made in the image of God, man is purposed to reflect God's image and glory not only back at God but also throughout creation.

It is important to note that there is a change of name in Genesis 2.  In Genesis 1 it is God creating, but in Genesis 2 there is a transition to the Lord God.  This is a significant change, for the Lord God refers to the covenant name of God, Yahweh.  Although space is not permitting for an exhaustive look at this point, suffice to say that Moses is making a clear point to ensure the original Israelite readers (and us too) that the same Lord God who brought them out of Egypt is the One who created Adam, the original man.  Moving on...

Think about the scenario: the Lord God creates Adam and gives him everything, even a wife.  The emphasis is that the Lord provides everything for Adam.  Adam lacks nothing.  Again, Adam already had everything in God.  There was not a single thing in all creation that Adam lacked.

However, Adam willfully disobeyed God by eating of the fruit of that one tree that God forbade.  Adam did not believe that God actually had provided everything.  Instead, in the most powerful act of volition he challenged God's goodness and His promises by eating of the fruit.  This is the very essence of sin.

But it is important to note: because Adam already possessed everything, there was no thing, nothing he could do or say to merit more because he already had it all.  Therefore, when Adam ate of the fruit, he did not gain anything, it turns out he lost everything.  The willful act of disbelief in the provision of God caused a separation from the source and giver of life that Adam could not bear in life; he had to die.  This needs to be said again: by willfully not believing what God had promised, Adam gained nothing but the loss of everything.  Let us not forget this when we see the traps and snares of temptation trying to woo us away from the glory of God.

Handling Temptation like Christ

Following Jesus' baptism, Jesus went away into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.  This is the first time in Jesus' life that He confronted Satan directly, and how He handled the situation speaks volumes to how Christians should handle temptation.

In this brief episode, chronicled in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, Jesus is exhausted and hungry after fasting for some forty days.  It is at this point when Satan sees an opportunity to trip up the Son of God.  Satan proceeds to offer three different temptations for Jesus, testing the Lord in an attempt to trick Jesus into sinning.

Needless to say, Jesus handles the situation with the highest integrity and strength.  What is most striking about this episode, however, is the manner with which Jesus conquers His foe.  For every temptation Jesus replies by quoting the Scripture.  It is, in fact, the Scripture itself that is Jesus' strength and response to temptation.  This is telling.  If we could arm ourselves in the same fashion, we could resist temptation with the same strength and confidence as Christ even in our moments of utmost exhaustion.

Because of this, I wanted to highlight the three verses that Jesus quotes.  The point is not to exposit or interpret these verse, just to present them and ask that you read them, meditate on them, memorize them, and, perhaps, arm yourselves for temptation as Jesus did.

"Man shall not live on bread alone but by every word that flows from the mouth of God."

"You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve."

"You shall not put the Lord your God to the test."