“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:11-13
The Apostle Paul has been telling the Corinthians about some of the sins the Israelites committed and the consequences. He tells them that “…..these things occurred to them as examples…” 1 Corinthians 10:6 and repeats “these things happened to them as examples” 1 Corinthians 10:11.The Israelites falling into sin was recorded so we could avoid similar sins and the consequences.
How much the Lord loved the Corinthians/us to explain (speaking through the Apostle Paul) how to avoid sin and its destruction! He wants the best for all men: “… not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
First, He warns us to be careful not to be so confident in ourselves that we don’t depend on Him. Even to forget to talk to the Lord because things have always worked out before can be dangerous.
An example is when the Israelites were defeated at the town of Ai (Joshua 7). The Israelites had just miraculously won a seemingly impossible battle at the city of Jericho. Only a few men were at Ai. However, an Israelite had committed a grave sin, and there was no prayer seeking guidance. The defeat caused Joshua to cry out to the Lord. The Lord explained the reason for the defeat, and, after it was dealt with, the Israelites could conquer Ai.
Another time Joshua didn’t check with the Lord before making a treaty with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9). Joshua was a godly man, but he forgot to consult the Lord and so was deceived by the Gibeonites.
To think we don’t need to depend on the Lord even in little matters is a form of pride:
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 None of us is beyond temptation and deception.
Second, God lets us know that when we are tempted we are not alone: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man”. All men are tempted and every temptation is common. Even Jesus was tempted:
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1 (See Mark 1:13 Luke 4:2) The devil tried to get Jesus to turn stones into bread when he was weak with hunger. The devil tries to get us to sin when we are weak.
“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18 As God, Jesus understands all things. And He also became fully man but without sin. He suffered as we do (and more) to show His love for us. We can look to Him and know that He went through all we go through. He shows us how to deal with temptation.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrew 4:15-16 Because of this demonstration of His love for us, we can know how much He loves us and can “approach the throne of grace with confidence”.
The Bible tells us how temptation works:
“When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:13-15 We give way to temptation because of our sinful nature.
Third, He encourages us by letting us know He will save us: “God is faithful”. We can keep from falling because of God’s character; we can always trust God.
Fourth, He tells us the solution—how to keep from falling into sin. In the specific circumstance of each temptation, why can we trust Him? Because “he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” He knows each one of us and will never let us “be tempted beyond what you can bear."
We should be alert to God’s “way out” when we are tempted. If we escape and notice after the fact that God has provided a “way out”, we should thank God and marvel at His wonderful deeds. If we don’t take advantage if His kindness and do fall into sin, God is still faithful. We may suffer consequences and cause harm, but every situation can still bring Him glory even if as David declared after his horrible sins of adultery and murder:
“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” Psalm 51:4
It is so good to know we don’t have to sin. God warns us, encourages us and provides a way out. The solution is to always depend of Jesus.