July 28, 2024 | Chris Sommer
Passage: 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.” 1 Corinthians. 10:13a
“God won’t give you more than you can handle”
“Questions had arisen over whether Christians should eat food sacrificed to idols… Some in Corinth argued that idols were not real gods, so the sacrifices did not matter, and the food could be eaten. Paul agreed that the idols were not real, but the decision of whether to eat the food was to be based on the way that other people interpreted that action.” - Lutheran Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 8-10
“Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were” 1 Corinthians 10:6-7a
“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” 1 Corinthians 10:14
Giving in to a temptation is the result of giving in to the temptation to make an idol of self.
If we give in to the temptation to make an idol of self, we are going to struggle with all of the other temptations in life, all of the other commandments.
“Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12
“The Corinthians were cocksure of their position. But then, so had the Israelites been, and they had reaped nothing but disaster. Let the self-confident take heed, lest he fall.” - Leon Morris
For many the decision to sin is not made the moment we give into the temptation; no, the decision to sin is made the moment we exchange a text or call that friend who is likely to tempt us.
There is an expectation of escape that enables us to endure temptation.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.” 1 Corinthians 10:13a
You are best equipped to share the Gospel with the person who is who you used to be.
“God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.” 1 Corinthians 10:13b
You often are given more than you can handle … alone; you are able to stand up to temptation, but only with the help of God.
First Corinthians 10:13 does not say, “You are a strong person, and you got this;” so let’s not misuse this verse to communicate that to people.
“but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape” 1 Corinthians 10:13c
Jesus provided an escape from the punishment we deserve.
Instead of God punishing us for trying to take His place, Jesus took our place. Jesus took our place on the cross and we escaped our punishment.
Jesus is the way to escape to something more glorious than any of the temptations of this world.
After Christ returns, there will be nothing that could tempt us away from His presence and His love
“That you may be able to endure it” 1 Corinthians 10:13d
With the temptation He will also provide the way of escape so that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13cd
Because you have the hope of Jesus, you can endure the temptations of this life, to include the temptation to make an idol of self.
Series Information
Have you ever heard someone take a quote completely out of context? Maybe it was from an interview or someone remembering a conversation. It can be so disheartening or even infuriating to see someone’s words used in a way that misrepresents their idea or position. Even worse, it can harm their reputation or hurt a good cause.
You may not realize it, but we can have a tendency to do the same things with God’s Words. Too often, we can take a perfectly good sounding verse, pluck it right from the chapter and use it in way that feels right, but points people further away from the Good News we have through Jesus. Even worse, we can use these verses in ways that can misrepresent God’s heart for His people, and even reinforce evil, brokenness, and sin.
In this series, we are going to place these verses back in their chapters, see the fullness of what they mean. We will discover how these fuller passages can actually bring us to a better understanding of God’s heart for us and how we can live more fully as His people in our church, families, and community.
