1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man. God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape that you may be able to bear it."
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
I woke up this morning with this verse on my mind for some reason so I felt I needed to write about it. Paul the writer is saying that any temptation we go through is a common temptation, it is not something strange that is happening to the believer. The word temptation in the Greek is peirasmos which means trial or test.
When God is testing us, it is for our growth and edification. We see this clearly when God allowed Satan to severely afflict Job (see chapters 1 and 2 of Job). Job never knew why He suffered so greatly, but what the trials taught him is to fully put his whole life in the care of His God; even if the trials cost Job his life which they almost did.
Also, when Paul says that God will provide the way of escape that you may be able to bear it does not mean God is removing the trial from us, rather He is fortifying us through the trial that He ordained that we would endure.
Why?
Let's go to 1 Peter 1:5-9, "Who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials (same Greek word peirasmos), so that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
The Apostle by inspiration of the Holy Spirit perfectly answers why we must go through trials:
1. To test and try our faith in God (vs 7)
2. For the praise and glory of God ( vs 7b)
3. To bolster our belief in God (vs 8)
4. So that one day we will see the outcome of our faith - soul salvation (vs 9)
In Acts 9:15-16 Jesus appears in a vision to one of his servants named Ananias. Jesus said to him that Paul was a chosen vessel of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel. For I must show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.
Paul speaking to the Philippians said this, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (Phil 1:29).
We know faith to be a gift from God (Eph 2:8-9), but we are not familiar or comfortable with suffering being a gift from God, are we?
The last one that I cannot leave out is in James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing."
Notice what Paul says, count it or evaluate your trial and determine, make up your mind to be joyful. The trial itself is not joy, but our response to it can be one of joy because we know the trial has a redeeming benefit for us - to produce patience in us by the trial sent to humble us. The negative of this process is if we fail the test that God has sent our way, it can lead to a temptation to sin. Our attitude toward the trials is the key - will we choose to rejoice through the pain of the trial (Phil 3:1), develop patience and strengthen our faith in God, or will the trial defeat us and we throw up our hands, lose the battle and commit sin only to have to go through the same process all over again?
We all have to choose.
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
I woke up this morning with this verse on my mind for some reason so I felt I needed to write about it. Paul the writer is saying that any temptation we go through is a common temptation, it is not something strange that is happening to the believer. The word temptation in the Greek is peirasmos which means trial or test.
When God is testing us, it is for our growth and edification. We see this clearly when God allowed Satan to severely afflict Job (see chapters 1 and 2 of Job). Job never knew why He suffered so greatly, but what the trials taught him is to fully put his whole life in the care of His God; even if the trials cost Job his life which they almost did.
Also, when Paul says that God will provide the way of escape that you may be able to bear it does not mean God is removing the trial from us, rather He is fortifying us through the trial that He ordained that we would endure.
Why?
Let's go to 1 Peter 1:5-9, "Who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials (same Greek word peirasmos), so that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
The Apostle by inspiration of the Holy Spirit perfectly answers why we must go through trials:
1. To test and try our faith in God (vs 7)
2. For the praise and glory of God ( vs 7b)
3. To bolster our belief in God (vs 8)
4. So that one day we will see the outcome of our faith - soul salvation (vs 9)
In Acts 9:15-16 Jesus appears in a vision to one of his servants named Ananias. Jesus said to him that Paul was a chosen vessel of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel. For I must show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.
Paul speaking to the Philippians said this, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (Phil 1:29).
We know faith to be a gift from God (Eph 2:8-9), but we are not familiar or comfortable with suffering being a gift from God, are we?
The last one that I cannot leave out is in James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing."
Notice what Paul says, count it or evaluate your trial and determine, make up your mind to be joyful. The trial itself is not joy, but our response to it can be one of joy because we know the trial has a redeeming benefit for us - to produce patience in us by the trial sent to humble us. The negative of this process is if we fail the test that God has sent our way, it can lead to a temptation to sin. Our attitude toward the trials is the key - will we choose to rejoice through the pain of the trial (Phil 3:1), develop patience and strengthen our faith in God, or will the trial defeat us and we throw up our hands, lose the battle and commit sin only to have to go through the same process all over again?
We all have to choose.
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