I Corinthians 10:13

First Corinthians 10:13

In First Corinthians 10:13 the Bible says, "There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." Of course, this is a great verse from the Bible that tells us some very important things about temptation. First we are told that temptation is common to man. One of the things that you can be sure of in life is that you will be tempted from time to time to sin. Therefore, you must be on your guard. You will never reach the point in this life where you are no longer susceptible to temptation. When you get up in the morning you should remember that this day might be a day of temptation, and one of your goals for each day should be to find a way to avoid failing when you are tempted.

It might give you some comfort to know that you are not alone. Every human is tempted to sin. One of the many things that is common with every human being, is that everyone is tempted. The rich are tempted to sin, and the poor are also tempted. The beautiful are tempted to sin, and so are those who are not so beautiful. Every member of every race is tempted to sin. You have the same nature as all other humans, and you face the same temptations that all other humans face. Therefore, one of the things that will make you different from others is how easily or how often you fail when faced with temptation.

First Corinthians 10:13 tells us some important details about how to avoid failing when we are tempted. It says that "God is faithful." You are not faithful, but God is. If you rely on your own strength, then you have little hope to consistently prevail when tempted because you are not faithful. God is faithful. You can have great hope in victory if you learn to rely upon God. God has done certain things in order to make it possible for His children to avoid failing when they are tempted. Jesus is faithful, and part of His faithfulness means that He will always there to help you in time of need, and a time of temptation is definitely a time of need.

The Bible says that God will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able. It is true that you are no match for the devil or any of the other forces of evil. If you were left to face temptation or to face the forces of evil by your own strength, you would be quickly and easily destroyed. Of course, God is a match for the forces of evil. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. The forces of evil can do nothing except what Jesus permits them to do, and Jesus will not permit them to tempt you beyond the capacity that God has given to you. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

The way that God made man is that God has given to us a free will. The devil cannot make you do anything that you do not want to do, or that you do not choose to do. You have the power to say ‘no’, because God has given you that power. If you sin, it will be because you chose to sin, and not because the devil or anyone else made you do it.

Temptations can be very powerful when they come against you, and one reason that some people give in to the temptation is that they think that the strength and the force of the temptation will always be there. They think that they might be able to resist for a while, but that they will not be able to resist forever, so they go ahead and give in. But the reality is that the temptation will pass by, and as a matter of fact every time that you are tempted, God will provide a means to escape the temptation. God allows the temptation to happen, but at the same time He always makes sure that there is a way to escape the temptation. Jesus said, "Seek and you shall find." One of the reasons that we fail when we are tempted is because we do not look for the way to escape. You will find what you look for. There will always be a way of escape, but will you look for it?

One of the best ways to escape temptation is to simply leave the place of temptation. Jesus told us to pray to the Father and ask Him to "lead us not into temptation." When God keeps temptation away from us, we will not fail because we cannot fail if we are not tempted. But once we are tempted the Bible says that we can make a decision to get away from the place of temptation. We can turn around and go the other way. That is why Paul wrote to Timothy and said, "Flee youthful lusts," and that’s why First Corinthians 10:14 says, "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry."

It is interesting to note that when Paul talked about avoiding temptation and the fact that God will always provide an escape from temptation, the one sin that is mentioned is idolatry. Idolatry is when we love something or someone more than God, and the greatest commandment is to love God with all the heart. If we do not commit the sin of idolatry: that is, if we love God the way that we should, then we will look for an escape from temptation and we will desire to please Him. Remember when Jesus said to the disciples, "If you love me, keep my commandments?"

First Corinthians 10:13 makes it very clear that it is possible to avoid failing when we are tempted. It is possible because God is faithful, and it is possible because God will always provide a way to escape the temptation. Jesus lived as a human on this earth, and He did not fail when He was tempted. We have no excuse. When we sin, it is not Adam’s fault, it is not the devil’s fault, and it is not our parents’ fault: it is our fault. Each time we sin, it shows how little we love God. But it also shows how greatly God loves us, and how much we depend upon the forgiveness of sins through Jesus in order to be in fellowship with God.

In First Corinthians 10:15 the Bible says, "I speak as to wise men; judge what I say." The Bible is true. The Bible has the answer to how life should be lived. This passage of scripture emphasizes the fact that temptation is a part of life, and that it is important to realize that you can escape temptation. You can do it, but in order to do so, you must be prepared. You must desire to escape temptation, and you must have your priorities right. Your life, just like everyone else’s, has been a series of temptations, and one way of describing your life would be to describe how you responded when you were tempted. How much better your life would have been, had you not failed when tempted. Jesus was tempted like as we are, yet without sin and because of that He remained qualified to die for the sins of the world and to one day return in majesty and power. There is much to lose and much to suffer if we fail when we are tempted. It will be an astonishing thing at the judgment when it will be shown even more clearly that for every temptation there was always provided a way to escape, because God is faithful.

At this point in the book of First Corinthians Paul changes the subject back to that of Christian freedom, and what are the principles that should guide our actions in a world of many temptations, and also in a world of many lost people. Most people in the world do not know Jesus or walk with God. Of course, these lost people have various organized activities. What should be the philosophy of Christians when faced with some of these activities of the world? First Paul will mention Christian fellowship. There are saved people in the world and there are lost people. The relationship that a believer has with other believers is much different than that which the believer has with the people of the world.

First Corinthians 10:16-17 says, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread." When Jesus died on the cross, His body was broken and His blood was shed for us. If all of us had obeyed the principle of First Corinthians 10:13 and had avoided failing at temptation, it would not have been necessary for Jesus to die for us. This is the thing that unites all true Christians: the broken body and the shed blood of Christ. In a spiritual sense we are all the same: sinners who were saved by grace because we did partake of Jesus. All those who are saved have taken in Jesus in a spiritual sense. There are many things that divide Christian organizations and Christian people today, but there will always be one thing that will unite all true believers: the fact that we have all benefited in the same way from the blood and the body of Jesus that were sacrificed on a Roman cross.

In regards to sacrifices, Jesus was a sacrifice for us. In the days of the New Testament there were sacrifices that took place in the city of Corinth because of the pagan religions who sacrificed animals to their idols. What about these pagan religious ceremonies in which they sacrificed animals to idols? What should be the attitude of the believers in Corinth regarding these ceremonies, and what can we learn from them for our lives today?

First Corinthians 10:18-19 says, "Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What say I then? that the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifices to idols is anything?" This is the same principle that Paul talked about earlier in First Corinthians. The idol is nothing, because there is only one God. And the meat that was sacrificed to the idol is simply meat from an animal that was killed, just like any other meat. What is the issue, what is the problem then? It is the principle of separation. There are certain things that lost people do that Christians should not do because of the principle of separation.

First Corinthians 10:20-22, "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: you cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?" Never forget the importance of the principle of separation. To be holy means to be separate. Evil can have a corrupting influence, if you become too close to it. We are all social creatures and we are influenced by those around us. Our goal should always be to influence the world for good, and not to have them influence us for evil. We will only be able to do this with the proper amount of separation from some of the activities of the world. "Come out from among them, and be you separate, saith the Lord." If you are a believer in Jesus and a follower of God, then there are some activities in the world that you will keep separate from, because what is done at those activities is too far removed from the way that God wants things to be. There are places that it would be better for you to avoid because of what goes on in those places. That was true in the day of the Corinthians, and it is still true. Show me someone who will go anywhere at any time, with no questions asked, and I will show you someone who does not know how to walk with God in this world because First Corinthians 10:22 says, "You cannot be partaker’s of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils."

In First Corinthians 10:23-33 Paul sums up the subject of Christian liberty and freedom compared with Christian responsibility towards others. The Bible says, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and you be disposed to go; whatever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that showed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof: Conscience I say, not your own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved."

The goal of every Christian should be to have a positive influence on others for the sake of the gospel. That is what God does for each of us. By His Spirit He attracted us to the gospel of Christ. Because the soul of a human will live forever, there is nothing more important than to be saved. One of the things that God uses to help people realize that they need to be saved is the life that is lived by believers. The influence that believers have on those around them is a very important influence that God wants to use. In order to be the influence that God wants you to be it is very important that you live by these principles: 1. "Let no man seek his own, but let everyone seek another’s benefit." 2. "Whether therefore you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God." One of the motivations that should always be a moderating factor on your behavior is: how can I be a better influence and how will my behavior affect others? How will they interpret what I do and how will that affect them? My motivation should not be to increase my own benefit, but to increase the benefit of those who are affected by my actions.

Because Jesus gave His life for us, and because He has so mercifully and graciously forgiven us our sins, now we are motivated by the desire to please Him and to bring glory to His name. When you get up in the morning your desire should be to glorify God. When you go to work, your desire should be to glorify God through your work. When you sit down to a meal your motivation should be to glorify God, because the Bible says, "Whether therefore you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God."

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