Sticky Scriptures: 1 Cor. 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.” – 1 Cor. 10:13
Another “Sticky” Verse
Sticky: difficult to understand in light of one’s current situation.
As a follower of Christ battling against my sexual sin, I’ve turned to this verse many times for comfort and hope. When I feel like my body might spontaneously combust if I don’t give in to temptation, I remind myself of this promise. If I’m being honest though, there have been many times when this promise rang hollow. It can feel like I am being gaslit - being told one thing when the truth is something else entirely.
If God is so faithful, why does it feel like he has abandoned me when temptation is at its strongest? If he provides a way of escape, why do I feel so trapped and enslaved to my sexual sin? How is it that I can read this passage and then relapse ten minutes later? Why do I feel so “overtaken” by my temptations?
Sometimes it feels like this verse is tone-deaf, or naïve. If God knew the kinds of temptations I face, he wouldn’t be so free with his promises.
Sometimes it feels like this verse just isn’t true…
A Struggling Church
For some context, Paul wrote this letter to a small group of young, immature believers who were trying to be faithful to Jesus. The challenge was they were living in a culture that seemed custom made to entice them and lead them back to their former way of life. Corinth was a major seaport and a multicultural melting pot. The culture was polytheistic (many “gods”) with many temples and shrines dedicated to idols, some of which were intended to be worshiped through sexual acts with temple prostitutes.
Virtually all aspects of social life involved some form of pagan worship. One scholar says, “For most people, to have a good time with their friends involved some contact with a god who served as guest of honor, as master of ceremonies, or as host.”
In other words, living life in the pagan city of Corinth meant that even normal everyday things, like having dinner with friends, meant you were participating in pagan worship to some degree. And the Corinthian church was beginning to make compromises. They started to let their guard down. A lack of appreciation for the holiness that God requires of his people began to develop.
Paul, filled with love and concern for these believers, addresses a litany of problems within the church in the first 9 chapters, including division over leadership, confusion about authority, lawsuits among believers, married life, singleness, and food sacrificed to idols. Interestingly, Paul links many of these topics to two major issues: sexual immorality and idol worship.
Chapter 10 warns the Corinthian church to guard their hearts against idolatry: the worship of anything or anyone that is not God. Paul reminds his audience of the Israelites who, after personally experiencing the miraculous provision of God through signs and wonders, still desired evil and fashioned a golden calf to worship (Exodus 32). They were idolaters, committed gluttony and sexual immorality, put the Lord to the test, and ultimately suffered God’s judgement when they refused to repent.
Paul says these things happened so that we would have an example, a warning really, of what NOT to do. And, almost as if he could read their minds, he warns that if they think they are any better than the Israelites, for them to “take heed, lest you fall” (v. 12).
It is here, then, where we come across Paul’s reassuring promise:
“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.”
Temptation: Cruel or Crucial?
“No temptation has overtaken you…”
A few things about temptation should be made clear. First, scripture teaches that God “tempts no one” (James 1:13). He is not the author of evil. He certainly allows it, but he has never been and never will be its direct source.
So who or what is the source of temptation? The Bible says it’s a combination of the devil (Matt. 4:3) and our own desires (James 1:14).
But why does God allow temptation in the first place? Wouldn’t the loving thing be to spare us the suffering and pain that temptation brings, especially when we fail to resist it? Isn’t it cruel for God to allow us to be tempted?
No, and here’s why:
Temptation, along with other forms of suffering, are part of what God uses to accomplish two things: to help our faith in Him grow stronger and to bring Himself glory.
Here’s a crazy idea - God actually has your best interest at heart! He wants the best for you. He knows that an untested faith is a weak faith. Though it may seem strange, we can rejoice because suffering (i.e. temptation) produces endurance, character, and hope (Rom. 5).
Consider the man born blind in John 9. The disciples ask Jesus who sinned, the man or his parents that he should be blind? In other words, why was this man suffering? Jesus said it was neither. The reason this man was experiencing suffering was to put on display the glory and power of God. Jesus healed the man and even we, thousands of years later, are marveling at the power and glory of God. This man’s suffering played a significant role in Jesus’ ministry. Who could ask for a greater legacy?
God allows you to be tempted, but he will always give you what you need to resist. When you trust in him in the midst of temptation and choose the way of escape he provides, God is glorified. And believe it or not, the Bible actually describes this as a form of worship!
Look at Romans 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
When you resist temptation (especially sexual temptation), you are presenting your body as a living sacrifice, an offering of worship. You’re literally worshiping God by fighting your sin.
When I learned this, the struggle against my sin took on so much more meaning. There was a clear purpose in my struggle! In his wisdom, God was allowing me to experience temptation not only for my own good, but also so that he would be glorified and worshiped through my obedience and trust.
A Universal Struggle
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.”
As I’ve walked this road of recovery, it’s been easy to think many times that I was a solo traveler. I’ve felt like a freak. It seemed like everyone else knew the secret to holiness, everyone else had their sexuality under control. What was wrong with me?
When I finally came clean and brought my sin into the light, when I told a trusted brother my struggles, I learned the truth: I wasn’t alone on this road.
The more I confess my sin to other men, the more I realize how universal this fight is. This really is every man’s battle. I was given a renewed hope. Not only was I not alone in my recovery journey, but there were many on the road ahead of me who have had victory over their sexual sin. It was possible – I could be one of those men.
You’re not alone. There is hope.
The Faithfulness of God
“God is faithful…”
So where does the hope of victory over temptation lie? Is it in attending groups, setting boundaries, or putting filters on your devices? These are all helpful things to do and you should do them, but they are not where you should find your hope. The reason you can take the check of 1 Corinthians 10:13 to the bank is because God wrote it (literally). He’s the anchor to which this promise is chained.
The faithfulness of God is a major theme for Paul. In 1 Corinthians 1:4-9. He writes of how we have been given everything we need through Christ, that we are not lacking in any gift, and that Jesus will sustain us to the end. Why? Because God is faithful. In 2 Corinthians 1:18, he exclaims that, as sure as God is faithful, all the promises of God find their “yes” in Jesus.
The promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13 is valid and true because of Christ.
Jesus: The Ultimate Hope for the Tempted
Consider this unbelievably good news found in Hebrews 2:17:
“Therefore [Jesus] had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
And in Hebrews 4:15-16:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan (Matt. 4). He was tempted in “every respect” so he knows exactly what you’re going through. Thankfully, he had victory over his temptation, and he is able to help you have victory over yours.
Many temptations are unavoidable and unpredictable, but there are also many that you can see coming from a long way off. For instance, will you be tempted to look at porn if you are alone at night with unfiltered access to the internet? How about having social media apps on your phone?
Don’t make it harder to resist temptation by testing dangerous waters. Everyone has enough unwanted thoughts and desires as it is, so don’t invite them in unnecessarily. The fewer opportunities for sin you leave yourself open to, the fewer battles you’ll have to fight in the first place.
“Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom. 13:14).
The Way of Escape
“…with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape…”
This is important to remember: while he promises to provide a way of escape, God is not giving us a guarantee of success against temptation. It’s still possible to give into our sinful desires, even as believers.
When we fail to resist temptation, God isn’t breaking his promise, we’re failing to take advantage of it. The escape route exists, but we still have to choose to take it.
So what is this way of escape? Consider the next verse: “…flee from idolatry.” Earlier in 6:18, Paul says to flee from sexual immorality. In 2 Tim 2:22 he says to flee youthful passions. There are many instances where Paul links idolatry and sexual sin, and we should respond the same way to both impulses: Flee!
Interestingly, this differs from how Paul tells us to engage in warfare against Satan. When it comes to the devil and his minions, we are to stand firm against his schemes (Eph. 6:10-18). But when it comes to idolatry/sexual immorality, Paul says, “RUN!”
I think of Gandalf, a powerful wizard in the Lord of the Rings. He and his friends are making their way through a treacherous subterranean path fraught with dangers. Along the way, they encounter enemy troops and are able to defeat them together. Then they find themselves up against a new enemy, a Balrog. This ancient demon of fire is too strong for a direct attack, so Gandalf yells to his friends, “RUN!”
We should be sober minded about our ability to stand up under a sustained onslaught of sexual temptation. The stronger the temptation you are experiencing, the more urgent it is that you remove yourself from the source of that temptation. Remember, as an addict, you are an expert at lying to yourself. The further you get down the addictive cycle (trigger, craving, ritual, using, guilt, repeat), the harder it will be to take that way of escape.
When Paul talks about fleeing, he means it in a very literal sense. This is what Joseph did in Genesis 39 when his master’s wife tried to get him to sleep with her. He ran out of there so fast he left his jacket behind! I’ve done something similar in my personal life. One time I was triggered and felt myself starting to go down that familiar and dangerous mental pathway. Once I realized what was happening, I jumped on my bike and made tracks. It wasn’t long before the temptation subsided and I returned home.
Another way of escape is calling a friend. After telling Timothy to flee youthful passions in 2 Tim 2:22, he says to, “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Paul knows our chances of successfully resisting temptation and seeking God go way up when we humble ourselves and reach out to a fellow brother in Christ in our time of need.
Anything but easy
“…he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
When we read the promise of 1 Cor. 10:13, we often unknowingly attach an additional promise: God is going to provide the way of escape, and that way will be easy and painless.
This just isn’t the case. Paul says, “[God] will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” The word translated here as “endure” is used two other times in the New Testament. It’s used in 2 Timothy 3:11 when Paul is describing how he endured the pain of being stoned and left for dead. Peter also uses it when encouraging servants to endure the mistreatment of their masters following the example of Christ’s sufferings on the cross (1 Pet. 2:19).
The way of escape Paul is describing is not a level path with smooth pavement and climate controlled rest stops every few miles. It’s a way that requires endurance. It’s an up-hill climb. You will become exhausted. It might cost you some blood, sweat and tears. It will not be easy.
If you know this ahead of time and prepare yourself for it, you won’t be looking for the “easy way out” when it’s time for battle. This is a significant part of what it means to be a Christian, isn’t it? Jesus never promised an easy path. He told his disciples they had to deny themselves and take up their crosses to follow him (Matt. 16:24).
Putting it Into Practice
At the end of the day, it comes down to this: do we trust God or not? Do we really believe He has our best interest at heart, that the way of escape he gives us is the best possible way to go, even if it’s also the most difficult?
As I find more and more victory over my sexual sin by the Spirit’s power, I can say with conviction that the fight is worth it. It is possible to resist temptation and to escape its grasp because, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Pet. 1:3, NLT).
He won’t give up on you. He’s given you what you need to defeat your sin. Keep fighting, brother. Trust in this precious promise from a faithful God.
