As
Paul continued to exhort the church members in Corinth not to engage
in “idolatry, fornication and
murmuring”
which were practiced by the children of Israel who wandered in the
wilderness, he warned them, “let him
that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”.
In chapter ten and verse thirteen of
First Corinthians, Paul told the Corinthian church members “there
has not temptation taken you but such as is common to man”
where we read:
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.
The verse begins,
“There
has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:”
Paul began
with the words, “There has no”
which means “not one and no” “temptation”
which refers
to “in the way of experiment, attempt, trial or proving” “taken
you” or
“has
taken hold, been carried, owned or possessed by the church members”
“but”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “such
as is common to man”
which is all one Greek word “anthrōpinos”
and refers to “that which is applied to things belonging to all
people”. Paul stated there was not a “trial or proving” that
was experienced by the Corinthian church members that did not happen
to everyone.
The
verse goes on to say, “but
God is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are
able;” Paul
added the word, “but” which
is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “God”
which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised
of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “is
faithful”
or “trusty and shows Himself worthy of trust and may be relied upon
in the transaction of business, the execution of commands and the
discharge of official duties”, “who
will not suffer you”
which means “God will not let, allow or permit the church members”
“to be tempted”
or “to experience trial, testing, proving to test their faith,
virtue and character by enticement and temptation to sin” “above”
which means “beyond and more than” “that
you are able”
or “the church members had the ability and power whether by virtue,
resources, state of mind, favorable circumstances or permission of
law or custom”. Paul shared the promise that no one would face a
“temptation”
or “trial” that was “beyond” that person's capacity to handle
it.
Finally
the verses says, “but will with
the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to
bear it”.
Paul finished the verse with the word, “but”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “will”
or “shall intend with purpose” “with
the temptation”
which means “beside and alongside the way of experiment, attempt,
trial or proving” “also”
or “even and indeed” “make
a way to escape”
or “produce, make ready and prepare an egress, way out and exit”,
“that you may be able”
or “so the church members might have the power by their own virtue,
ability, resource and state of mind through favorable circumstances
or by permission of law or custom” “to
bear it”
which means “to endure and carry it from underneath”. God's
promise, according to Paul, was that He would provide “a way out,
exit or egress” from the “temptation”
so the person who is “tempted or tried” would be able to “endure”
it.
When
we meditate upon these words from Paul, we discover that there is
never a “trial or temptation” that is exclusively one
person's over another. The “temptations” we face are
“common” to everyone, however, God always provides a way to
“escape” those trials. Jesus Christ desires a relationship
with us that is dependent upon Him and His strength, and if we are
facing a “temptation” that seems too difficult to resist,
let us turn to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to reveal the “exit”
that will keep us “pleasing” to Him.
Next
time Paul exhorts the church members, “flee
from idolatry”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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