1 Corinthians 10:11-13 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

To keep us from falling, Paul offers these helpful truths. First, we live in a special time in world history. “The fulfillment of the ages has come.” We see God’s promise kept. We look back on Jesus becoming a man and living in our world, shouldering our sins as our substitute, taking our sins to the cross and dying to pay for them all there. We live in the certainty of a resurrected and victorious Lord who has forgiven all our sins, conquered death, and now rules over the universe to bless and benefit his people. The love God showed to make us his own, and the blessings we can claim by keeping the faith, are clearer for us to see.

We can throw the weight of those gifts into the scales against the puny promises temptation offers. Just what do we get by following gods who are nothing but fantasies? How do a few moments of illicit pleasure compare to the eternity of God’s love and grace in heaven? How is grumbling against God’s care for our lives supposed to improve our situation in any way?

Second, we have not been singled out for particularly difficult temptations. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.” God’s list of right and wrong hasn’t changed. The desires of human hearts haven’t really changed. We have all wanted pretty much the same things. The differences are little more than variations on a theme.

So it comes down to a simple question: Are we going to trust what God says, or not? Are we going to trust him when he says this activity is bad for us? Are we going to trust him when he says that all the decisions he makes for our lives are good for us? Are we going to trust the one who became one of us and even died for us to save us? Remember how the devil began the very first temptation in the Bible: “Did God really say…?” Questioning what God says still lies at the heart of every temptation. In a sense, they are all the same. Learning to trust God’s word no matter what he tells us is a key to keep us from falling.

Finally, the Lord promises that even temptation is subject to his management, and his limits. “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

Based on this verse, sometimes people say, “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” but that is more than Paul says. He is talking specifically about temptation to sin. He is not saying that God will never give you a problem that is more than you can solve on your own. He is not saying you will never face a tragedy that might paralyze you with fear, or melt you into puddle of tears.            

Nor is he promising to keep temptation from coming or to make it go away. We are constantly exposed. But it is all the common kind, right? And, “he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” If we have listened to his promises, if we have believed his words, his Spirit lives in our hearts, his strength works through our wills. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” We are equipped. We are strong to stand and resist whatever temptation we might confront. His power keeps us from falling.