Lessons #331 and 332
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Death of some Israelites in the desert (1 Cor 10:5-13)
…. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 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.
We have come to our last consideration of 1 Corinthians 10:5-13. Recall its primary message is Enjoyment of God’s blessing under a good spiritual leader will not shield you from His judgment if you displease Him. We stated that there are three primary reasons for presenting the message of this section the way we did that we briefly state. The first is that the Holy Spirit conveyed to us through Apostle Paul that the death of majority of the Israelites in the desert was because of God’s displeasure with them. A second reason is that the death in the desert of most of the Israelites that left Egypt is to dissuade believers from evil desires. The third reason is because Israel’s experiences in the desert are written down for us as examples and warning. This third reason consists of three elements. The first is the statement of this fact of Israel’s example in verse 11. The second is the warning or exhortation given in verse 12 that cautions against self-confidence that may lead to failure in the spiritual life. The third consists of the subject of temptation/trial in verse 13 presented in form of three facts the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wanted the Corinthians and so all believers to know. A first is that no believer ever faces a temptation/trial that is not common to fallen humanity or unbearable. It is with this fact stated in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man that we ended our last study, so we continue with further exposition of it.
Recall we argued that in our context, the Greek word translated “temptation” should be translated “examination” or “temptation” in the sense of “an examination to learn the nature/character of a person or to cause the person to do something wrong.” Of course, we considered the examination to be either friendly so that the word “test/trial” that most of us use may be appropriate or the examination may be hostile in which the word “temptation” in the way most of us understand the word may apply. With this explanation, we may restate the first fact as no believer ever faces an examination that is not bearable. Thus, no believer would ever face a friendly or hostile examination that is not common to fallen humanity or unbearable as in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.
Every believer regularly faces an examination that is either friendly or hostile. We use the word “faces” because of the expression has seized. The word “seized” is translated from a Greek word (lambanō) that may mean to get hold of something by laying hands on or grasping something, directly or indirectly, hence means “to take, take hold of, grasp, take in hand,” as it is used to indicate that Jesus Christ took on the form of a slave for our benefit in Philippians 2:7:
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
The phrase nature of a servant is more literally nature of a slave. The word may mean “to take into one’s possession” hence “to take, acquire” thus, the word is used for Jesus Christ voluntarily giving up His life in order “to take possession” of it again and on His own authority as we read in John 10:18:
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
The verbal phrase to take it up again may be translated to take possession of it again. The word may mean “to lay hands, to seize” of a person as the word is used, for example, of evil spirit taking possession of a boy that the father brought to the Lord Jesus for healing as recorded in Luke 9:39:
A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.
The meaning “to seize” or “to come upon someone” may be applied to emotion or feelings as in the emotional response of those who witnessed the Lord Jesus’ healing of a paralyzed man as recorded in Luke 5:26:
Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
The clause Everyone was amazed is literally amazement seized them all. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:13, the word means “to seize” or “to affect,” in the sense of to act upon a person’s mind or feelings so as to effect a response. Thus, every believer will have an examination that will affect the mind or the person’s emotion to see how the believer will respond. The point is not so much that an examination will take hold of you as if it has hands to grasp you but that you will regularly face an examination as a believer whether friendly or hostile that will affect your mind or emotion to see how you will respond.
An important truth that a believer should hold to when faced with examination that is either friendly or hostile is that whatever the person faces is something common to humanity or bearable as in the clause of 1 Corinthians 10:13 except what is common to man. The expression “what is common to man” is translated from a Greek adjective (anthrōpinos) that pertains to being a person, that is, “human.” So, the word is used in contrast to that which is divine as it is used in describing human institution of authority in 1 Peter 2:13:
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority,
The clause every authority instituted among men of the NIV is more literally every human authority. The word is used in general for human activities or deeds as it is used for the activity of speaking as in Romans 6:19:
I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
The sentence I put this in human terms is literal I am speaking in human terms, so the apostle meant to say that he was speaking as people do in daily life. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:13, it has the meaning of “common to humanity.”
What does the expression what is common to man mean in relation to the word “temptation”? Using the meaning “examination” for the Greek word translated “temptation,” we can say that the expression means that there is no examination that comes to a believer that cannot be passed or is unique to the individual. Since we have indicated that the examination could be friendly in the sense of “test” that may involve suffering or hostile in the sense of being concerned that the one examined would sin then we can elaborate on what our expression means. On the one hand, if the examination is friendly or hostile that involves suffering, then the expression what is common to man means that there is no trial through suffering that a believer faces that is not bearable or that is unique to the individual. On the other hand, if the examination is hostile that is intended to cause a believer to sin then we can say that the expression what is common to man means that there is no temptation to sin that could not be resisted or that is not faced by others.
Our interpretation of the expression what is common to man in relation to “examination” or “temptation” can be applied in two ways. When a believer faces trials or suffering, that believer should be encouraged by the fact that there are believers either in the past or in the present that have faced similar situations and came out victorious. Abraham faced a friendly testing of offering his son, Isaac, he passed the examination as he obeyed the Lord. You will not be asked to sacrifice your son but the principle is that of sacrificing whatever is dear to you to prove your devotion or faithfulness to the Lord. You may face a situation where you would have to sacrifice family relationship in order to be faithful to God’s word. In effect, you may face a situation that requires believing the assertion of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 10:34–36:
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36 man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
So, if you face an examination to give up family relationship in favor of being faithful to the Lord, you should remember that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son to prove himself faithful to God. Furthermore, there are other believers who have faced similar situation and have passed the test by bearing the suffering attached with not having family relationship that is natural in order to be obedient to God’s word. The Holy Spirit through the human author of Hebrews summarized the fact that believers in the past have borne all kinds of sufferings to remain faithful to the Lord as we read in Hebrews 11:36–38:
36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
The point is that when you face trials of your faith that you should recognize that it is bearable and that believers of the past or even at the present have borne sufferings that in principle are not different from yours. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit through Peter reminds us of the suffering of believers all over the world in 1 Peter 5:9:
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
You should be encouraged to bear your suffering and remain faithful knowing that testing could have positive result on you as stated in James 1:2–3
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Anyway, when you face trials or suffering, be encouraged to realize that God has made it possible for you to bear the suffering and come out victorious.
Another way to apply our interpretation of the expression what is common to man in relation to “examination” or “temptation” concerns the matter of hostile testing that may involve suffering but certainly a push towards sin. When a believer is subjected to hostile examination of the type that involves suffering and a push towards sinning, the believer should be encouraged by understanding that there have been believers in the past or present that have in principle faced similar examination and emerged victorious. Two examples from the OT Scripture support our statement. Joseph was examined in a hostile manner or tempted to commit sexual sin but he passed it as we may gather from Genesis 39:7–10:
7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
Job is another person that typified hostile examination by Satan with push towards sinning. Although God meant for his testing to be a friendly one, but Satan meant for it to lead to sin on the part of Job in the sense of cursing God, but Job passed the examination in that we are informed he did not sin as we read in Job 1:22:
In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
These two examples should help us to recognize that hostile examination by Satan can be passed whether it involves suffering and push to sin or simply the push towards sin. Therefore, when we face the examination that is intended to lead us to sin, we should remember that we do not have to succumb to it knowing that there have been believers in the past or present who have remained faithful and did not succumb to sin. We should, of course, recognize that we are not saying that you will never sin since that is impossible given the sinful nature that we still possess but that we should always be mindful not to give in to temptation to sin. Anyway, a first fact about temptation/trial the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wants Corinthians and so all believers to know is that no believer ever faces a temptation/trial that is not common to fallen humanity or unbearable.
A second fact about temptation/trial the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wants Corinthians and so all believers to know is that God will not permit a believer to be subjected to an examination/temptation that the believer cannot handle. It is this fact that is given in next sentence of 1 Corinthians 10:13 And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
There is the question of how to understand the first clause And God is faithful. Some take the clause as merely continuing what was stated in the first sentence of verse 13 so they begin the Greek clause with “and” as in the NIV. Others take the view that implies a contrast between what is stated in the second sentence and the first so that they begin the second sentence with the word “but” as in the TEV. Still others imply that the second sentence is not related to the first since they began the second sentence without any connective as in the ESV. The various interpretations we have referenced are due to how the translators interpreted a Greek particle (de) that is used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation. Although it is often translated “but” in the English when there is a perceived contrast between two clauses, nonetheless, it has other meanings such as “then” or “and” or “that is” when it is used to link segments of a narrative. In our verse, the apostle probably used it with the meaning “because” to introduce the reason for the second fact that the Holy Spirit gave about examination/temptation. In other words, the apostle gave the reason for the second fact before he stated it. It is true that no English version I consulted has this interpretation but the meaning “because” for our Greek particle is not unusual. The translators of the NIV recognized this meaning that twice they used it in their translation. They used this meaning when they translated a passage that indicated Joseph did not expose Mary for being pregnant without his involvement as we read in Matthew 1:19:
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
The clause Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man of the NIV is literally And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man. It makes better sense if the literal clause is understood as supplying the reason Joseph did not expose Mary hence, the translation of our Greek particle as “because” is appropriate. Another passage where the translators of the NIV rendered our Greek particle “because” is in connection with an unnamed disciple of Jesus Christ that was known to the high priest at the time of the trial of Jesus Christ who gained entrance into the courtyard as we read in John 18:15:
Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard,
The clause Because this disciple was known to the high priest is literally and that disciple was known to the high priest. Again, it makes a better sense to give the reason for the unnamed disciple’s gaining entrance to the courtyard before stating that he did. Hence, although the Greek particle may be literally translated “and” but it is more communicative to use the meaning “because” in John 18:15. Thus, it should be clear that our Greek particle may, depending on the context, be translated “because.” We contend that in the second sentence of 1 Corinthians 10:13, that it is probably the meaning “because” that the apostle had in mind. In effect, he stated the reason for the second fact that he gave about examination/temptation before stating it.
The reason the apostle gave before stating the second fact we referenced is the character of God as in the sentence God is faithful. The word “faithful” is translated from a Greek adjective (pistos) that pertains to being worthy of belief or trust and so has a range of meaning. When used of persons, the word may mean “reliable” as the word is used by Apostle Paul in his instruction to Timothy about those that should be handed truth to dispense to others as we read in 2 Timothy 2:2:
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
Apostle Paul used the word in the sense of “faithful” to describe those who were his-coworkers, as for example, concerning Tychicus in Ephesians 6:21:
Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing.
The word may mean “trustworthy” as Apostle Paul used it to indicate that God graciously granted him the privilege of being a person that can be considered trustworthy and so the Corinthians should hear what the Holy Spirit says through him as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:25:
Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
When the word is used of God as One in whom we can have full confidence it may also be translated “faithful” as in 2 Corinthians 1:18:
But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”
God is described as faithful to His promise in Hebrews 10:23:
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:13, it is used with the meaning of “faithful” in the sense of being characterized by steadfast affection to believers and commitment to His promise and so the One in whom we can have full confidence.
Let us be clear. When the apostle wrote God is faithful he wants us to recognize that God is perfectly loyal and consistent in being true to His character and His word. God is faithful means He can be counted upon to keep all His promises. He never reneges on His word. It is this fact that Balaam confessed in Numbers 23:19:
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Apostle Paul stated this truth of God keeping His promises when he assured the Thessalonians and so all believers that God will sanctify and keep them as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:24:
The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle John assures us that because of God’s faithfulness, we can be sure that whenever we sin and confess it we will receive forgiveness as we read in 1 John 1:9:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The Scripture reminds us of this truth that God keeps His promises several times. Before his death, Joshua reminded Israel of God having kept all His promises to them as recorded in Joshua 23:14:
“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.
The psalmist states the same thing in Psalm 145:13:
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
God’s promise is never affected by time. We are time controlled, so to say, that we think if a given promise we claim, does not see fulfillment right away, we begin to despair, but we should not. Consider the fact God promised Abraham that he would have a son as we read in Genesis 15:4:
Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.”
This promise was made to Abraham when he was approximately seventy-five years old since the promise was given to him after he left Haran as we may gather from Genesis 12:4–5:
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
But the promise of having a son was not fulfilled until he was a hundred years, that is, twenty-five years later as we learn from Genesis 21:5:
Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
So, you get the point that time is of no essence when it comes to God’s promise. We are only assured that what His promise is, would be fulfilled since He has the power to deliver what He promises. You can be certain that all His promises to you would be fulfilled. That aside, the Holy Spirit tells us that God is faithful in the sense that He will keep His promise. This promise should help us in dealing with examination/temptation we face in our lives as believers in Christ. The point is that the sentence God is faithful should remind us that God will keep His promise.
Speaking of God’s promise, the Holy Spirit gives us one of such promise in the next sentence of 1 Corinthians 10:13 he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. This sentence indicates that God will not permit you to be examined/tempted beyond your ability. The word “let” is translated from a Greek word (eaō) that means to allow someone to do something, hence “to allow, permit, let” as it is used to describe the restriction the Holy Spirit placed on Apostle Paul and his team regarding where he should go to preach the gospel as stated in Acts 16:7:
When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:13, the word is used in the sense of “to allow something to happen.” The apostle used the future tense in the Greek as translated in the English he will not let to state what will always be true of God concerning examination/temptation of believers.
The promise that will always be true is given in the verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 10:13 be tempted beyond what you can bear. The word “tempted” is translated from a Greek verb (peirazō) related to the Greek noun (peirasmos) we considered previously. Like the noun, the verb has several meanings. For example, it means to endeavor to entice a person to sin hence, means “to tempt.” It is in this sense the word is used regarding Satan’s attempt to cause Jesus to sin, as stated in Luke 4:2:
where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
James used it in this sense to indicate that God does not entice anyone to sin in James 1:13:
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
Another meaning of the Greek word is to try to learn the nature or character of someone or something by submitting such to thorough and extensive testing and so means “to test, to examine.” It is in this sense that the Greek word is used in connection with God putting Abraham to the test to determine the nature of his faith in Him. We are saying that despite what many teach that implies that faith is a simple matter of asserting “I believe”, the reality is that there is faith that is not biblical faith or what I call genuine faith. God tested Abraham to determine if he had the biblical faith that is necessary to please Him. It is because there is such a thing as a faith that is not biblical that when James wrote about saving faith that he referred to this incident of God testing of Abraham in James 2:21–24:
21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:13, because our Greek word is related to the Greek noun that we indicated the best meaning is “examination” then the meaning of the verb here is “to examine,” that is, “to be put to the test in order to ascertain the nature of someone or character of someone.”
The meaning of the Greek verb we gave, means that the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13 he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear should be understood to be a promise that God will not allow the believer to be examined beyond the individual’s ability. By this we mean that if, on the one hand, you are examined in a friendly or hostile manner that involves suffering, God will not permit that suffering to exceed what you are able to withstand. On the other hand, if the examination concerns sin God will not permit you to be examined in a way that you could not possibly resist it. This does not mean that you may not fail but that the examination is such that you are able to resist any lure to sin.
The assertion of the apostle in 1 Corinthians 10:13 he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear should be of great encouragement or comfort when you face any kind of examination. If you are facing a hostile examination in form of suffering, you must start stabilizing your mind with the thought that whatever it is that you are facing is not beyond your spiritual ability. In effect, you should convince yourself that what you are facing is something that God had determined you are capable of handling. Such thought should enable you to avoid any kind of despair. You should say to yourself that you are facing a situation that the God of the universe who is faithful in keeping His promise has seen that He has already equipped you to be able to handle whatever it is that you are facing that is painful. I am saying that instead of feeling defeated because of your suffering, you begin to thank God that the situation you are facing is not greater than His provision for you to handle it. Once you stabilize your mind then you consider the fact that suffering is that which every believer in Christ will face, remembering what the Holy Spirit said through Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 3:2–4:
2 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.
The sentence of verse 3 no one would be unsettled by these trials is an encouragement not to be disturbed in the mind because of trials that come to the believer because of the person’s faith. You should recognize the inevitability of suffering or trial as that is meant in the sentence of 1 Thessalonians 3:3 we were destined for them. If you arm yourself with the thought that trial is inevitable, and that whatever trial that comes your way is one that God has determined that you are able to withstand then you should not be discouraged in the face of suffering, for example. Therefore, you should keep playing in your mind the promise that God will not permit you to be tried beyond what He has equipped you to handle. Suffering is a part of the Christian faith so you should not be ashamed of suffering for your faith. You see, there are some Christians that imply that if a believer suffers then the person must not be a good or devoted Christian. Such thinking is completely contrary to the Scripture. You will suffer but only that you should be careful that you do not suffer because you sinned as in the encouragement of 1 Peter 4:12–16:
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
As you play in your mind the thought that God would not permit trial that is greater than the ability He has provided you, you should also recognize that suffering or trial is intended to build spiritual character as stated in a passage we cited previously, that is, James 1:2–3:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
We have, of course, focused our application on the examination that involves suffering but there is also the examination with the goal for you to sin. When faced with such situation, you should convince yourself that God has given you the ability to resist sin that Satan brings to you in order to cause you to sin. Therefore, whatever it is that Satan wants you to do that is contrary to God’s word, you play in your mind that God has equipped you to be able to pass the examination of the enemy so that you do not sin. We should recognize that God has equipped us with the ability to resist sin through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. For if that were not the case, we would not be commanded to resist Satan, as we read in James 4:7:
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Anyway, the second fact about temptation/trial the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wants Corinthians and so all believers to know is that God will not permit a believer to be subjected to an examination/temptation that the believer cannot handle.
A third fact about temptation/trial the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wants Corinthians and so all believers to know is that God provides a means of escape to enable you deal with it. It is this fact that is given in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 10:13 But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Two observations we need to make before further consideration of the clause. First, the translators of the NIV turned a Greek noun used into a verb since the clause But when you are tempted is literally but with the temptation. The Greek used a Greek now (peirasmos) we have previously indicated may mean “examination/temptation.” Second, the apostle was emphatic as he wrote the clause we are considering. We say this because the conjunction but is translated from a Greek word (alla) that is used as a marker of emphatic contrast. In effect, the apostle was being emphatic in what he wrote so that we may even translate it with the word “indeed” to convey the sense of emphasis since the Greek particle has this meaning in 1 Corinthians 3:2:
I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
That aside, the point of the emphasis of the clause we are considering is to assure the believer that instead of allowing an examination that the believer is unable to handle, God will certainly do something that is contrary. So, you should be confident of what the Holy Spirit says in the clause But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
The promise that you should hang your hat on is that God will make a way of escape for you when you are under examination of any kind. We use the word “make” because the word “provide” of the NIV is translated from a Greek verb (poieō) that may mean to produce something material, so the word is used in with the meaning “to make” by Apostle Paul for what a potter produces in Romans 9:21:
Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
It is used for God’s activity in creation as we read in Acts 17:24:
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
The word may mean “to practice” as it is used in the charge the Lord Jesus brought against the teachers of the law and Pharisees in Matthew 23:3:
So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
The word may mean “to carry out” as it is used to describe the Lord Jesus’ declaration of the Jews doing what the devil wants as we read in John 8:44:
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The word may mean to undertake or do something that brings about an event, state, or condition, hence it may mean “to bring about” as it is used in the question of Lord Jesus that is associated with the need to pray as recorded in Luke 18:7:
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:13, it means “to make” or “to provide.”
The thing that God will make or provide for the believer is described with the phrase of 1 Corinthians 10:13 a way out. The phrase “way out” is translated from a Greek word (ekbasis) that may mean “outcome” or “result” as it is used to describe spiritual leaders that believers are to imitate their faith, as stated in Hebrews 13:7:
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Another meaning of the word is “way out of some difficulty,” that is, a means or way of escaping which is the meaning of the word in our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:13.
It is important we recognize that providing a way out or means of escape does not mean that the examination/temptation will necessarily disappear. No! It will not necessarily disappear although that may happen in some situations that God determines but when the Lord provides the ability to deal with the examination/temptation, the believer would withstand or be successful regarding the examination/temptation. Thus, we have the purpose of the way of escape given in the sentence of 1 Corinthian 10:13 so that you can stand up under it. The expression “stand up under” is translated from a Greek word (hypopherō) that means to bear up under trouble or difficulty hence may mean “to endure” as Apostle Paul used it to describe his attitude towards his sufferings in 2 Timothy 3:11:
persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
Apostle Peter used it in the sense of “to bear up” an unjust suffering in 1 Peter 2:19:
For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.
It is in the sense of “to endure” or “withstand,” that is, to face and withstand with courage that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:13. Hence, the promise is that when faced with an examination/temptation that God will provide a means that assures the believer will pass the examination regardless of whether it is friendly or hostile. God will supply the power the believer needs to withstand the examination/temptation as that is implied in the word “can” in the sentence of 1 Corinthian 10:13 so that you can stand up under it. Anyway, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul assures us that God provides a way of escape in time of examination/testing regardless of its nature – friendly or hostile. You have a high priest, the Lord Jesus, that will enable you to be successful in the examination/temptation because He himself has experienced temptation towards sin or trial that involves suffering as we may gather from Hebrews 2:18:
Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Whatever the examination/temptation is, we can be sure that the Lord will provide the grace to withstand it as Apostle Paul testified regarding his prayer for removal of the thorn in his flesh as we read in 2 Corinthians 12:8–9:
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
You can be sure that the Lord can deliver you from what you face either through His word as recorded in the Scripture or through His action. Either way, He knows how to deliver you as the Holy Spirit reminds us through Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 2:9:
if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
Anyway, as we end this section of 1 Corinthians 10:5-13, let me remind you one more time its primary message which is that Enjoyment of God’s blessing under a good spiritual leader will not shield you from His judgment if you displease Him. To displease the Lord would involve failing an examination/temptation that you may face. Therefore, because of the provisions of the Lord you should strive to remain faithful in the face of an examination/temptation.