1 Corinthians 10 Devotional

A Faithful God in Temptation

“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 an escape, so that you can stand up under it.”1 Corinthians 10:13 (BSB)

Paul turns to Israel's story as a warning. All of them passed through the sea, ate spiritual food, and drank from the spiritual rock that went with them, and Paul says that rock was Christ (10:1-4). Yet most of them fell in the wilderness through idolatry, sexual immorality, testing Christ and grumbling (10:5-10). Their story was written down as a warning for us, so anyone who feels sure of standing firm should take care not to fall (10:11-12).

Right after the warning comes a promise. Every temptation believers face is the kind common to people, and God is faithful. He will not let them be tempted beyond what they can bear, and with the temptation he provides a way out so they can endure it (10:13). So Paul calls them to flee idolatry, since those who share the Lord's cup and table cannot also share the table of demons (10:14-21). Temptation will come, but you do not face it alone. Look for the way out God has promised, and take it.

To think about: Where do you most need to look for the way out God promises, and what would taking it look like today?