A Way to Escape

“There hath 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 ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” I Corinthians 10:13

In the preceding verses, Paul recites the trials and temptations of the Israelites as they journeyed in the wilderness. It seems that they failed more often than they succeeded, but Paul warns us not to think that we are better than they were. He warns us against thinking that we are above making mistakes or somehow too mature as Christians to fall into sin. We know the difference between right and wrong, and we are often tempted to do things that we shouldn’t do. These temptations are simply part of the human existence, and they aren’t going away. But this verse promises that God will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we could possibly handle. When we look to our past, this thought condemns us. Any sin that we have ever committed could have been avoided. We could have done the right thing instead. But when we look to the future, this thought is encouraging. We do not have to give in to sin. God knows how much we can handle, and He has promised never to allow us to experience a temptation greater than we can endure. He also promises that when we are tempted, God will always make a way for us to escape. Jesus avoided temptation by quoting scripture. We need to acquaint ourselves with the Word of God so that we can always find the way of escape.