Our Defense Against Temptation
Temptation comes to all; but the wise prepare for it.
When we struggle with temptation, understanding how it works can be helpful. Every sin originates as a thought (James 1:14-15). “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
If we hold on to the thought, it becomes a fantasy—the chance to imagine what pursuing that notion would be like, without doing so. Fantasies can easily become entangled with our emotions. This creates a desire, which brings us to the point where a choice must be made. And we must either consent to the sin or refuse. This process is quite dangerous, as the progression from thought to choice can be almost instantaneous.
Wise believers determine ahead of time to resist temptation. They build the defense before the offense happens. There are two cornerstones to a good defense: the recognition that God’s in control and the commitment to obey Him (1 Corinthians 10:13); “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (James 4:7). “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
We can further fortify our defense when temptation comes. Satan has a way of spotlighting the pleasure of sin until it’s all we see. But with prayerful effort, we can retrain our focus to take in the bigger picture:
Is this choice a violation of God’s Word?
What are the consequences?
No one can resist temptation perfectly—we’ll all continue to struggle with sin. But the more we meditate on Scripture and communicate with God, the stronger our defense will be.
So, what is Temptation?
Temptation is a battle for every Christian, and the Bible has much to say about this. One common passage is (1 Corinthians 10:13), which states, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.”
The New Living Translation puts it this way: “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
This verse is part of a discourse on food sacrificed to idols, which began in chapter 8. Later, Paul offers words of caution for his readers regarding sin and temptation. He cites the failures of the Israelites in the Old Testament as a warning against indulging in evil. Idolatry, sexual immorality, and even grumbling against God are actions a Christian should avoid. This applies to both the strong and weak. The former should be careful not to fall (1 Corinthians 10:12), and the weak should not be led astray by the freedom of the strong.
We know we should avoid sin, but, to our dismay, we still face temptations. This is a consequence of the sinful world in which we live and the sinful nature within that desires what is contrary to God’s will (see Galatians 5:17). “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” There will come a time when we’re glorified and completely free of sin (Romans 8:30; “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
(1 John 3:2). “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
For now, as we go through the process of sanctification, Christians long for eternity (2 Corinthians 5:1–5); “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1–2). “As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”
First Corinthians 10:13 addresses our inclination to sin with a fact: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.” This can be paraphrased as “there’s nothing you are tempted by that no one has ever gone through before.” Our temptations are not unique to us; others have battled with something similar. This is encouraging for tempted Christians who feel no one will understand what they are being enticed to. It also prevents despair. If someone else has overcome the same temptation, there’s an open door for more overcomers.
The remaining part of the verse provides further encouragement: “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 endure it.” The popular slogan “God will not give you more than you can handle” comes from a misinterpretation of this verse. We will face hardship, and some of those difficulties might very well be things we cannot handle on our own. But, if we belong to Christ, God will not allow any difficulty to come our way that we are incapable of bearing in the power of Christ. With every temptation and every testing, we face, God will remain faithful to us. He might not keep us from the test, but He will provide a way to endure the test.
It is worth noting that God does not tempt anyone (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”; However, He is sovereign over everything, including our temptations. He knows our weaknesses, and we can trust in His faithfulness when facing temptation. It may not always seem so, but there’s always a way out.
God provides an escape. We should rest in God’s sovereignty, faithfulness, and strength to overcome.
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