What does it mean that no temptation has overtaken you (1 Corinthians 10:13)?

Verse 13. "There has no temptation taken you," etc. As a prelude to the special exhortation which occupies the remainder of this chapter, we have now a general declaration; first, of the limits of temptation; and, secondly, of the faithfulness of God, as the ready Deliverer of those who in their trials look to Him. The measure of temptation is the human conscience. What man ought not to do he is through his lusts solicited to do by Satan, who works, as the tempter, upon our natural dispositions. The end of temptation is apostasy from God; its means are almost infinite. God, who tempts no man,7 is yet the trier of His children's hearts, and turns the active malice of the adversary to their eventual gain. What the apostle is here plainly teaching is, that there exists in every saint a measure of ability to resist temptation, and that when that measure is exceeded an escape is made8 The fear of God, and that alone, is the certain preservative from temptation under all its forms. His presence is His children's hiding-place; nor will He suffer darkness to invade His light.9 With God, temptations may be borne and turned to joy.1 If not abiding under His shadow, our own strength is as a straw against the tempter's power.2

Verse 3 refers to the manna: verse 4 to the rock of which they drank in Exodus 17, and Numbers 20. Both one and the other were "spiritual," for both were supernatural: and both were types of Christ. But in spite of these peculiar privileges, which were common to all Israel, the great majority of them were overthrown in the wilderness. This sad fact is referred to again in Hebrews 3 and 4, and there it is pointed out that the root of the whole trouble was that they had no faith. Our scripture tells us that what they did have was lust, and idolatry, and fornication, and the spirit of tempting God and of murmuring. Where faith comes in these evil things go out.

Now the Spirit of God has recorded these things for our warning. The true believer is marked by confidence in God, and the more simple and absolute his confidence the better. But it is correspondingly true that he is marked by no confidence in himself, and the more deep his self-distrust the better. It is when we think that we stand that we are in danger of a fall. It is quite another thing when a saint has confidence that "God is able to make him stand" (Rom. 14:4).

And not only is God able to support us, but also He keeps a watchful eye upon us in His faithfulness, not permitting us to be tempted beyond a certain limit. The temptations that confront us are "common to man," or such as "belong to man." They are not of some superhuman sort. And again there is with them an issue, or way out. "Way of escape," might lead us to suppose that we may always expect some way by which we may escape the temptation altogether. It is not that, but that God always sees to it that there is a way through by which we may emerge unscathed at the other side. Temptation may be like a long dark tunnel, but there is always visible the light of day at the further end.

"Temptations" in this passage is more what we generally understand as "trials." It is the same word in verses 13, 14, and this will help us to apprehend its use. God's "temptations" are really tests, as verse 3 shows, where the reason given for rejoicing when we fall into divers temptations is that we know that the trying (or proving) of our faith works out, in the issue, patience or endurance. It is in the same sense that we read of God tempting Abraham - that is, that He tested him by the command to offer up Isaac. But when we come to verse 13 (which again is a contrast with verse 12) James speaks of temptation to sin; and, as he teaches us, with this God cannot have anything to do. There is therefore the widest possible difference between the two temptations. On God's part, if He "tempt" us, it is with the object of proving us, of letting us see what is in our hearts; and thus our blessing is the end in view. On Satan's part, for it is he who acts upon our flesh and seeks to stimulate its lusts, it is that he might destroy our testimony, even if he cannot compass our destruction. As another example of the usage of the word, reference may be made to 1 Cor. 10:13. The character of the "temptation" is not here specified; but it is manifest that the Corinthians were assailed by trials which tested their fidelity. To encourage their hearts the apostle assures them that there was nothing extraordinary in what they were passing through, that it was only what was "common to man." Then he brings in God in the most beautiful way, God in His faithfulness, as the support of their souls, and tells them that He will not suffer them (for He was watching over them) to be tempted above that they were able; but will with the temptation make a way of escape, that they may be able to bear it. Blessed assurance and a blessed stay for the tried and desponding heart. It will then be seen from these and similar scriptures that the temptations in which we are to rejoice are those which, meeting us in the wilderness path, test our confidence in God, and show us in how far we are depending on Him for our strength and support. Peter also speaks of these temptations, and in connection with the trial of our faith in the light of the future - at the appearing of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7.)

How blessed to realize again that in the midst of a world full of testing, such as this is, in which the history of the Church has repeated for us in so solemn a way the history of Israel, in which man has been tested under grace (although that was not the object of grace) as he has been so thoroughly, still with the same result! When we look at ourselves, and think of how little we are able to stand against all the trials of the way, how blessed to realize the limits which the apostle sets to the trial! There is no temptation but such as belongs to man; and then, God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able. He is speaking, of course, of a soul in the true condition of conscious helplessness before Him. If we are self-confident, we shall find that the least temptation is something above what we are able; but if we are in a right condition, (which should be the normal one of the Christian,) God will not suffer temptation to he too strong for us, but will with the temptation make the outcome of it also a deliverance in due time, that we may be able to bear it. He adds, significantly, as one great lesson of it all: "Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." Idolatry was but one feature of that history of Israel, although a notorious one; but for us, is it not, in fact, in a heart that wanders from God which makes in this way, however little conscious it may be, a false god of its own, — is it not in this that all departure from Him, we may say, is found? Here is the root, the basis of it. If God Himself, the God that we know, the God that has been revealed to us, is the God of our hearts, the God whom we serve and follow, how safe and how blessed will be our condition! Christ is the manifestation of God for this, and thus we are indeed far better provided than was Israel in the knowledge of this God who claims our obedience and our affections. What is it for us to depart from One who has revealed Himself to us after this manner?

So that verse 12 presses the faithfulness of God, and that it is upon this only that we can safely depend. If temptation comes to a believer, it is not a completely new thing: others too have been similarly tried, no matter how unusual the thing may seem. But God will not allow one to be tempted above his ability to endure it. Let us therefore remember God's faithfulness, and depend thoroughly upon it. He will provide a way out in His own time, that the individual may have grace to bear it. The important thing here is the confidence of faith in the Living God that is the opposite of self-confidence. We cannot stand alone, but God is able to make us stand.

On the one hand the self-confidence of the Corinthians, as of every one else, is precisely the source of danger. In the world as it is, and in man as he is, there must be constant exposure; for evil exists, and an enemy is not wanting to avail himself of it; and the people of God are the especial aim of his malicious activity to dishonour the Lord by their means. If others slumber in unremoved death, those that are alive to God in Christ need to watch and pray. On the other hand they had been tried by no temptation beyond the lot of man: Christ was tried beyond it in the days of His flesh, not only at the end of His service but at the beginning; not only in all things in like manner, apart from sin, but beyond what belongs to man, tempted as He was for forty days in the wilderness. But we can only overcome in our little trials as He in His great ones by dependence on God and obedience of His word which the Spirit clothes with might against Satan. We may and ought to confide in God. If He is faithful who called us to the fellowship of His Son, equally so is He in not permitting us to be tempted beyond measure. It is His power by which the saints are kept through faith, not by their perseverance. Hence with the trial He makes also the issue or escape, and this not by removing the trial but by enabling His own to endure.

64 We can never give the least justification to sin and say, The flesh is in us, and we could not help it; for "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 of escape that ye may be able to bear it." The theory of the Christian is this - the flesh should never be discovered but in the presence of God, where it is always in the presence of grace and of holiness too. This is the true power of our walk. It is not any particular measure of attainment; it is simply a man walking according to his communion, who never gets into the weakness of the flesh, for the flesh is known only before God, and not before Satan. When I learn the flesh thus, I drink into the opposite of it, the grace of God, and so go forth in the strength of what is in God, and not in the shame and weakness of - what is in myself.

We can never give the least justification to sin and say, "the flesh is in us, and we could not help it;" for "there hath no temptation taken us but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape that we may be able to bear it." The theory of the Christian is this - the flesh should never be discovered but in the presence of God, where it is always in the presence of grace and of holiness too.

It is of great interest to consider the way in which we are preserved. First, we get the fact that there is no necessity for any one to yield to temptation, for God who is faithful will always make a way to escape. As has been often pointed out, the way of escape may be through death. No one can be compelled to give way to temptation, for he can always die sooner than yield — "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." This brings us to the truth of the Lord's table, for everything presented in the Lord's table has reached us through death. If I am prepared to die sooner than yield to temptation, I am prepared to respond to the truth set forth there.

So faithful is God that He will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but will with the temptation make a way of escape that we may be able to bear it. A sin then, when we fall into it, is a sign of the state of soul, very likely unsuspected, but none the less a real sign of a condition, — the fruit in fact of our not being with God. In dealing with this, if the sin itself be practically the only thing before one — an act and not a state — we shall become incapable of effective dealing with it; except that effective dealing be considered the putting away of evil and the evil doer together.