<1 Co 10>
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
1. Warnings from Old Testament examples <v6, 11>.
- First generation Israelites out of Egypt <Num 14> –> later generation of Israelites <Ps 95> –> modern day believers <Heb 3>.
1) Possible to enjoy spiritual privileges, yet remain unsaved <1 Co 10:1-5>.
- “Easy believism” –> False assurance of salvation
- Not asking Christians to test if they will lose their salvation, but to test if they truly have saving faith in the first place?
2) Beware of 4 common temptations/evils:
- Things can be evil in 2 ways:
- evil in itself, e.g. idolatry, immorality, etc.
- not evil in itself, but become an evil when wrongly desired and used by sinful humans, e.g. food, sex, money.
(1) Idolatry <v7> – Value other things above God
(2) Sexual immorality <v8> – Sexual sins, Flesh > Spirit
(3) Test Christ <v9> – Disbelieve and despise God’s arrangement
(4) Grumbling <v10> – Discontentment and ingratitude
- Common to these 4: Unbelief and Self-Gratification
<1 Co 10> 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 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.
2. WARNING: If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! <v12>
- The delusion of standing firm is a bigger crisis than known troubles.
3. ASSURANCE: God is faithful and will provide a way out.
1) Temptations are common to mankind.
- Being tempted/tested doesn’t mean you are worse off or less loved by God.
- All Christians need to fight the spiritual battle.
- “Temptations” from the devil can also be “tests” from God.
- Not a sin to be tempted; sin only if yield to temptations.
- “Temptations are common” cannot become excuse to sin, just because many have failed.
- We are tempted with what is common to mankind, so cannot give excuse, “My temptation is unusually difficult, that’s why I sin.”
2) God is faithful and will make a way out for you.
- “A way out”: To endure, not escape temptations, without sinning.
3) Our faithful God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.
- God knows our capacity and will not over-demand from us.
- “Your strength will equal your days” <Deut 33:25>.
- God limits the extent of our temptations.
** Israelites failed terribly when tempted, but Christ overcame victoriously.
<Heb 4> 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Reflection
- What are some ways we might be deceived into thinking we’re “standing firm”? List some spiritual privileges you have enjoyed.
- How prone are you to the four common temptations mentioned (idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God, grumbling)? How can you guard against them?
- Share your personal experience(s) of how God has not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, and also provided a way out for you so that you can endure it?
