Three Things You Should Know About Your Problems

“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” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Life can sometimes seem like a complex maze, isn’t it? Some of the problems and difficulties of life seem so complex that whichever way you turn, you just cannot seem to find the way out. At times, you feel trapped, hopeless and helpless. You feel all alone in the maze with no one else beside, and you feel that it is way beyond your ability to navigate out of it.

So all the trials andtemptations that we face in life are covered by this word ‘temptation’ in ourtext. This means that we can apply the principles found in this verse to everytrying situation or problem in our life.   

The phrase ‘common to man’ isjust one word in the Greek and it means that which is human or that which ischaracteristic of or belonging to mankind. In other words, Paul is saying thatthere is no such thing as a superhuman or supernatural temptation. Alltemptations or trials that you or I or anyone else will ever face are notultimately unique to human experience. Instead they are typical and common toall mankind. There will never be a situation where the trial that we are facedwith is so unique that no one else in this world has ever experienced itbefore.

Now this is a very bold andradical claim. If a famous psychiatrist or psychologist made such a claim, youwould have every right to challenge him, because no scientist has been or everwill be able to observe all men at all times. Furthermore, the experiments andobservations of science are limited to outward and observable things. Sciencehas no way of penetrating into and looking at the hearts and souls of people.Thus it is impossible for human beings to arrive at the conclusion that thereare no unique problems. The only way we can know that is by God revealing it tous. And God, through the pen of the Apostle Paul, tells us that no temptationhas overtaken us but such as is common to man.

As an aside, we are reminded of thetremendous advantage that Christians have over non-Christians, evennon-Christian scientists and philosophers. We have divine, absolute, universal,and unchanging truths revealed to us in the Bible concerning who we are, theproblems that we face and the solutions to our problems. Unbelievers who rejectthe Bible as God’s Word can have no certain knowledge about these and manyother things.

But what exactly does it meanthat there are no unique trials among men? After all, all of us have differentpersonalities, backgrounds and characters, and all of us are in differentsituations and circumstances. How can it be that there are no trials and temptationsthat are unique to us as individuals?

Now it’s true that there may beunique features to each problem and no two situations are ever exactly alike.But what the Apostle is telling us is that underneath these outward featureslie fundamental problems which are common to all. In other words, the onlyunique aspects of a person’s problem are those secondary and superficialfeatures of the problem but not the basic root problem itself. Once you havestripped away the husk or shell of the problem and exposed its inner core,you’ll say with the Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecc1:9b).

Most, if not all, of the commonand fundamental themes of sin and problems of mankind can be traced back to thebook of Genesis, especially the early chapters from chapter 3 onwards. Forexample, the question of whose authority will you obey and whose word will youtrust, the problem of trying to hide from God, of a bad conscience and oftrying to cover up one’s sin and shame, of shifting blame to something orsomeone else and failing to acknowledge one’s sin, of failing to faithfullyperform one’s duties and responsibilities, of breakdown in communicationbetween man and man, and man and God, of sickness, suffering and death, offrustration at work, of the proper order in the family, of will worship, ofrefusing to properly deal with one’s sin leading to a downward spiral, of envy,strife, hatred, murder, revenge, pride, abuse of God’s creation, lust, sexualperversion, adultery, unbelief, idolatry, theft, false witness and so on.    

These temptations, trials andproblems of mankind have been around early in human history after Adam fell.They manifest themselves in different ways and at different times, but at thebasic fundamental level, they are the same, or if you like, they are justvariations on the same theme.  

What are some implications ofthis truth? Well, for one, it gives us great comfort. It’s a great comfort toknow that our problems or struggles are not ultimately unique such that no oneelse has ever gone through them. As the saying goes, ‘we are all in ittogether,’ or ‘we’re all in the same boat.’ It is always comforting andreassuring, isn’t it, to know that other believers throughout history have hadto endure the same basic problems and trials as us, and by the grace of God andthe word of God, have pulled through?

Regardless of the kind of problem or temptation you are facing, remember that you are not in it alone. This is one reason why Christians need each other. We are not meant to walk this pilgrim journey alone. Instead, we are called to exhort, encourage, admonish, teach, and help one another through the trials of life. Furthermore, the fact that there are no unique trials is also an encouragement and comfort to those who are seeking to help others in their time of need and trial. Your main task, as a helper, is to help that brother recognize and identify the problem for what it truly is and then apply the right biblical principles to help him find a biblical solution to the problem.

But another important implication of thisfact is that we cannot use our so-called “unique” trial as an excuse to runaway from our problems or to deal with them in an ungodly or unbiblical way. Ifat root, our problems are the same as those faced by other Christians elsewhereand at other times, then we can never excuse ourselves from dealing with themin the right way. Instead, we are to acknowledge and accept personalresponsibility for our thoughts, actions, and reactions at all times.

Do you realize that not eventhe trials and temptations which Christ experienced in His earthly life areultimately unique. We read in the book of Hebrews that Christ took on ournature, suffered, and was tempted at all points like as we are in order that Hemight be our sympathetic High Priest and help us in our times of trial. Notonly did He not plead to be excused, but He went through all those trialswithout sin. He did it for our sakes and He is well able to give us the aidthat we need (Heb 2:14-18,4:14-16).

So we have seen that there areno ultimately unique problems at the fundamental and basic level. But, youmight say, “Isn’t it also true that not all problems and trials are as intenseand severe as others? After all Job and especially the Lord Jesus Himselfexperienced a degree and an intensity of testing that far surpassed everyoneelse.” That’s true. And that brings us to the second point, namely, that thereare no problems that are too difficult.

2. No Problem Too Difficult

“God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that yeare able…”

You will not be tempted aboveyour strength or ability to handle it. You will not have to face a problem ortrial that is heavier than what you can bear. God’s faithfulness guarantees it.He has promised that that will not happen and you can count on it never tohappen.

God sets the limits not only onthe kinds of trials that we will face but also on the intensity and degree ofthose trials. God screens out, as it were, those trials and temptations whichare not suitable or helpful for us. Nothing can come upon us which He deems tobe too intense or heavy or difficult for us to bear. Remember that even Satan,our chief enemy, has to go to God to get His permission before he is allowed todo anything or bring anything into our lives. Nothing can get by God’sscreening process. He remains in absolute sovereign control over all of life’scircumstances.

 We see something of this in the lives andexperiences of the disciples. In John chapter 18, we read that when thesoldiers came to arrest the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane,the Lord asked them twice whom they had come for. After they answered for thesecond time, “Jesus of Nazareth,”the Lord said, “If therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way; that the sayingmight be fulfilled, which He spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lostnone.” Why did the Lord not allow His disciples to be arrested at that time?Well, one of the reasons I believe is that they were not ready for such a trialyet. Had they been arrested that night, they might have been destroyed by thetemptation, and the Lord would not permit that.

But some time later, after theLord had ascended up on high and the Holy Spirit had come upon them in power,we read in the book of Acts that the disciples were arrested and brought beforethe Sanhedrin, but they refused to deny their Lord. Instead, they boldlytestified for Him and were even willing to suffer persecution for His name’ssake. In fact, according to Church history, all the apostles apart from John,who was exiled on the island of Patmos, died asmartyrs in the service of their master. All of them suffered for the sake ofthe gospel. But they did not go through those intense trials and sufferingsuntil they were ready to handle them.

The Master knows best what we can bear andwhen we can bear it. The Shepherd watches over each and every sheep, and neverallows them to face a temptation that is inherently stronger than theirabilities.

But I would go one step furtherand say that God not only allows and permits those trials that we can bear tocome into our lives, He is also the One who designs those trials for us. God islike a tailor who knows our measurements and tailor makes each problem to fitus. No problem will be too big or hang too long on us. Each will be tailor-made exactly to the individual child of God.

We know that this is so becauseHe is the God who had ordained and decreed every single thing that comes topass in this universe. He is the God of creation, the God of history, the Godof providence. Ultimately, nothing ever happens apart from His foreknowledgeand foreordination.

So we learn in this secondpoint that God both limits and tailor makes each trial to fit us so that wenever have to face something beyond our ability to withstand. The commentatorGeoffrey Wilson writes, “God thus tempers the length and strength of thetemptation to enable His people to bear it and not be overwhelmed by it.”

One important implication ofthis truth is that we cannot say, “I can’t” to any situation or circumstancethat we face in life. If God has sent it, then based on His promise in thisverse, we will be able to bear it. If God has required it, then the Christiancan and must do it.

But you might protest, “I do notthink I can stand firm for my faith say in an arena of hungry lions or at thestake or before a firing squad as other Christians have.” And you may well becorrect. But understand that God does not require you to face a firing squadright now. And you may never be called to do so as other Christians have. Goddoes not promise that you will have the strength now to meet the problems oftomorrow or next year. But He does promise that you will have the strength andwisdom and courage to face the problems of today.

Do you believe that? Oh may theLord grant us the faith to believe, and the strength and the grace that we needto meet everything that He sends our way! This brings us to our third and finalpoint, namely, that we will never have a problem without a way of escape.

3. No Problem Without Escape

“…but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may beable to bear it.”

Here the promise of God is thatwith each temptation will also come a way of escape. There will not be asituation where you run into a dead end and have no way out. Or to change theanalogy, you will never find yourself trapped in a fully enclosed box and leftthere for good with no way out. Christians will never be in a box from whichthey cannot escape. God always provides a way of escape from every trial. Everybox has its way out. Every problem can be solved. Every temptation can beovercome. And every trial will come to an end.

The way of escape will differfrom trial to trial. Sometimes the deliverance may come in a most dramaticfashion while at other times, the problem only goes away slowly and quietly.But whatever way of escape God may provide, even if it means taking you to bewith Himself, we have the assurance that the way out will come just as surelyas the trial itself. 

Let me apply this truth in two ways. First,it means that we will never be forced, under any circumstances, to sin againstGod in order to get out. If there is a way out my problems that requires me tosin, then I can safely conclude that that is not the way that God has providedfor my escape. Christians will never have to make a tragic moral choice, i.e. achoice that involves one in sin. We will never be left in a situation where wehave to choose between two sins and have no other option available. It may notalways be easy to decide which course of action to take or which decision isthe right one to make, but we must begin with the conviction that God haspromised to make a way of escape for every temptation or trial that we face. 

There is always a way out. Theonly question is whether we know what it is and whether we are willing to walkin it or not. And thus we need to daily pray for two things: first, forunderstanding and wisdom from God’s word to discern God’s escape route; andsecond for the courage and strength to walk in it, and to do all that isrequired of us by God to get out. There is a biblical solution to all ourproblems and temptations. We must never settle for anything less than God’s wayof dealing with them.

Second, this truth that therewill always be an escape gives us tremendous hope in the face of all our trialsand problems and difficulties. Simply knowing that there will be an end to thetrial is itself most comforting and reassuring. And this knowledge is veryimportant because it enables us to press on to the end.

All of us living in this fallenworld need hope. Sin has a defeating and disheartening effect in all of ourlives. And that is why immediately after the fall, in the very midst of curseand judgement, God gave hope to Adam and Eve (Gen 3:15). But it is especially those who areundergoing severe trials like depression or grief or loss of one kind oranother, or those who have been battling long-standing problems like addictionor repeated failures and discouragements that need hope. When hope is lost,when the light at the end of the tunnel is extinguished, then they give uptrying to deal with their problems, and in extreme cases, they take their ownlives in the hope of ending their struggles.