Friday, May 4, 2012

God DOES Give Us More Than We Can Handle

There are certain ideas that get passed around in Christian circles that are just straight up un-biblical.  This is one of them: God won't give me anything I can't handle.  The Bible never says this.  Now, before someone throws out the scripture where this idea "comes from," I'm going to deal with that scripture right now.

The idea that God won't give us anything we can't handle comes from this verse: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it" (1 Cor. 10:13).  This verse is misinterpreted.  People who quote this verse haven't considered the context of this verse, but the context provides essential clarity.

The context of this verse is Paul discussing Israel's history as a warning to believers.  Specifically, he refers to the Israelites who came out of Egypt.  He states that they saw all God's miracles and yet God still brought judgment on them.  Why did he bring this judgment?  Because they practiced moral evil:

"Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 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 pagan revelry.' We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.  These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come" (1 Cor. 10:6-11).

Paul says that the experiences of the Israelites, when they were punished for moral evil, were written down for us to learn from.  Thus, the context of 1 Corinthians 10:13 is people who commit moral evil.  Thus, Paul goes on to say, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry" (1 Cor. 10:11-14).

I Corinthians 10:13 does not say God will not give Christians circumstances they cannot handle.  What it says is that God will always provide a way out from temptation.  In other words, Paul is saying you cannot make the excuse for your sin, "Oh, I just couldn't help it," because God will give you a way out.  It is true that in Greek the term translated "temptation" in this verse can also be translated "trial."  This means you must look at the context to understand how the term is to be taken.  It is clear that since Paul is talking about the sin of the Israelites, the term here means "temptation," not trial.

You see, the misinterpretation of this text causes many Christians grief.  When circumstances overwhelm them, they don't get why they are "being given more than they can handle."  Isn't it true God won't do that to me?  And what is wrong with me that I can't handle this since scripture says I should be able to?  If you are struggling in this way, let me assure you that there is nothing wrong with you.  There are times in our lives that we can't handle our circumstances.

So, that sounds depressing.  But I don't think it is.  Throughout the Bible we have examples of godly people being given what they can't handle...and finding God in an intimate personal way in the midst of it.  A prime example is Elijah.  He flees Jezebel, knowing she wants to kill him and he bottoms out crying out to God, "I am the only prophet left and they are trying to kill me, too!"  It is at this point in his life that Elijah hears God's voice and receives comfort.  Hagar flees into the desert because Sarah is mistreating her and she's pregnant with Abraham's child.  In her despair, she meets God and declares, "He is the one that sees me."  In 2 Timothy 4, Paul is in prison and lonely.  He asks that Timothy send Mark to him as a comfort.  Even Jesus found himself crying out to his father in the Garden, overwhelmed with future events, yet this crying out led to his ability to submit to God's will in his life.

Could it be God gives us what we can't handle to make us turn to him?  Could it be God gives us what we can't handle to speak to us in an intimate way?  Could it be that we need to seek God all the more in our difficult circumstances rather than agonizing over how we can't handle what we should be able to handle?  Yes!  God will allow circumstances you can't handle to come into your life.  At those moments, we turn to God, just as Habakkuk does.  He cries out to God, not understanding and confused and yet, declares in the end that no matter what happens, he will trust the Lord:

"I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. 
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, 
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 
yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 
The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights."

Habakkuk 3:16-19



1 comment:

  1. Very nice, Carissa! I've gotten tripped up over this, too. Hope you're well! ^_^

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