WE ARE NOT ALONE IN TEMPTATION

Are there temptations in your life that just seem impossible to resist? There is nothing more discouraging than to watch a fellow brother or sister in Christ fall into blatant sin. However, the Bible cautions us not to feel superior during those times. In 1 Corinthians 10:12, God through Paul tells us, “Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

This verse is followed by verse 13, one of the most encouraging promises in the Bible: “No temptation has ever overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Weare not alone in our struggles against sin in our lives. In fact, no one is exempt from the struggle. While we may have weak points in different areas, the pull and temptation to sin is common to humanity. We often feel guilty about being tempted, but temptation in itself is not sin.

If we belong to Jesus Christ through faith in him and his victory on the cross that accomplished complete forgiveness for us, God is working in us. As believers, we still sin, but we are now free not to sin. We are no longer slaves to sin, and we are no longer under sin’s dominion and power. God works in us, and his faithfulness sustains us. He always provides a way to resist temptation, and we will not be tempted beyond our endurance.

We need never feel like a slave if we are in Christ. God is in us, and as his Holy Spirit does his work, we enjoy complete forgiveness, along with a never-increasing, supernatural power to resist those nagging temptations we hate. As God empowers us and we resist, we grow stronger in Christ.

And when we sin, which we will on this side of eternity, God reminds us that Jesus is our constant advocate before God, because he atoned for our sins. 1 John2:1-2 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

We are not alone in temptation. In Christ, we do have complete forgiveness and the strength to resist. We need to remember to rely on him, lean on him, resist, and enjoy his unbroken love for us. We are destined for an eternity without such struggles. Let us stand fast and grow together in Christ.

In Christ,

Chris Heinss