Mortal Problems, Divine Solutions
/In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul wrote:
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.
I had always interpreted “such as is common to man” as meaning “there’s nothing special about the addictions and vices you give in to, people have been struggling with these same things for ages.” But that’s not quite what Paul meant. Looking at the interlinear bible, the entire phrase is translated from just one word in the original Greek: ἀνθρώπινος (anthrōpinos). Anthrōpinos is defined as:
Belonging to human beings, especially as contrasted with God
Human, as contrasted with the divine
Paul is teaching that our temptations are of the terrestrial plane, of the common world, belonging to a fallen humanity. And then, in his very next statement, Paul invokes a God who will “make a way to escape” from these temptations.
What Paul is doing in this verse is making a contrast between the source of our temptations and the source of our deliverance.
Our temptations are from common mortality, whereas the deliverance is from the divine! And if we have the power of Almighty God on one side, and the power of mere mortality on the other, then obviously God will always win that battle and our salvation is guaranteed!
But…that’s only if we really do have the power of God on our side.
For many years I didn’t. I decided to face my “common to man” lust with nothing more than my “common to man” strength. I thought that since my strength was sufficient to overcome my nervous tics and annoying social habits, that it would be able to overcome my addictions also. But while I might have had the power to deal with these more minor afflictions, I learned that I was far out of my depth when it came to lust. I learned this by losing every battle to my addiction, over and over, constantly betraying the trust of my wife and child until I could hardly look them in the face.
Step One of the Twelve Steps is to admit that we are powerless over our addiction. It took me twenty years of continuous defeat, but finally I was willing to accept that bitter fact. It was a painful step, but it led me to Step Two: I came to believe that a Power greater than myself could restore me to sanity.
As Paul had taught, even though the addiction was stronger than me it still only possessed a mortal power, and it dissipated as soon as it was struck by the light of the divine. As I made confession to my wife and my spiritual leaders, worked with a therapist, and joined a recovery group, I felt a sudden reprieve from my torment. I was able to stop all forms of acting out and found myself confident that this time I was truly going to make it. I saw that “with the temptation” there really was “a way to escape.”
A mortal temptation. A divine escape. My rescue from the powers of the world!
What's next?
Examine your recovery for ways that you are still trying to fight your temptations with your mortal power (white-knuckling).
Reflect on times where instead it was God fighting the battles for you (or for someone you know). How did divine intervention provide a solution that wouldn’t have been possible in any other way?
What do you need to do to place your life back into His power? Are you holding onto something that is keeping His strength from surrounding you? Can you let it go now and rest in Him? Do you need additional help and perspective from a professional therapist?
Take action, no matter how small today.
By Abe, Guest Writer