No temptation has come upon you except what is common to man. Yah is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
I see it often—folks declaring that scripture says that “God will not place any more on us than we can bear.” Hmmm . . . have you read about Stephen in Acts 6 and 7? Stephen stood for truth (he believed in Messiah Yahoshua and confessed Him before men), and for that, he was stoned to death. Was stoning to death something he could bear? He died.
The same is true for many of the New Testament apostles, and for other believers (those who actually received the Holy Spirit’s confirmation of salvation—not those who merely “made a decision” or prayed a prayer and declared themselves saved). Clearly, if one cannot even stay alive during what is placed on him, then he is not able to bear it physically (which includes one’s emotions/feelings).
But, see, that’s not what scripture is talking about, nor is it even what the scriptures state. We’re told that Yah will not allow us to be TEMPTED beyond what we are able to endure, and that He will provide the way of endurance through the testing.
In Luke 8:13, Messiah Yahoshua was speaking about different kinds of people and their responses to the truths of His Gospel, and He spoke of a group who “. . . when they hear, receive the word (truths of the Holy Spirit) with joy; but these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.”
And, in Hebrews 10:39, we see those who did not shrink back (fall away) from THEIR BELIEF, but they endured in their belief all the way to the saving of their souls. So, 1 Corinthians 10:13 is speaking specifically about the necessary testing of one’s belief before the Father decrees that one has been adopted into His family.
Now, we know there are many different reasons folks “shrink back” from true belief—and, it is often because they are tempted NOT to lose relationships with loved ones; so, they will keep quiet about the truths of the Holy Spirit just to “get along” and not pay any relational price with their family and friends.
We know that Yah will provide the strength and fortitude necessary for anyone who chooses to stand for the true faith (the faith that christianity counterfeits), but often, people simply do not want to risk upsetting those who are closest to them, so they choose not to “rock the boat.” THAT is exactly what “shrinking back,” or “falling away” is.
Messiah Yahoshua said that those who confess Him before men, He will confess before His Father, but those who just keep quiet, which is essentially denying Him out of expedience, He will deny before His Father (Matthew 10:32-33).
It has to do with the actual path TO salvation (contrary to the false salvation-by-decision peddled by the many different flavors of christianity), and the necessity of staying true to one’s belief in Him, regardless of the consequences for doing so. Look at Stephen again—he was physically killed when he did that.
Are you willing to die like Stephen did? It’s easy to say that we would, but how often do those whose eyes have been opened to the truth simply keep their beliefs to themselves because their loved ones might get offended? Or, how many simply stop sharing their beliefs because they are ridiculed as being crazy, or mocked, or condemned as being in a cult, or because they are told their beliefs are false, or they’ve been misled by false teachings?
Are we more concerned about being unfriended or blocked on social media than we are about standing up and proclaiming the truths of the Holy Spirit—especially those truths that openly expose christianity’s false teachings?
Being willing to suffer ANY consequences for sharing Yahoshua’s Gospel with others is the endurance necessary to receive the spiritual covenant. True belief is that which stands for Messiah Yahoshua, and endures through whatever consequences that produces, trusting that it will result in receiving salvation, for salvation is the END of belief (the desired outcome, the goal, the result), 1 Peter 1:9. That “end” comes after one’s belief is tested (James 1).
The Father has never said that you will not go through ANYTHING you cannot bear, for many have gone through things that ended up killing them—even through torture and unspeakable injustices. The promise is about belief itself, not one’s physical life or circumstances.
The Father will not allow one who endures in his belief to be TEMPTED (tested) beyond what he can endure. The promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a spiritual matter, not a physical one. When one is enduring in belief on his path to salvation, Yah will not allow him to go through testing that he simply cannot get through any other way but by falling away or shrinking back from belief.
We are not told that we will not have to go through things that we think we cannot endure, nor are we told that we will not have to suffer horrible and unbelievable tragedy, heartbreak, or physical pain. Isaiah 53:10 tells us that It PLEASED Yah to crush (bruise) His Son, for that was a necessary part of His plan.
What makes you think that He regards you more highly than He does His Son?
The Holy Spirit leads Yah’s children to sacrifice their flesh, which is the opposite of what the flesh lusts after (Galatians 5:19-21). While that is certainly not physically pleasurable, it builds spiritual strength, and increases eternal reward for those who have been made righteous (received the confirmation of adoption from the Holy Spirit).
So, we’re told that those who have repented of their unbelief, which is to believe in Messiah Yahoshua (“Yah’s salvation), and who are enduring in their belief to reach the end result of their belief, which is salvation, will not be faced with any temptation that is so great that they have no way to maintain their open confession of faith in Messiah Yahoshua, and have no choice but to deny their belief.
Does that mean that such a person will not be physically killed? No, of course not. It means that those who desire to endure in belief to receive salvation will be given the resolve and strength necessary for them to reach their desired goal—salvation. They simply must choose to endure, and not shrink back.
Herein is the massive error of christianity’s salvation-by-decision: belief is not salvation, but the first step on the path TO salvation. The counterfeit salvation of christianity removes “endurance in belief” from salvation, but enduring in belief is the ONLY path to salvation.
The Israelites did not receive their covenant in Egypt. They first had to be led out of Egypt, then through the wilderness to the mountain; and once they arrived at the mountain, they still had to await the giving of their covenant. That is a physical picture of the path to the salvation of Messiah’s bride, which is wholly spiritual.
For more information: Is Salvation Hard to Receive?