Bible Study on 1 Corinthians 10:13 ("Tempted beyond your ability")
1 Corinthians 10:13
“God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability” (ESV)
Welcome to the Bible Study Guide for 1 Corinthians 10:13, which leverages questions from the CHARA Bible Study Guide when studying this verse. Below are the questions the Chara team chose to ask, in the order they chose to ask them, but feel free to use other questions or change up the order as you dive into this passage. For ANSWERS from the Chara team on these questions, check out the video below.
APPLY
Yield: What personal, cultural, or religious bias and assumptions do you bring to the text? We often hear people say “God won’t give you more than you can handle” and they are often using this verse as the reference. When you think of this verse, what comes to mind for you?
Do you think this verse has to do with sin/temptation or suffering?
HISTORY
Who/What: Who was it written to? What worldview, cultural, religious, political factors and experiences were a part of their world and how did that influence them? (Hint: you can find out more about the history of the church of Corinth in the intro section of 1 Corinthians in a Study Bible).
AUTHOR
Person/Purpose: Who was the author? What was the author's purpose in writing 1 Corinthians? Why was it written? (Hint: Check out the intro to the book of 1 Corinthians in a Study Bible, or read 1 Corinthians 1:1-2, 1:10-13 to learn more about the author and their purpose)
CONTEXT
Immediate: What is the theme or main idea found in the surrounding paragraph(s) and how does that help determine what the verse means? Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-22. How does the immediate context help determine what 1 Corinthians 10:13 means?
Is it talking about sin or suffering? Is this verse saying “God won’t give us more than we can handle” (suffering)? Or is it saying “God won’t let us be tempted more than we are able to handle” (sin)?
Bible: Does my interpretation hold true throughout the rest of the Bible? If our verse is about sin, let’s double check to see what the Bible says about suffering? Is there a spot in the Bible that talks about God not giving us more than we can handle? (Hint: Use cross references and your Bible’s concordance to look up the word “suffer/suffering” or “troubles” or “difficulties” and it should lead you to verses like John 16:33, or 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, 12:7-10)
RESEARCH
Observations & Questions: What observations or questions do you have when you reread the passage more than once? If we’re concluding that our verse is about sin and not suffering, we may have questions like “What does ‘temptation’ mean?” or “How can God help us endure temptation?”)
Original Language: What does the word “temptation” mean in the original language? (Hint: check out a Hebrew/Greek lexicon, such as blueletterbible.org or biblehub.com).
CONTEXT
Bible: Where else in the Bible does it talk about temptation? Can other passages throughout the Bible provide more clarity and understanding? (Hint: use your Bible’s concordance to look up word meanings you found in your Greek word-study. Words such as “temptation,” “tempted,”, “trial,” or “tested”, which should lead you to passages like Matthew 4:1-11, Hebrews 4:15, James 1:13-15, James 1:2-3, Matthew 26:41. What do you learn about temptation from the rest of the Bible?
Bible: Where else in the Bible does it talk about how to endure temptation? Can other passages throughout the Bible provide more clarity and understanding? (Hint: use your Bible’s concordance to look up word meanings tied to how to handle sin, temptation, or Satan’s evil “schemes” like in Ephesians 6:10-20). What do you learn about enduring temptation from the rest of the Bible?
APPLY
Respond: What was expected of the original audience and what principles make sense for us now (is it a cultural or timeless truth)? While we probably can’t relate to eating food sacrificed to idols, we can relate to sinning and being tempted. What timeless principles have you learned by studying this verse?
Ask: What do you learn about God - His character, attributes, or desires?
Pray: “Lord, what do you want me to learn and how should I apply this to my life?”
Join the Chara Project team as they study 1 Corinthians 10:13 and see their ANSWERS to the questions asked from the CHARA Bible Study Guide.