We usually start the thought in verse 13:
No temptation has 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.
It’s a word of encouragement. A “you’re not alone” in the trials
and things with which you struggle. And then more encouragement in that “God is
faithful” to help you hold up underneath the crushing trial and temptation.
That’s good stuff, for sure. And necessary.
But if we step back and start the thought in verse 12,
another vital layer is added to this passage:
Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take
heed lest he fall.
Read that part first because preceding the encouragement is
a dire warning. “Take heed lest (you) fall.” It’s not just that all temptations
are common to all people, but that ANY temptation is a real possibility for ANY
person. Do you see the shift in mindset? Verse 12 reminds you that you are not
above or immune to certain pulls or trials or wandering longings no matter how
strong you may think yourself to be. You can never underestimate the depths of
depravity lurking in your own heart. So be on guard. “Watch and pray” as Jesus
taught his disciples in the garden “that you will not fall into temptation.”
Be warned, but also be encouraged. Because the eternal
takeaway is that “GOD is faithful,” and, even in the baseness of our fallen
world and in the sickness of our own human hearts, He has made and is making a
way for you.
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