1 Corinthians 10:6-13

Usually you hear this phrase uttered when someone recounts the troubles they have experienced. “Well, you know, God won’t put more on you than you can bear.” The problem is that it is quoted as if it is scripture.

Why include this one? This Urban Legend leads us to passive resignation in the face of life’s difficulties and makes us victims of the whims of a capricious God.

The Context
The verse is actually a misquotation of 1 Cor 10:13
In context this Paul is warning the Corinthians not to engage in idolatry or immorality. Some of the Corinthians had come to believe their participation in baptism and Holy Communion allowed them to dabble in sin and be free from any consequences. Paul reminds them to resist sin on every occasion. He draws a lesson from the history of the Exodus to demonstrate the problems with that assumption.

Does God put things on us?
Some say God does or allows everything that comes into our lives. However that does not take into account acts of free agents. It doesn’t take into account our decisions and actions, the decisions and actions of others or the decisions and actions of the enemy.
It also doesn’t take into account the normal method of Jesus as God in the flesh.

Jesus said:

[Jn 10:30 ESV ] I and the Father are one.”
[Jn 10:37 ESV ] If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;
[Jn 14:9 ESV ] Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Jesus is God made flesh, the perfect expression of God’s thought, character and will. God has defined himself in Jesus. Jesus fully expressed God’s desire for us in love and redemption. Many people attribute actions and attitudes to God that are no where revealed in the life of Jesus.

If Jesus were to correspond to some people’s image of God, he would go around condemning people, and putting all manner of sickness on people. But he doesn’t.

Notice the story in Luke 13:
In this story the normal thing to infer was that those killed were somehow guilty of grievous sin. Jesus disagrees, then reminds those present that a worse fate awaits those refuse to repent.

In effect Jesus says life happens. Because of all the variables involved in the situations of life it is impossible to reduce any incident down to a simple cause/effect relationship. Simple explanations betray a simple mind.

All people go through difficulties in life, As Paul says:

[1 Co 10:13 ESV ] 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 is not some cosmic breakdown because you have problems in your life…everybody has problems! We have small problems and big problems. Even natural disasters are common, a common part of the world we live in. Some of our notions about this are really pre-Christian superstition.

God does sometimes intervene and keep tragedy from happening. But that intervention is by grace. Grace is unmerited favor, which means we can not earn it. Prayer doesn’t force God to do anything, prayer petitions God. God’s intervention can not be reduced to simple steps to get him to do our biding.

In this world where life happens, God promises to walk with us through it.

[Is 43:2 ESV ] When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

God grants us his grace and his grace comes in many forms: healing, wisdom, endurance, friends, financial blessing.

[2 Co 12:7-10 ESV ] So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Some people claim that difficulties in our lives are actually our cross to bear. But they are not. Our sick family members are not a cross to bear. The results of our bad decisions are not our cross to bear. The inconveniences of life are not our cross to bear — it is simply life!!!

Paul reminds us that we are to endure hardship:

[2 Ti 2:3 NCV ] Share in the troubles we have like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Soldiers endure whatever comes for the sake of the mission. Our mission is to glorify God no matter what

[2 Co 6:3-10 ESV ] We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

And so we live life and endure the hardships that come for the sake of Jesus Christ. God is not the one who is always loading difficulties on our backs, he is the one who carries us through them.

So what do we with difficulties, how do we face burdens like a disciple?
1. Fix your eyes on Jesus – The one who ran this race before us and endured things we cannot begin to understand
2. Remember God is with you – Scripture reminds us that if we seek to live righteously we will suffer persecution. We are never alone even though no one else may understand
3. Yield to Redemptive Power – No matter what we are in or how we got there, God is working for our good.

[Ro 8:28 NCV ] We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him.

• In our experience we may doubt that, but we should never let our experience define God, let God define himself

4. Let go of the “Why” question – It is almost impossible to answer the question any way. It will keep you from drawing on God’s redemptive power

5. Live in hope, knowing it will all be worth it – Hope is the anchor of our soul in a world that often contradicts what we know about God

[Ro 5:2-5 ESV ] Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

• Hope anchors our soul when we cannot see tomorrow

When we say God won’t put more on you that you can bear, we live paralyzed lives. We passively resign in the face of life’s difficulties becoming perpetual victims.
But when we embrace who Jesus is and understand the hope we have in Him we become victors no matter what comes at us in life.