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.
Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth — a large, cosmopolitan city in ancient Greece known for its moral complexity and the competing philosophies and religions that passed through it constantly. The church there was struggling with real temptations: sexual immorality, idol worship, divisions, and pride. This verse appears in the middle of a warning not to assume you're above falling into sin. Paul makes three distinct promises: temptation is universally human and not unique to you; God won't allow a temptation that exceeds your actual capacity to bear it; and God always provides a "way out" — a word in Greek that literally means a mountain pass, a path through difficult terrain, not an escape hatch but a route that keeps you moving forward without being crushed.
God, thank you for not standing back and watching me drown. When the pressure builds and the exit isn't obvious, remind me that you've already put a door in this room. Help me trust you enough — and look carefully enough — to find it and walk through. Amen.
"Common to man" — three words that carry more comfort than we typically give them credit for. Whatever you're fighting, whatever has kept you awake at 3 AM replaying something with shame, whatever you've kept hidden from nearly everyone because you're certain no one else would understand — Paul is saying: it's not as exotic as you think. That isn't a dismissal. It's a lifeline. You are not uniquely broken. You are not the only person who has ever struggled with this specific darkness. And that means the promises made to every struggling human being through history apply to you, right now, in this. But the second half of this verse is the part that needs room to breathe. God provides a way out — not a way around, not an erasure of the struggle, but a path through it where you can "stand up under it." That phrase in Greek means to bear weight without being crushed. Not floating above the difficulty. Not immune. Standing. There will be moments when the temptation doesn't lift, when the craving doesn't quiet, when the exit isn't obvious. But Paul's promise is that you are never in a moment so tight that God hasn't already built a door into the room. You may have to look hard for it. But it is there.
Paul says temptation is "common to man" — does knowing that other people share your specific struggle make it easier or harder to face, and what does your honest reaction tell you about yourself?
Have you ever experienced what felt like a "way out" that God provided in a moment of real temptation? What did it look like — was it obvious, or did you only recognize it in hindsight?
This verse promises God won't allow temptation beyond what you can bear. Has there been a moment in your life when that felt untrue? How do you hold that tension honestly without dismissing either the promise or your experience?
How might this promise change the way you respond to someone close to you who is caught in a pattern of repeated failure — does it move you toward judgment or toward something more like solidarity?
What is one practical "way out" you could set up in advance for a recurring temptation you face — a person to call, a boundary to establish, a habit to interrupt, a route to change?
But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
2 Thessalonians 3:3
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1 Peter 5:8
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
2 Timothy 4:18
Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
Hebrews 12:4
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
1 Peter 5:9
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
2 Peter 2:9
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:24
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].
AMP
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.
ESV
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
NASB
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
NIV
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
NKJV
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
NLT
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.
MSG