TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER
First Corinthians 10:13 promises that God will provide a way of escape from temptation so believers can endure it, a verse often used to comfort Christians facing difficulty. In the original Greek, the word for temptation and the word for trial are identical, and the distinction between them depends entirely on the believer’s response. .
When a difficulty leads someone to sin, that experience functions as a temptation that succeeded in producing sin. When the same difficulty is met with steadfast trust, prayer and reliance on God’s care, it functions instead as a trial that strengthens faith. The identical circumstance can therefore be classified either way depending on the outcome in a believer’s life.
Rather than viewing life’s hardships with dread, shouldn’t believers approach them as opportunities given by God to grow stronger and become more useful for his purposes?
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
James 1:12
