God never gives you more than you can handle — Right?
When another believer slogs through a series of difficult circumstances, do you ever try to encourage him or her by quoting 1 Corinthians 10:13, at least in part? You might say, “Don’t worry, God never gives you more than you can handle!” Before you do this again, let me encourage you to consider whether this verse applies to the situation at hand.
God does give you more than you can handle – sometimes.
In 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul said something that may surprise you. He said, “We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.” This means that as he served the Lord, he suffered some excruciating things. In fact, he described his suffering as overbearing, extraordinary, and far beyond his ability (or strength) to handle.
Why would God allow Paul to suffer this way? God intended for Paul to learn to trust God and not himself (2 Cor 1:9). As one man observes, “The roots of human pride grow deep, like those of the Acacia trees in the Serengeti desert, and they are not easily dislodged.” 1
For this reason, God may also permit you to suffer through some unfortunate and painful experiences. Just as he did with Paul, he teaches you to rely on him more firmly (especially through prayer). He does this so that he may deliver you more profoundly in the end, by his power alone (2 Cor 1:10). In this way, God does give you more than you can handle – sometimes.
God does not tempt you beyond what you can handle.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul taught something different from what he taught in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10. In 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 he focused on general circumstances of life, but in 1 Corinthians 10:13 he focused on temptations to sin. Therefore, while God may allow you to suffer through circumstances that are too difficult to handle, he will not allow you to face temptations that are too overwhelming to escape.
According to 1 Corinthians 8-10, there were members in the church at Corinth who believed that their newfound freedom in Christ authorized them to flirt with disaster. Before Christ, they had worshiped pagan idols. Like everyone else, they had participated in wild feasts and festivals, which featured drunken revelry and sexual immorality.
As Christians, they now felt that they were “mature enough” to handle the temptations of their former lifestyle. They reasoned that they could attend these social events without succumbing themselves to the sins of drunkenness and immorality. Paul firmly objected to this approach. Peter likewise shared his concern (1 Pet 4:1-4).
Paul pointed out the foolishness of this behavior. He reminded them when they think they stand, they will fall (1 Cor 10:12). Such overconfidence is immaturity, not maturity, and it leads to failure.
Paul taught that God does not expose believers to temptations beyond what we can handle (1 Cor 10:13). Instead, he always provides a way out. When the opportunity to sin arises in the natural course of life, God always provides a way to escape from sinning. However, beware! He provides no such guarantees for those moments when we willfully, repeatedly, and unnecessarily subject ourselves to strong temptations.
In conclusion, we should find other ways to comfort suffering believers rather than quoting 1 Corinthians 10:13. After all, God does allow us to suffer through circumstances in life that are more than we can handle.
We should turn to 1 Corinthians 10:13 instead to develop a mature strategy for overcoming temptations to sin. On one hand, it teaches us to avoid unnecessary situations that will strongly tempt us to sin. On the other hand, it teaches us to look for the way out from any temptation that comes our way in the normal course of daily life.
We should find comfort in knowing that unavoidable and unexpected temptations will never be so difficult that we cannot escape them somehow. For this God is faithful (1 Cor 10:13).
Thomas Overmiller serves as pastor for Faith Baptist Church in Corona, NY and blogs at Shepherd Thoughts. This article first appeared at Shepherd Thoughts, used here with permission.
And you might also want to consider 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. Even when Satan is allowed to “buffet” (KJV) [κολαφίζῃ-Greek] or strike us as with a fist, we have the promise of God: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Thanks, Dr. M. A worthy addition to Thomas’ article.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Bro. Moritz, thanks for including this additional perspective from 2 Corinthians. I totally agree.
I’m a bit perplexed. Maybe some people actually mean that phrase exactly as it reads, but I think most use the phrase with the knowledge that God is always with us. If I tell someone: “God never gives you something you can’t handle,” I always am thinking that God is involved in that process. Frankly, if a person is trying to handle his problems without God, then he has a problem to begin with but is totally different. Trying to handle personal difficulties without any reliance on God is really how unbelievers act. I get the point of the writer is trying to say, but taking a systematic approach to 2 Corinthians, it seems as if Paul knew that God’s grace was sufficient. By the way, I wonder about the connection between Paul referring to God’s grace in chapter 12 and the gift from the Macedonians that he refers to in chapters 8-9.
I guess my point is that when someone says “God never gives you more than you can handle,” it always is accompanied with the implication that we can only handle any problem in life by his grace. After all without him, we can do nothing.
Mathew, thanks for sharing your thoughts. While I agree with you in principle, I would add that – even so – the point that you are emphasizing is not the point that Paul is making in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Right. I agree 100% on that text. And to be fair, you asked if the person is quoting part of 1 Cor. 10:13. But I’m not certain that’s the basis of making such a claim. Sure, some might use that as a proof text (wrongly), but I don’t (at least not for that phrase). My thoughts are directed at your first major point which argues that God sometimes gives us more than we can handle. That’s the part I’m wondering about in my reply. Will God put a believer through a trial he cannot handle? Yes and no. That’s true if by “handle” we mean in human strength. But I don’t think Paul ever presents trials as being too much for a believer who is relying on the Lord. I think that’s the point of Dr. M directing you to chapter 12. Remember, both chapters (1 and 12) were written after the events they describe. Paul already knew God’s grace was sufficient when he described his suffering in chapter 1. Anyway, I enjoyed reading the article. I rarely comment on these, but this caught my attention. 🧐
Thanks for leaving your thoughtful comments, Matthew. God bless your ministry there in North Carolina!