“He won’t put more on you than you can bear.” – ???
Up front, this one isn’t outright a Bible verse; it’s misquoted. Yet, it is loosely based on a Bible verse and altered just enough to lose its proper meaning. The verse most closely resembling that quote is 1 Corinthians 10:13 from the King James Version (KJV), and it reads (emphasis on the related words):
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.”
– 1 Cor. 10:13 KJV
Common (Mis)usage:
The usage of the quote is fine in its context. The real problem is not the misusage but the fact that it’s commonly ascribed to the Bible when it’s not there. Here’s a typical scenario. You have someone who feels overwhelmed with the pressures of life. That person then assures themselves with comforting words that “God won’t put more on him than he can bear.” Assuring himself that this is Scripture, the individual confidently believes things will lighten up. If it doesn’t, he will likely conclude that God doesn’t want them in these overwhelming situations because God doesn’t function that way. In reality, this “misusage” is actually a misquotation and misunderstanding of the text of Scripture.
Basic Context & Meaning:
Reviewing the actual verse and surrounding text, it’s clear that Paul is addressing Christians. Chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians opens with a tacit warning to the Coritinthians that they shouldn’t be presumptuous about their status in the Lord because Israel also had a particular status, but many of them displeased God through their actions (1 Cor. 10:1-6). Paul then provides additional Old Testament examples of Israel in order to warn his readers to avoid succumbing to temptation, giving in to their lust.
That is the context of this Scripture. The verse is essentially saying that all temptation that the Corinthians encountered was normal for men, yet God in His faithfulness wouldn’t allow them to experience temptation beyond their ability to withstand and overcome it. Instead, God will make a means to evade the temptation
Suggested Usage/Application:
Believers experiencing great or even repeated temptation can rest assured that God will make a way to escape it. It may be through direct escape, endurance through prayer, or repeated spiritual warfare. Regardless, He is faithful to do it. Moreover, Christians should never approach tempting situations with a defeatist attitude, i.e., that temptation is impossible to overcome and that we must ultimately surrender to it. When facing temptations that seem insurmountable, 1 Cor. 10:13 assures us that the opposite is true. We can overcome it by relying on the Spirit (Gal. 5:16; 25) and actively looking for the Faithful God’s means of “escape.”
While there are a host of passages that assure us that God will be with us (Ps. 23:4; Is. 41:10 Mt. 1:23; Mt. 28:20; Jn. 14:16-17 Rm. 8:38-39; 1 Cor. 3:16), we don’t have Scriptural assurance that life’s challenges will be “manageable.” To the contrary, what we frequently see in Scripture are seemingly impossible situations in which God is pleased to comfort, and oftentimes rescue, those who trust in Him. So, let us depart from trite, comforting assumptions about God that sound nice but aren’t actually declared in His word. Devotion to God containing known elements of falsehood is contrary to the way He seeks to be worshipped (rf. Jn. 4:23). His word is rich with promises that will satisfy believers for millennia of lifetimes. Let us honor God according to His word so that we might live in the truth that Jesus paid for with His life’s blood.