Escaping Sin, not Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:1–11:1

Escaping Sin, not Temptation

Matt Williams Updated Staff Photo

Matt Williams

Teaching Pastor; Staff Governing Elder; Staff Director

In this passage, Paul warns the Corinthians to be careful how they live, especially in areas of weakness. He challenges them not to overestimate their spiritual strength against sin but instead to run from tempting situations.

Application

  1. In what parts of your life are you tempted to grumble—to say to God, “I know you’re in charge, but I don’t like what you’re doing in my life”? What other sin might that be leading to?

  2. Where do you feel strong in your faith and need to be careful not to overestimate yourself? Where do you feel weak and need to be careful to avoid tempting situations? Ask a trusted spiritual authority in your life to share any potential blind spots you might not be aware of.

Key Points

  • Like all Christians in all places throughout history, we should be wary of the ways we struggle with “craving evil”—desiring things that are destructive and oppose God.

  • Grumbling feeds into other sins because it questions God’s right to be sovereign in our lives.

  • It is simultaneously true that, as believers, we have new desires from the Spirit and we battle old desires of the flesh.

  • We can’t be loyal to two things—to God and to our sin.

  • Part of imitating Christ is interacting with others in a way that puts them first—setting our personal freedoms aside to love them well.

Other Scripture References

Matthew 18:2–3

John 8:11

Hebrews 11:25

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