Will God Ever Give Us More Than We Can Handle?
00:00:00.000 | (upbeat music)
00:00:02.580 | It's Monday, a new week ahead,
00:00:06.960 | and we have new tasks ahead,
00:00:09.120 | and new burdens ahead,
00:00:10.640 | and new mercies ahead.
00:00:12.000 | And podcast listener Fabian writes in to ask this.
00:00:15.120 | Dear Pastor John, this phrase,
00:00:17.080 | "God will never give us more than what we can handle,"
00:00:21.120 | is often used when someone is facing life challenges,
00:00:24.040 | sufferings, and trials.
00:00:25.800 | Based on the Bible is this phrase,
00:00:27.800 | that God will never give us more than what we can handle.
00:00:31.480 | Is it biblically correct?
00:00:33.960 | Whether that statement,
00:00:36.360 | God will never give us more than we can handle,
00:00:39.720 | is biblically correct,
00:00:41.800 | depends on what we mean by we,
00:00:46.240 | and handle.
00:00:48.300 | What does we mean?
00:00:52.440 | What does handle mean?
00:00:53.960 | Does we,
00:00:55.520 | nothing we can't handle,
00:00:59.080 | does we mean God watches us,
00:01:03.520 | takes into account our independent possibilities,
00:01:08.520 | based on our track record of handling trouble,
00:01:12.680 | and thus measure out that trouble to us
00:01:16.360 | so that it doesn't go beyond what we independently,
00:01:21.280 | by our own resources, can handle?
00:01:23.320 | Is that what we means?
00:01:24.960 | Or does we mean what we can handle
00:01:28.680 | if we receive it by faith in divine assistance,
00:01:33.680 | and that God knows what he himself will give us by grace
00:01:38.960 | in enabling us to handle what he gives us,
00:01:43.660 | so he's not thinking of we as independent,
00:01:47.160 | but we as dependent on the grace
00:01:49.960 | that comes with the difficulty?
00:01:52.680 | Which of those two does this statement ask about?
00:01:56.680 | And handle, what's handle mean?
00:01:58.920 | Does handle mean you never collapse under it?
00:02:01.880 | Does it mean you never fail in any task?
00:02:04.760 | Does it mean you never mess up?
00:02:06.340 | Does it mean you never fail to get a B+
00:02:08.760 | on every one of life tests?
00:02:10.740 | Or does handle mean you never fail
00:02:15.880 | so that you never recover or repent,
00:02:20.220 | or restore reconciliation,
00:02:22.920 | and that you are finally lost because you fail?
00:02:27.920 | Which does handle mean?
00:02:29.680 | So to answer all of that and give my answer to the question,
00:02:33.480 | let's just look at the key text
00:02:35.720 | that I think he probably has in mind.
00:02:37.760 | 1 Corinthians 10, 13, "No temptation or test,"
00:02:41.720 | it's the same word in Greek,
00:02:43.640 | "No test has overtaken you, but what is common to man,
00:02:48.800 | "God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted,
00:02:52.080 | "tested beyond your ability or beyond what you're able,
00:02:57.080 | "but with the temptation,
00:02:59.080 | "he will also provide the way of escape
00:03:02.480 | "that you may be able to endure it."
00:03:07.060 | When Paul says he won't give what's beyond what you're able,
00:03:13.140 | he means not beyond what you're able with God's help.
00:03:19.560 | We know that because of a couple other things he says.
00:03:23.420 | For example, in 2 Corinthians 9, 8, he says,
00:03:26.160 | "God is able to make all grace abound to you
00:03:29.940 | "so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times,
00:03:34.940 | "you may abound in every good work."
00:03:37.940 | In other words, in every test or temptation,
00:03:41.180 | the question is, will I do what I ought to do?
00:03:45.780 | And Paul says, "There will be grace."
00:03:48.760 | Not just, I'm dependent on you to use your resources
00:03:52.160 | without depending on grace.
00:03:53.520 | I'm giving you grace so there will be grace to do it.
00:03:57.620 | Not you independent of my powers to help.
00:04:02.240 | And he said, in 1 Corinthians 15, 10,
00:04:05.500 | "By the grace of God, I am what I am,
00:04:07.980 | "and his grace towards me was not in vain.
00:04:09.800 | "On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them,
00:04:13.540 | "though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me."
00:04:18.280 | In other words, if I survive any test
00:04:22.040 | or accomplish any work when I'm tested,
00:04:24.680 | it is grace, decisively grace, not decisively me.
00:04:29.680 | So my answer to the first query is,
00:04:35.920 | what does we mean in this statement?
00:04:39.180 | God will never give us more than we can handle.
00:04:42.840 | Is that we means we helped by sovereign grace,
00:04:47.840 | not we independent of the power of God's help.
00:04:52.520 | And then the question is, what does handle mean?
00:04:57.240 | Never stumble, never fail, never get a C-
00:05:00.480 | or an F on a particular test that God gives?
00:05:03.880 | And my answer is, no, it doesn't mean that.
00:05:07.760 | If we had perfect reliance on all that he is for us
00:05:12.800 | in Christ, we would pass every test glowingly,
00:05:17.700 | but God does not promise that kind of perfect reliance
00:05:21.500 | on his omnipotent grace.
00:05:24.400 | Well then, what is being promised when he says
00:05:30.640 | that we will always have with every test an escape,
00:05:35.400 | and when he says that we will have grace for every good work?
00:05:41.080 | And I think what is promised is ultimately
00:05:43.720 | that he will never let us so stumble or so fail
00:05:48.720 | that we don't recover and repent and are restored.
00:05:55.080 | In other words, he will never let us sin our way
00:05:59.200 | into apostasy and damnation.
00:06:02.280 | He will enable us to bear the fruits of genuine faith
00:06:07.280 | and perseverance to the end.
00:06:10.120 | And here are the texts that make me think that.
00:06:13.040 | He who began a good work in you will bring it
00:06:15.800 | to completion at the day of Christ, Philippians 1:6,
00:06:19.120 | Romans 8:30, those whom he predestined he called,
00:06:21.920 | those whom he called he justified,
00:06:23.400 | and those whom he justified he glorified.
00:06:26.280 | He's gonna keep you.
00:06:27.840 | Or Luke 22, 31, Simon, Simon, Jesus says to Peter,
00:06:32.600 | "Behold, Satan demanded to have you
00:06:34.180 | "that he might sift you like wheat."
00:06:36.160 | Get your faith out of you.
00:06:37.980 | "But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.
00:06:42.760 | "And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
00:06:47.040 | I prayed for you.
00:06:48.080 | Yes, you're gonna deny me tonight,
00:06:49.920 | but I'm bringing you back.
00:06:51.640 | You're gonna get an F on this test tonight,
00:06:54.200 | and I'm gonna make you pass your life test.
00:06:57.200 | Or 1 Peter 1, 5, "By God's power,
00:07:00.840 | "we are being guarded through faith for our salvation."
00:07:05.240 | God's power is guarding me.
00:07:07.900 | He won't let me fail in any test utterly.
00:07:12.360 | And last one, 1 Corinthians 1, 8,
00:07:15.020 | "He will sustain you to the end,
00:07:17.160 | "guiltless in the day of Christ."
00:07:19.980 | So, conclusion.
00:07:21.580 | Is the statement, "God will never give us more
00:07:24.260 | "than we can handle," biblically correct?
00:07:26.340 | Yes.
00:07:27.620 | If we mean God will never give his people trials
00:07:32.820 | in which he will not sustain them
00:07:35.520 | and bring them through to everlasting glory,
00:07:39.020 | we will be enabled to do all we must do to get there.
00:07:44.020 | Amen, thank you, Pastor John.
00:07:46.520 | And thank you, Fabian, for the excellent question.
00:07:49.400 | Tomorrow's question is a good one, too.
00:07:50.960 | It's about that text in 1 Thessalonians 4, 11
00:07:53.800 | that encourages Christians to aspire to live a quiet life
00:07:56.880 | and to mind our own business.
00:07:59.220 | So, should Christians live quietly,
00:08:01.120 | or should we spark revolutions?
00:08:03.920 | That's the question on the table tomorrow.
00:08:05.400 | I'm your host, Tony Reinke.
00:08:06.240 | We'll see you then.
00:08:07.140 | (upbeat music)
00:08:09.720 | (upbeat music)
00:08:12.300 | [BLANK_AUDIO]