My question is this, does 1 Cor. 10:13 apply to non-Christians? I have a relative that is going through some very difficult times and has contemplated suicide. He is a non-believer (I pray everyday for his salvation) and wonders if this verse is ever wrong. I explained that I believe this verse can never be wrong because God’s word is never wrong. But I also told him that I don’t know if this verse applies to non-Christians. I’m a believer and this verse has rang true on every occasion in my life. I know this book was written to the Christians in Corinth so my thought is it only applies to Christians. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Here is 1 Cor. 10:13:
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Like all the promises in the Bible, this one is for believers. God loves everyone but until our sin problem is solved He can’t fully express His love to us. Knowing we can’t solve the sin problem ourselves, He solved it for us by sending His Son to die in our place. All that’s left for us to do is accept His solution.
Until your relative does that, there’s nothing more that God can do. But once he does, all kinds of blessings will immediately become available to him.
The fact that he’s asking about a Bible verse shows your prayers are working. It’s clear that he wants to believe this verse. I think you should seize this opportunity. Use Colossians 2:13-14 to show him that Jesus has already paid the penalty for all our sins, so as soon as he believes that Jesus died for him, this promise and all the others in the Bible will begin coming true for him.
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20).