NOTES for Co1 10:13

Paul considers all the spiritual problems and sins manifested in the life of the Corinthian church to be a "human trial," that is, one in which there is nothing unusual, nothing supernatural, and nothing especially terrible. The word "trial" in such a context is usually translated into Russian as "temptation," but the corresponding Greek word (like its Hebrew equivalent) means precisely "trial," although it can also contain the meaning we have in mind today when we speak of temptations. For us, however, temptations are more often connected with our own sins, while trials are usually associated with a kind of exam, a test of our faith and our faithfulness.

Yet, strictly speaking, the difference between a trial and a temptation is determined only by whether we pass the exam or fail it. If we do not fail, we speak (sometimes with pride) of a trial we have passed through; if we fail, we call the trial a temptation, grieving that our sins have once again turned out to be stronger than we are. But for the first Christians, as can be seen, there was no sharp distinction here, and Paul is no exception.

And this is not surprising: for the apostle, Christianity is not a religion where there is room, on the one hand, for vivid preaching and heroic self-sacrifice, and on the other, for a secret struggle with one's own sin, secret because it is awkward and shameful to speak about such things aloud. For Paul, Christianity is life in the Kingdom. And it does not matter what keeps a person from living this life in fullness: fear of possible or real persecution, resentment at rejection by those around him who live the life of "this world," or one of those passions or vices that have seized the mind and heart, about which the apostle says that among Christians it is improper even to mention them.

In every case, the issue is something incompatible with the life of the Kingdom and therefore something that must be overcome. That means the issue is always a trial. And that it is "human," characteristic of people, is unfortunately also true: Paul is speaking about things that, for fallen people, are all too typical, despite their ugliness. But the apostle knows something else as well: for those for whom the life of the Kingdom is more important than everything else, such trials are fully surmountable. For unlike people, God is faithful to the promises once given and to the union-covenant once established.