What the Bible says about Tempting Christ
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Tempt Christ means "to put to the test; to prove out; to try or to test God's patience." When a person does this, he is trading on God's mercy. Whether consciously or unconsciously, this idea is at the back of our minds: "It's all right. God knows I'm weak. He'll forgive. He understands." Well, we are weak, and God does understand and forgive. But how can we know when we have pushed Him too far? We do not—until we get hit with a ton of bricks!
Tempting God is testing His patience until, from a human point of view, He blows up. Any parent has experienced this on a human level. Kids nag, nag, nag, saying, "Mommy do this. Mommy do that. Mommy you promised. Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" And on and on it goes until, finally, the parent has had it and the wrath of Mom or Dad falls upon the little pest! The parent been tempted to blow his stack. That is what Paul is describing—pushing God to the wall until He can no longer hold back His wrath.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Passover and I Corinthians 10
Paul is saying, as we approach Passover, we should not take a leisurely approach to our contemplation of sin, thinking that, "Well, I will be safe if I allow myself to go this far and no further." A person who does this is really in danger. Such person thinks he stands, yet he is in position to tempt God. The only safe course is to have nothing to do with sin.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Passover and I Corinthians 10