1 Peter 5:1-14 Our Great Adversary
As Christians, we have a great Savior who is “able to save completely” (Heb. 7:25), but we also have a very powerful enemy whose name is Satan (2 Cor. 2:11; 2 Thess. 2:9). Peter’s instruction is to those tending God’s flock who, realize it or not, they are all in danger.
- Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word.
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Instruction to elders
- Shepherd by exercising oversight ( 2)
- Shun material gain and domination ( 2, 3)
- Clothe with humility and relinquish anxiety ( 5-7)
1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
- Grammatical Usage: “sober-minded” or in the Greek, “néphó” meaning, “calmly vigilant”; “adversary” or “antidikos” meaning, “accuser”; “devour” or “katapinó” meaning, “consume; destroy”.
- Literal Interpretation: “Be calmly vigilant; pay attention. Your accuser the devil is always about, prowling like a lion roaring for its prey (you) to destroy.”
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Know you adversary
We consider Peter’s reference to Satan in 1 Peter 5:8-9. In v. 8 Peter refers to our great “enemy”; it is important that we understand who the Devil is and how he works. Peter warned that the enemy was on the warpath, but in v. 10 he speaks of the grace of God, proving sufficient to make them strong, firm and steadfast. Who exactly is our great adversary?
- The Devil is a real person, not a mythical monster, therefore do not speak of him lightly. He is the great archenemy of God (Acts 5:3).
- The Devil is a powerful person: “like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” ( 8). He is never still; he is mighty – but thank God he is not almighty!
- The Devil is an active person with diabolical schemes, maneuvers or strategies. He is behind the drama of world events and he is active in the church and in the lives of men and women (1 Timothy 5:15).
- The Devil’s activity is wholly evil yet subtle. Yes a “a roaring lion” but he also reveals himself as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
We must beware of the Devil. In vv. 8-9 Peter says we must be on our guard and stand up to and resist him (see James 4:7).
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THE DEVIL’S METHOD WITH THE UNSAVED.
In Ephesians 2:1-3 we have a description of these people who are not Christians; and the strategy and objective of the Devil can be summed up by three words:
- Every unregenerate person is a captive of the Devil (Eph. 2:2-3; 2 Tim. 2:26).
- As “the prince of darkness”, Satan loves to keep souls in darkness (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:13).
- Satan is planning the everlasting destruction of human souls, and only those who trust in Christ are safe (John 10:10).
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THE DEVIL’S METHOD WITH THE CHURCH AND GOD’S WORK.
The church is the only bulwark of righteousness in the world today, and consequently the Devil hates the church. His strategy is:
- The best illustration that Satan divides is the presence of denominationalism in the church. The Lord Jesus prayed that we might all be one (Jn. 17:20-22), and when the Holy Spirit came there was a wonderful unity of heart and of soul (Acts 2:1, 48; 4:32). The Lord still desires this (Psalm 133).
- The Devil loves to get Christian people and churches absorbed with secondary and secular things proving channels through which the Holy Spirit cannot do His gracious work (Revelation 2:1-7).
- One of the Devil’s most subtle methods of seeking to upset the work of God is sowing seeds of discord (Acts 6:1-2).
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THE DEVIL’S METHOD WITH THE INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER.
The whole strategy of Satan in relation to the individual Christian may be summed up by:
- God’s purpose is that every one of His children should experience perfect peace (Is. 26:3); peace of heart and mind (Phil. 4:7); exhibiting poise, power and freedom from doubts and fear. But Satan loves to upset our peace, to disturb our poise and to rob us of power.
- He is the Great Tempter, and he wants to make us disobey the Lord and keep us half-hearted and undecided with regard to the will of God. Every time the Lord calls us to obey Him our adversary calls us to disobey Him, and thus we have to make the choice (Joshua 24:15).
- As Christians we no longer belong to the Devil but to the Lord by redemption rights (1 Cor. 6:20); but Satan still seeks our downfall. He cannot rob us of Heaven when we die, but he tries to rob us of the heavenly experience that God wants us to enjoy now (Deut. 11:18-21). He cannot prevent us from reaching Heaven, but he can bring such defeat into our lives that we shall suffer loss (1 Cor. 3:11-15).
What must we, as Christians, do to prevent our being overcome by our great adversary?
We must: (1) Keep Calm: “be self-controlled” (v. 8); (2) Be alert (v. 8); (3) Resist the Devil (v. 9): we must give him no place (Eph. 4:27); we must stand against him (Eph. 6:11); (4) Believe – “standing firm in the faith” (v. 9); (5) Remember, “because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (v. 9); and finally (6) Above all, we must remember that the God of all grace will enable us to overcome our great adversary (v. 10; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
- Conclusion: Are you overcoming? Relying upon Christ and His provision?
