Commentary on First Peter (128)
Nevertheless, for us to cast all our cares upon him does not mean that we must become spiritually passive. Proceeding to verse 8, Peter hastens to say, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The RSV is better: "Be sober, be watchful," although "alert" is also fine. The idea is to maintain a clear mind and to pay attention. Why must we do this? It is because the devil, our enemy, is prowling around like a lion looking for someone to devour.
"Devil" translates diabolos. The word means "false accuser, slanderer," but in many cases it refers to that spirit or person, also called Satan, who is the chief of demons. He and his cohorts are in active rebellion against God, and are constantly at work against his people. Among other methods, his attacks can come in the forms of temptation to sin, promotion of heresy, and various cultural and political maneuverings in opposition to the gospel and the church.
In connection with the devil, the danger in theological reflection is to accord him with autonomous will and independent power. The error has been committed by every system of theology, including the Reformed tradition, which supposedly takes the pride of place in its emphasis on the sovereignty of God. The motive is the unbiblical and unnecessary motive to distance God from exercising direct control over evil. However, the result is a form of dualism. On the other hand, Scripture teaches that God's sovereignty is absolute and his influence is direct. Evil is under his active control.
The "lion" metaphor fits well with the need for Christians to "be sober, be watchful," for Satan is as a lion "looking for someone to devour." Christians must keep a clear mind so that they can recognize his strategies and pay attention so that they can notice and respond when he approaches. There is no use talking about resisting the devil's attacks if they come undetected, so the warning to be sober and watchful must come first. Those with confused and distracted minds are easy prey.
When the devil comes to attack, and he will, we are to "resist him, standing firm in the faith." Peter does not say, "Run for your lives" or "Beg for mercy." He tells the Christians to put up a fight! To resist the devil is to refuse his demands, to foil his devices, and to even seize his domains. But we do not just say, "I resist you, devil!" – a silly charismatic practice. When you want to punch someone in the face, you do not say, "I punch you in the face!" No, you punch him in the face – with your fist!
So, then, our resistance consists of countermeasures that correspond to the attack. If the devil tempts us to sin, we resist the temptation by saying "no" to it and pursue holiness instead. If he spreads strife in the church, we resist him by preaching and practicing selfless love, by rebuking the troublemakers, and even by expelling the unrepentant. If he incites slander against us, we will answer by a rational discourse and our good conduct. And if he introduces false doctrines to seduce the minds of God's people, we resist him by refuting the error and teaching the truth.
Revelation 12:11 says, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." We resist and overcome the devil by our active commitment, sacrifice, and testimony (see also James 4:7 and Ephesians 6:10-18). Like this verse from Revelation, Peter does not present our resistance in individualistic or mystical terms, as is often the case in charismatic teachings. Our resistance, rather, is a corporate concern and a corporate effort, "knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world" (ESV). The Christian brotherhood around the world is undergoing the same opposition. We are in the same fight; we are not alone.
Divine support and ultimate victory are promised to believers: "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast" (v. 10). God owes us nothing – his blessings come because of his grace, which he extends to those whom he has sovereignly "called." His "eternal glory in Christ" is contrasted with what we must suffer for "a little while" (see 2 Corinthians 4:17-18). And he is the one who will restore us, and make us strong, firm, and steadfast.
Peter appropriately concludes the main part of his letter with a doxology: "To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen" (v. 11). In all things, we must keep in mind that it is God who possesses the dominion over all things and over all times. It is him that we ought to fear, and it is to him that we make our appeals and petitions for help and deliverance in the face of persecution, entrusting all things to him and casting all our cares upon him.
September 07 2006 | Expositions