Verse 9
Whereas God commands us to forsake the world and deny the lusts of the flesh, we should resist the devil (cf. Ephesians 6:11-13; James 4:7). Satan’s desire is to get the Christian to doubt, to deny, to disregard, and to disobey what God has said. The Greek word translated "resist" means to defend oneself against as opposed to attacking. It is easier to resist when we remember that this duty is common to all Christians; it is not unique to us alone. A better translation of "accomplished by" might be "laid upon." Suffering is the common experience of all committed believers as long as we are in the world (cf. 2 Timothy 3:12).
| The Christian’s Three-Fold Enemy |
| Problem | Solution |
| The World (1 John 2:15-17)Lust of the fleshLust of the eyesPride of life | Flee(1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22) |
| The flesh(Romans 7:18-24) | Deny(Romans 6:12-13; Romans 8:13) |
| The devil(1 Peter 5:8) | Resist(1 Peter 5:9) |
Peter advocated three responses to Satan in this passage. We should respect him ("be of sober spirit," 1 Peter 5:8). If Peter had respected Satan more he might not have slept in the Garden of Gethsemane after Jesus had warned him to watch and pray so that he would not enter into temptation. Second, Peter said we should recognize Satan ("be on the alert," 1 Peter 5:8). If Peter had been alert he might not have denied Jesus three times in the courtyard of the high priest. Third, we should resist Satan (1 Peter 5:9). If Peter had resisted Satan he might not have felt that he had to resist Malchus’ advance in Gethsemane and cut off his ear.
"Before we can stand before Satan [1 Peter 5:8-9], we must bow before God [1 Peter 5:6-7]. Peter resisted the Lord and ended up submitting to Satan!" [Note: Wiersbe, 2:433.]
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