We live in a rationalistic age. We live at a time when a purely materialistic view of the world is the one commonly accepted, a time when talk of the supernatural is dismissed as nothing more than fables and legends, myths and superstitions; the archaic remnants of a medieval world view. Our society is modern and enlightened, and believes in Science with a capital “S”. There is no room for anything which cannot be seen and heard and touched, anything which cannot be measured and quantified. This attitude is summed up in the words of the astronomer Carl Sagan, who wrote, “The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be”.
However, that materialistic world view, which rejects the idea of supernatural beings, is in conflict with the Bible, and specifically with what the apostle Peter wrote in chapter five of this letter we’ve been studying, 1 Peter. Because here, he is warning us against an evil creature, the devil, who is our enemy; one who is constantly on the prowl, “looking for someone to devour”; an enemy who must be resisted with sober-minded alertness. And so our challenge is to accept what the Bible teaches and to reject what our culture tells us. Our challenge is to see the world the way Peter sees it, and to follow his instructions on how to successfully defend ourselves against this powerful and malevolent supernatural foe.
Who is this devil? Let’s start there. Peter mentions him but doesn’t tell us much about him. Let’s look at what the Bible tells us about his past, his powers, and his purposes. Then we’ll look at what we must do in order to prevail against him.
First of all, Satan, or the devil, is a real being. He is not just a metaphor for evil, he is not merely the personification of abstract ideas, like corruption or wickedness. Satan is a real, personal being. So where did he come from? The answer may surprise you. God made him. According to the Bible—and this has been the traditional understanding of the church since the time of the church fathers in the second and third centuries—Satan was a powerful angelic creature who fell victim to pride and rebelled against God. As a result, he was cast out of heaven. We’ll look at a couple of key passages:
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15)
This prophecy, like many prophecies, has a dual reference. Historically, it was written against the king of Babylon. But it has also been understood as referring to Satan, the power behind the king. What was the cause of Satan’s downfall? Pride, a desire to make himself “like the Most High”; that is, like God. You may remember that this was also how Satan tempted Eve in the garden, to eat of the forbidden fruit. What did he tell her? “You will be like God”. (Gen. 3:5).
Let’s look at another passage:
“7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)
Here we see that Satan, also called the devil, or “the great dragon”, rebelled against God, leading a cohort of angels. There was a great celestial conflict; Satan and his angels were defeated and were cast out of heaven and down to the earth. Those fallen angels are what we know as demons, and Satan is their ruler.
But again, God created Satan, just as he created all the angels and everything else that exists.
“15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:15-16)
Was Satan, then, created evil? No, he was created good, but freely chose to sin against God. As the prophet Ezekiel writes:
“15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.” (Ezekiel 28:15)
This prophecy also was originally directed to a human king, but it has been consistently understood throughout church history to apply also to the power behind that king, Satan. He was “blameless” from the time of his creation, “till wickedness was found in you”.
So what can we draw from all this? The most important thing for us to realize is that Satan is not an independent force of evil; he does not operate outside the realm of God’s sovereignty. He is under God’s dominion, just like every other part of creation. Yes, he is very powerful, and yes, God has allowed him to operate in the world for a limited time. But he is on a leash; he is under God’s control. He has always been under God’s control, and always will be. In fact, he has to ask for permission when he wants to attack someone. We see that in the Old Testament, when Satan requests permission to torment Job. And we see it also in this passage from Luke. Jesus is speaking to Peter at the last supper, and says this:
“31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32)
This “Simon” is Simon Peter, who wrote this book we are studying. And certainly, he remembers that scene, in which Christ tells him that Satan has asked for, and received, permission from God to “sift all of you as wheat”, that is, to afflict and test the disciples. And so we need to remember that, as powerful as Satan may be, he can only do what God permits him to do. He is a created being. He has no independent authority, he has no independent power. If he afflicts us, it is only because God has permitted him to do so for God’s own purposes; his good, and wise, and loving purposes. With me so far?
What else do we know about Satan? We know that he stands behind, and directs, all of the corrupt and evil systems of this world. As John writes,
“19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)
Paul calls Satan “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). Jesus calls him “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). And so, Satan has been given authority over this world’s governments and power structures, over this world’s educational and cultural institutions, over this world’s religions and belief systems, over entertainment, and sports, and publishing, and business; over anything affecting people’s lives that is not explicitly grounded on the Word of God. Thankfully, we live in a country that was founded on the truths of Scripture, but today, many of the institutions of our own government, and many of the colleges and universities in our country that were founded on the Bible, and even some so-called Christian denominations, have departed from their original purpose and no longer seek to honor and serve God.
Does it surprise you to learn that Satan is pulling the strings at the highest levels, all around the world? It explains a lot, doesn’t it? Now, does that mean that world leaders are intentionally and knowingly serving Satan? No, not at all. He is far too subtle and clever for that. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, we read this:
“4 The god of this age [that is, Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)
He has blinded them. He has deceived them. He has convinced them that they are promoting truth, and justice, and equality, and virtue. They think they are in charge. But in fact, they are unknowingly dancing to the devil’s tune and advancing his agenda; they are being manipulated by forces they don’t comprehend. There are exceptions, and those exceptions are the people and institutions that are explicitly seeking to follow Jesus Christ and to honor him. But the rest, to a greater or lesser extent, are being influenced and controlled by dark forces. Listen to what Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10-12:
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)
We may think that we are contending against people, such as the people who are in charge of a government agency, or a university, or a business. But in fact, those people, the “flesh and blood” this verse is referring to, are not the real opponent. Our real opponents are the rulers, and authorities, and powers who stand behind them, “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”. So does this mean that the conspiracy theorists are right? Well, as far as the people involved are concerned, probably no. There may be some coordination here and there, but it’s unlikely there is any kind of coordinated worldwide conspiracy. However, that’s not what matters. It doesn’t matter whether the people are coordinating among themselves. What matters is that behind the scenes, “in the heavenly realms”, Satan is manipulating the power structures of the world; he is directing the decisions and actions of leaders and people of influence, all over the world, for his own ends. Sobering, isn’t it?
And what are those ends? What is Satan’s goal, his overall purpose? Jesus tells us:
“10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
That’s it. That’s Satan’s whole program: “to steal and kill and destroy”. To take every good and beautiful thing created by God or man, and to corrupt it, ruin it, defile it, and ultimately, to destroy it. In the movie, “The Dark Knight”, the character of Alfred, played by Michael Caine, is trying to explain to Bruce Wayne the motivations of the evil character The Joker. And he says this:
“some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”
Satan has no positive or constructive purpose. He just wants to see it all burn. He is driven by a seething hatred and resentment of God, and his goal is to destroy all of God’s works, including mankind. That’s all. There is nothing good or redeeming about his goals. They are entirely evil. And by the way, Satan himself is also beyond redemption. He will not, he cannot repent or change his ways. He cannot be persuaded to show mercy or kindness, he cannot be moved to take pity on the weak and innocent. He will never relent. He never feels remorse. He is completely and irredeemably corrupt.
Now, before we get too discouraged, I need to pause and remind us that this is all temporary. What Satan is doing in the world now will not last. Because Satan is a defeated foe. His destruction is foreordained. His wicked plans and purposes will not succeed. In fact, he has already lost; the outcome is not in doubt. When Christ returns, all of Satan’s works will be destroyed. He will be utterly defeated and cast into the lake of fire, never to rise again. That victory was won by Christ on the cross, and it will be fully consummated when Christ returns. As Paul writes in Colossians:
“15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)
The author of Hebrews, likewise, writes this:
“14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14)
Through his death, Christ broke Satan’s power. In Romans, we have this promise:
“20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20)
And finally,
“4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
That’s the key. Satan is real. He is not irrelevant; he is not a relic of a bygone age. He has great power, for now, but he has already been defeated by Christ on the cross. That triumph will come to completion when Christ returns. And until then, we have a secret weapon to prevail against Satan: the Holy Spirit. The one who is in us; that is, the Spirit of God, is far greater, and far more powerful, than the one who is in the world; that is, Satan. In Christ, we have already overcome him. It only remains for us to claim that victory, every day.
So how do we do that? How do we claim Christ’s victory over Satan in our own lives, the victory that Christ won for us on the cross? And make no mistake; the final victory over Satan has already been won, but we must each claim it for ourselves, lest we be “devoured” by the “roaring lion” that Peter warns us about. So when we find ourselves becoming discouraged, or anxious, or being tempted to sin; when we sense that we are being deceived or led astray from the truth; when we start to lose heart and are tempted to wander away from Christ; what can we do?
Before I answer that, we need to understand that Satan can attack us through many different avenues. Here they are in order of increasing likelihood.
• First, he can operate personally and directly, as he did when he asked Jesus for permission to attack Peter and the other apostles, which we saw earlier. But again, Satan is a created being. He is not like God, he is not omnipresent; he can’t be everywhere at once. So his ability to act personally and directly is limited.
• Second, he can operate through one of his demonic minions, the fallen angels who serve him. We don’t know how many demons there are, although many have speculated over the centuries. The book of Revelation indicates that when Satan fell, he took with him one third of the angels, which would be a very large number. But we don’t know how large.
• Third, he can operate through a person, a human being, who is unknowingly serving him. As Paul writes in 2 Timothy,
“25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:25-26)
What this tells us is that those who oppose the truth of Christ, are to a greater or lesser extent, carrying out the will of Satan, although in most cases they are doing so unknowingly.
• Or, fourth and finally, he can attack us through the power structures of this world which he controls, through his influence over the systems and institutions that govern our daily lives. And this is the most common, because it affects everyone, everywhere, all the time.
Satan can attack us in many ways. But ultimately, it doesn’t matter which of these avenues the attacks may come through. When we are being attacked spiritually, when we are being afflicted or oppressed in our spirit, we don’t need to discern precisely where the attack is coming from. Because our response, what we need to do in order to stand firm and successfully overcome the attack, is the same, regardless of how it comes.
So what should we do? Let’s start with what we don’t do. We don’t attempt to engage Satan or demons directly. That would be the height of folly. Satan is far craftier, far more knowledgeable, far more powerful, and far more experienced at spiritual warfare than we are. He knows all the tricks; he’s been doing this for thousands of years. We cannot defeat him on our own.
As we sang in today’s hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God", “on earth is not his equal”. We are not his equal. No human being is. As Luther wrote, “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing”. If we were to rely on our own power, our own strength, our own cleverness, we would lose. And so all of those old folk tales about people getting the best of Satan, like “The Devil and Daniel Webster”, or books and movies where people outwit Satan—those are just fantasies. That doesn’t happen. And so we don’t engage Satan directly. We also don’t employ incantations, or formulas, or special words or phrases. That’s magic, or sorcery, not Christian faith, and the Bible condemns it. Nor do we speak directly to Satan or to demons, to “rebuke” them or “bind” them. That’s something that Jesus does, not us.
This is important. We do not engage directly with Satanic or demonic powers. That is very dangerous, and foolhardy. Knowing that they exist does not imply that we should confront them directly. The only Biblical exception is the case where there is a need for an exorcism; that is, when a demon has actually possessed, or taken up residence in a person (although not a believer—believers cannot be demon-possessed), and needs to be cast out. But that’s a special case, and not something that most Christians should be attempting.
OK. So what do we do, when we sense ourselves being spiritually afflicted, or oppressed, or tempted? Let’s look at what Peter tells us in today’s passage. Verse 6:
“6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6)
Pride was Satan’s fatal sin, the sin that caused him to rebel against God, with disastrous results. Pride was also Eve’s downfall, as Satan promised her that the forbidden fruit would open her eyes and make her like God. And pride is often how Satan makes his way into our hearts and minds. He persuades us that because we are special in some way, the rules don’t apply to us. Or because we have been unfairly treated, or victimized, or taken advantage of, or not given the respect we deserve, then we are justified in doing whatever it takes to put things right. Or he tells us that if we will just shade the truth a bit, our reputation will be protected. He offers us—again, through the corrupt systems of this world which he controls—he offers us prestige, or honors, or acclaim, or influence, if we will just make this small adjustment to our beliefs; if we will remain silent when Christian faith is being criticized; if we will sit down and shut up, rather than standing up, and speaking up for Christ. A small price to pay, he will tell us. You have to go along to get along, he will say. Or perversely, he will accuse you of pride, saying, “Do you think you are better than them?”
Why does being faithful to Christ, and resisting Satan, require humility? It’s very simple. If we are faithful to live for Christ, to speak out for Christ, to make choices that honor Christ, then we will have to sacrifice the things that pride loves. We will be criticized and mocked; we may lose friends; our reputations will suffer; we will be treated with contempt instead of respect; our views will be rejected and laughed at, our intelligence and our morals will be judged as deficient. Hopefully not among our close circle of Christian friends, but certainly in the larger community. And perhaps also among some friends and family, and even other professing Christians. To humble ourselves, as Peter tells us to do, means to reconcile ourselves to those losses, to accept them as the necessary price of obedience, and to choose to live for Christ despite them. To humble ourselves is to reject what our pride is prompting us to do or say, to reject what our pride is telling us we deserve, and to simply trust that
at the proper time, Christ will vindicate us and set everything right.
What will be the end result? He will “lift you up in due time”. James echoes this:
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10)
If we will humble ourselves for the relatively brief duration of this life, then when Christ returns, he will exalt and glorify us together with him, for all eternity.
What else does Peter instruct us to do?
“7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Fear and anxiety are very reliable ways for Satan to induce people to put aside their faith. People will do almost anything out of fear. They will be tempted to make moral compromises and to cross ethical lines that they never thought they would, if they are sufficiently frightened. That fear may be for themselves: for their health, or their financial security, or their safety. Or their fear may be for someone else; someone they care about, such as a family member. What did Satan say to God regarding Job?
“3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” 4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” (Job 2:3-5)
“A man will give all he has for his own life”. Satan knows that physical affliction and physical suffering can test our faith in God. The Bible tells us that he “afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7). And Satan predicted that, in his misery, Job would abandon his faith and curse God. Which to his credit, he did not do. Satan’s prediction was wrong. But actual physical suffering isn’t necessary; even the fear of physical suffering can have the same effect.
So what should we do, when we find ourselves becoming anxious, or worried, or frightened, whatever may be the cause of that fear, whether it is the fear of physical suffering or of something else? We should give our anxiety, our fear, our worries to God in prayer. By doing that, we remind ourselves that God is in control, that we belong to him, and that he loves us. We are reminded that even if the thing we fear does come to pass, God will never leave us or forsake us. He will strengthen us and strengthen our spirit so that we can endure whatever comes, in faith.
Paul makes the same point:
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
We resist Satan, and prevail against him, by not giving in to fear, but instead taking our fear and anxiety to God in prayer. If we will do that, then God will give us his peace, and
he will guard our hearts and our minds against the devil’s attacks.
What else does Peter tell us to do in order to overcome Satan?
“8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1 Peter 5:8-9)
“Be alert and of sober mind.” In other words, pay attention to what is going on. Don’t just sleepwalk through life, responding unthinkingly to what you experience, but make the effort to understand what is happening from a Biblical perspective. That’s why it’s important to have a firm grasp on the reality of spiritual warfare, and the reality of Satan, and demons, and of his control over all the powers and authorities of this world. Not so that we can be fearful or intimidated, but so that we can respond appropriately and prevail over him. Because if we think about what is happening in the world, and in our lives, in purely human terms, if we ignore the spiritual warfare going on all around us, then we will respond only with human strategies and human weapons, the weapons of this world. And that’s a good way to lose. But if we understand that behind all of this, behind everything that we can see and hear, there is a great war going on in the spiritual realm, then we will respond with spiritual weapons. And then we will prevail. Listen to what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians:
“3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)
What are the weapons of the world? Economic power. Political power. Legal and judicial power. Military power. The power to influence popular opinion through news and entertainment. But those are not our weapons. Even if we utilize those things as tools from time to time, they are not our weapons. Our weapons are truth, and faith, and prayer, and love, and humility, and obedience to Christ. And if we will use those weapons, then Satan cannot stand against us. His “strongholds”, his power bases, will be demolished. Not by our power, but by divine power, the power of God. Again, if we fight Satan with the kinds of weapons that Satan controls, we will lose. But if we fight Satan with the weapons of faith, we will succeed, because they are far more powerful. And then one day, we will hear this:
“10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over 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.” (Revelation 12:10-11)
We will triumph over Satan. Not with the weapons of this world, but by standing firm in our faith and waging war with the far more powerful “weapons” of faith, and love, and truth; humility, and prayer, and obedience to Christ. May we all commit to doing that every day.
