Angelic Conflict VII: Resisting the Devil

1 Peter 5:9 ^NASB “But resist him, firm in {your} faith [doctrine]…” knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” Resistance to the devil is related to application of doctrine in the soul. If there is little doctrine in the soul a believer will be hindered in his ability to resist the devil because there will be no application of doctrine. So one of the first principles to note here is that to resist the devil we must have doctrine in our souls and applying it. “…knowing…” When we see a present active participle like this it emphasises that the means to fulfilling the command is based on knowledge. This is a participle of means and it should be accurately translated, “resist him, firm in your faith by knowing,” or it could possibly be a causal participle which would be translated, “because you know” something. But it is probably more likely “resist him” by knowing something, by applying something that we know. “…that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” A major them in Peter’s epistle is suffering and adversity in the believer’s life, and that the believer often goes through undeserved suffering in this life. He recognises that in the midst of adversity and suffering there is a strong temptation to try to solve the problems by our own methods and energy, trying to come up with some alternate way based on human viewpoint on solving problems.

Peter says “resist” because he recognises that the cosmic system is ultimately headed up by Satan who has authored a system of cosmic system that has a vast array of different means and methods to try to solve problems in life apart from exclusive dependence upon God and application of doctrine. They key is that we resist the devil. 1 Peter 5:8 ^NASB “Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” That means that Satan continuously sets up traps for believers either through thinking or through some sort of demonic influence and the key is resistance, and important word and the same one as used in James 4:7 ^NASB “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” “Submit” means humility, and one of the major reasons people have problems, especially if other people are involved, is because there is usually arrogance at some point. When two people can’t get along usually one or both are operating in arrogance towards the Word of God and they may claim to be applying the Scriptures but they are not. Resisting the devil means first of all to submit to God, putting one’s self completely under the authority of God and doing exactly what God says to do as dictated through the commands of Scripture. A third verse which uses this same phraseology is Ephesians 6:13 ^NASB “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” There the “evil day” is comparable to the experiences of suffering in 1 Peter 5:9, and that is the same context as James 4. All of these passages are talking about time when as a believer we go through assaults of adversity, and these can come in various forms. These verses tell us that the key strategy for the believer in the angelic conflict is to resist the devil.

The Greek words here are two. The root is histemi [i(sthmi]. The second word is anthistemi [a)nqisthmi], the preposition anti plus histemi. It means to stand form, to stand against, and to take up a defensive posture against. It was used in a military sense to establish a defensive position and to stay behind it to withstand an assault.

Ephesians 6:10 ^NASB “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” The word “might” is the Greek word ischuo [i)sxuw], the same word we will find in 1 John 2:14. It means in the verb form to be strong. John will use the noun form of that when he talks to the adolescent believers, the young men, and says “you are strong.” That means that they have learned to resist the devil and that is why they are able to overcome the evil one in 1 John 2:14. They have learned the techniques in the church age spiritual life on how to resist the devil. It is God’s strength, not our strength. What happens in much spiritual warfare taught today is that people think that they can learn things about devil and demons through experience. So a lot of demonology and Satanology that is being taught today is about ten per cent exegesis and ninety per cent experience. The issue here is that we are to be strong in the strength of His might and that is going to involve what the Bible talks about as defensive manoeuvring. It is based exclusively on the knowledge of Scripture and not on experience. We operate in the physical realm; we do not have sensibility in the spiritual realm; we cannot know with certainty what is going on in the spiritual realm. We can only see certain effects in the physical realm.

Whatever demonic forces are coming against us we don’t have to worry about. We have to remember the important principle that in any combat situation it doesn’t matter whether we are being attacked by the first company, second company, or third company. They each may have a slightly different strategy but the principles for defence are always the same. In the analogy the first company is the sin nature, the second company is the cosmic system, the third company is Satan and the demons. But the principle for victory is always the same and that is to positively apply doctrine to every situation. We don’t have to identify demons; all we have to know is what God says to do. The principle is the same as in Exodus 14: “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord… The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.”

Ephesians 6:11 ^NASB “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand [aorist infinitive of i(sthmi]firm against the schemes of the devil.” The full armour of God in this sense is a biblically inspired metaphor that is comparable to the model that we use of the spiritual fortress. When we are inside the spiritual fortress we are using the divine problem-solving devices and therefore protected by God from any external assaults. The sin nature which is inside of us is the only enemy we are told to attack aggressively. We are to put to death the deeds of the sin nature.

There are two aspects to putting on the armour of God. The first looks at putting on the full armour of God at one time. That is comparable to positional sanctification, our position in Christ. Then in v. 13 there is a shift to take up the full armour of God and then it focuses on each individual piece. We put on the full armour of God positionally at salvation, and then as we grow as believers and we begin to understand the divine assets that God has given us we take each individual piece and put it on experientially in terms of applying doctrine. When we learn to utilise the Word of God in a defensive manner we are able to apply the promises and principles experientially on a day-to-day basis.

Ephesians 6:12 ^NASB “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly {places.} The demonic forces are listed here in terms of their hierarchy. The principles of application begin in verse 13: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm [i(sthmi]. [14] Stand firm therefore…” Notice that three times in short section we have either histemi or anthisemi. “…HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS…” Having the loins girded with truth means to remove distractions in the life that keep from focusing on Bible doctrine. Cf. Luke 12:35. It emphasises readiness, preparation, watchfulness and alertness. It emphasises the believer who has made Bible doctrine the number one priority in his life, has evaluated all the details in his life and removed the distractions that keep him from learning and applying doctrine. The same idea is emphasised in Hebrews 12:1 where we are told to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us. So the belt of truth is to remove the hindrances to our fight and prepares us for the battle. Notice that is the belt of truth. Truth in this verse refers to the Word of God as objective truth; not as applied truth but as the basis for all the other action in the spiritual life.

Proverbs 4:23 ^NASB “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it {flow} the springs of life.” This is what protects our heart which is the core of our thinking, the breastplate which consists of righteousness, an objective genitive. The point of this is that there are two aspects to this righteousness. There is the imputed righteousness which we received at the point of salvation, and that has to do with positional truth. The second aspect of this righteousness is applied or experiential righteousness, that which comes as a result of the believer learning and applying doctrine. As we learn and apply doctrine we advance in terms of experiential righteousness. It is the factor of the believer living a life that is separated unto God—that is what holiness means. It is that we are separated from the cosmic system, we are going to remove the distractions in our lives, and we are going to live a life focused on learning doctrine and growing spiritually so that we can glorify God.

Ephesians 6:15 ^NASB “and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.” This looks at our foundation. Anybody who is on his feet all day long knows the importance of good shoes. The foundation of gospel, understanding the dynamics of the removal of the barrier, reconciliation, redemption, propitiation, are necessary, and once we understand them we can relax in God’s provision and have stability in the Christian life. [16] “in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil {one.}” The shield of faith here is a particular kind of shield. When Roman soldiers were lined up together they could get down behind their shields when the enemy had fired a barrage of arrows at them and be protected. The shield of faith is this large shield that protects the believer. I tis called the shield of faith, and that is doctrine, not just the use of faith or believing but what is believed. It is a shield that is composed of doctrine. It is on the application of doctrine that we can extinguish all. No matter what we go through in life, everything is dealt with by doctrine. There is no problem or difficulty that cannot be handled by the application of doctrine.

Ephesians 6:17 ^NASB “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The helmet protected the head; it is salvation that protects the thinking of the believer. The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God is not the objective truth that sits in the Bible, but what is used and applied. It is the rhema [r(hma] of God, not the logos [logoj] of God. The best illustration of this is what Jesus does in the temptation in the wilderness in Matthew chapter four. Satan misquotes Scripture and our Lord responds by accurately quoting and applying Scripture. It is used defensively in order to parry and counter an attack. [18] “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in [by means of] the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”