There
is a wonderful truth in 1 Peter 5:8 that you might overlook at first
read (or even at multiple reads, as it just recently popped out to
me, and I've read this many times).
What does Peter call the devil here? He refers to him as "your adversary". Now at first glance, that may not sound comforting. No one wants an adversary! But what it means for the devil to be our adversary is that he is no longer our father. Once we were children of the darkness, children of the father of lies (John 8:43-45), following the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:1-3), adversaries of God! But if we have repented of our sins and believed in Christ and are living a new life by the power of the Spirit, then we are assured that the devil's parental rights have been terminated (Romans 8:2-17, Ephesians 2:4-9). We are no longer required to submit to him, to follow him, to grow up to become like him. We've been adopted into the family of God; He is our new father and Jesus is our new brother, and the Spirit works in us hearts of obedience and faith toward our Father in Heaven. The devil is our adversary because we've been adopted into the family of his adversary. Isn't it amazing to think that we who were once children of the devil are now fundamentally opposed to him because we are a new creation - the children of the Holy God! Doesn't that make you want to be alert, to be on your guard, to resist the devil and draw near to God?
What does Peter call the devil here? He refers to him as "your adversary". Now at first glance, that may not sound comforting. No one wants an adversary! But what it means for the devil to be our adversary is that he is no longer our father. Once we were children of the darkness, children of the father of lies (John 8:43-45), following the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:1-3), adversaries of God! But if we have repented of our sins and believed in Christ and are living a new life by the power of the Spirit, then we are assured that the devil's parental rights have been terminated (Romans 8:2-17, Ephesians 2:4-9). We are no longer required to submit to him, to follow him, to grow up to become like him. We've been adopted into the family of God; He is our new father and Jesus is our new brother, and the Spirit works in us hearts of obedience and faith toward our Father in Heaven. The devil is our adversary because we've been adopted into the family of his adversary. Isn't it amazing to think that we who were once children of the devil are now fundamentally opposed to him because we are a new creation - the children of the Holy God! Doesn't that make you want to be alert, to be on your guard, to resist the devil and draw near to God?
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