The Resistance

1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. 13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Once a nation has been conquered by an overwhelming force, the only means left to those who will and would is resistance.

We saw this during WWII, as France was conquered by Nazi Germany, rapidly, completely and devastatingly. From the outside, it appeared as though France had completely capitulated to the Nazis, but within the borders the story was different. There was unseen, invisible resistance – even to an apparently irresistible force. France was indeed a battleground, even though it had the appearance of being completely controlled by Germany.

During Peter’s time it was much the same. Rome had conquered the known world to such a degree the famous ‘Pax Romana’ was in place. (This meant Rome had conquered all its enemies, so there was therefore “peace” brought about explicitly by Roman power.) Who could withstand Rome?

The Bible teaches us Satan is the ruler of this world. He was ceded control of the earth by the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Capitulation. Defeat. Destruction. We see evidence of his presence everywhere we look. Wars. Rumors of wars. Lies. Corrupt business deals. Murder. Rape. Child sexual perversion. Prostitution. Human slavery and human traffic. Addiction to pornography, alcohol and drugs. The pure idiocy of self-destruction, even down to the extent of sniffing bath salts, as has only recently become popular. Who could make anyone even think of sniffing bath salts?

If you refuse to believe Satan is real, I feel sorry for you. The profound evidence, not just of his existence, but of his power to influence human beings is all around us every day of our lives.

But God is stronger. In fact, Satan was and is no match at all for those who claim Jesus as Savior. Satan was defeated by Christ at the cross, and though he remains the ‘prince of the power of the air,’ he no longer has any power at all over those filled with God’s Holy Spirit by faith in Christ. As Peter says, “We are the resistance!”

-Pastor Bill