1 Peter 5:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Our warfare is not against flesh and blood, and again: Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth (Eph 6:12, 14). I arm you because the whole time of our life is a time of battle.

How, and in what manner? The devil always attacks. Listen to what is said of him: he walks about, roaring like a lion, desiring to devour. Countless fleshly passions rush upon us, and we must point them out here, lest we be vainly deceived.

Tell me, what does not wage war against us? Wealth, beauty, pleasure, strength, power, envy, glory, arrogance? Not only our own glory wages war against us, preventing us from descending to humility of mind. The glory of others also does so, stirring up envy and hatred in us.

The evil beast of despair attacks those who are accustomed to sleep in soul. This means being swallowed up by vanity, and thereby burdening the sobriety of the soul.

Warning against this, the disciple of Christ urges us always to keep watch and guard ourselves from the sower of tares. When we sleep, that is, when we lead a careless and slothful life, he may secretly sow evil thoughts and draw us away from true life.

For, he says, he continually prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

The holy martyr Justin finds the cause of such unceasing cunning and assaults by the devil in this. Before the Lord's coming, the devil did not know clearly how severe his punishment would be, since the holy prophets spoke of it enigmatically.

Who would escape the mouth of this lion, had not the Lion of the tribe of Judah conquered?

That the devil wanders and prowls throughout the whole earth under heaven, like a mad dog, seeking whom he may devour, we learn from what is written about Job.

Christ is called a lion because of His royal dignity and invincibility. The righteous man is so called because of his fearlessness and courage. The devil is so called because of his savagery and bloodthirstiness, for he goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

With roaring he goes about, wishing to devour us. He sharpens his evil teeth in wrath, for we cry out only to Thee, O Lord.

Explaining why the devil so zealously lays snares for us, Saint Justin Martyr says that before the coming of the Lord the devil did not know precisely how great a punishment awaited him. But when the Lord came into the world, the devil learned with certainty that eternal fire had been prepared and appointed both for him and for his angels, cf. Mt 25:41. From then on he has plotted unceasingly against believers. He desires to draw as many as possible into sharing his apostasy, so that he alone may not endure disgrace in his obstinacy.

The whole Christian struggle consists in cutting off evil thoughts at the beginning. They rise up against the holy faith and the law of God, and wish to corrupt the pious heart. We must not allow them to grow and strengthen.

All God's holy saints cared and struggled for this. For this also those who now desire to live piously in Christ Jesus struggle. We too, O Christian, must care and struggle for this.

In this matter, so important because the Christian struggles for the salvation of his soul, we must imitate those who defend their house from a robber, or a city from the enemy.

They put all their effort into not being defeated by their enemies. They resist them and drive them back, are wounded by them and wound them in return.

Be sober, be vigilant. The apostle calls Christians to battle against the devil. Thus he points to the chief cause of their sufferings: the devil's enmity toward Christians.

At the same time, by teaching them to seek help from above, in God, he reveals the dangers that threaten them during the struggle. He sets against these dangers the means by which they can successfully wage battle against the devil.

These means are sobriety, vigilance, and firm faith. Their necessity is clear from the fact that sin first intoxicates a man. It paints seductive scenes in his mind and imagination, and stirs up in the heart a passionate thirst for impure pleasure.

Humility is indicated as the most important weapon against the present grievous but passing circumstances, which will be resolved in the triumph of Christianity. Therefore the apostle advises them to cast all their care upon the Provider.

They must not grow despondent or give themselves over to moral slackness and carelessness. For the ancient enemy, who takes different forms at different times, is now bringing terror upon Christians.

Like a hungry, or rather enraged, lion, he is always seeking victims for himself. He seeks those who lag behind the flock of God because of the carelessness of pastors or because of the error of individual sheep.