The book of 1 Peter has challenged us that we’re in a culture war. Because we belong to Jesus, the world around us will always be antagonistic toward our beliefs and values. But the battle with our culture is not a losing effort. If Christians stand firm, the result may not be major changes in the culture. But that’s not the ultimate measure of victory. Peter understood this because thirty years before, Jesus had taught him how to succeed in the battle. Now Peter takes the principles he had learned at Jesus’ feet and applies them to his situation – and ours. As we compare 1 Peter 5 with Luke 22, three final instructions become clear.
Approach the battle with humility.
Luke 22 recounts the last night Jesus spent with his closest followers before he went to the cross. After eating with them, Jesus imparted some final words of wisdom. At one point, the disciples began arguing over who would be the greatest among them (Luke 22:24). Jesus set them straight. “In this world,” he says, “the kings and great men lord it over their people” (Luke 22:25). But his followers must reject the pattern of the culture: “Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be the servant” (Luke 22:26).
Jesus’ words are echoed in Peter’s. He opens chapter 5 by speaking to the leaders of the churches. He warns them, “Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care” (1 Peter 5:3), but serve them like a shepherd. Then he applies the principle to everyone: “All of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another” (1 Peter 5:5), trusting that “at the right time God will lift you up in honor” (1 Peter 5:6). Humility is not the opposite of courage. It doesn’t mean being passive or giving up the battle. Humility is simply trusting the outcome of our battle to God, seeking to give honor for the results to him instead of ourselves.
Satan is the real enemy, not culture.
On that last night with his followers, Jesus knew that he was about to be falsely arrested, brutally punished, and ultimately executed by Roman and Jewish authorities. But he also knew where the real battle would be waged. So he warned Peter (using his given name), “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:31-32). Satan wanted to test Peter’s allegiance to Jesus. That would happen in just a few hours. But Peter ignored the warning. He still hadn’t learned the lesson of humility. He declared that he was ready to go to prison or even die for Jesus. Yet three times that same night, he denied even knowing Jesus.
Eventually Peter figured it out. He recovered from his cowardly denials. Over the next 30 years, Peter passed the test through all kinds of ups and downs. The Jewish leaders had arrested and flogged him because he wouldn’t stop talking about Jesus (Acts 5:26-40). The king had thrown him in prison to await execution (Acts 12:1-4). Through all this, Peter understood that the people who opposed Jesus and made trouble for him were not the real enemy. Ephesians 6:12 confirms this view. It explains that our fight is not against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against spiritual powers at work in the unseen world. In light of this, Peter calls us to action: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
The real fight doesn’t happen in politics, media, or the academic world. It isn’t against the people or governments who oppose biblical values. We should stand firm for Jesus in those realms. But we don’t dare to neglect the more important fight that takes place through prayer (1 Peter 4:7) and personal holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16).
Trust God for ultimate victory.
Peter has been honest with his readers about the trials (1 Peter 1:6), the slander (1 Peter 2:12,15; 4:4), and the suffering (1 Peter 3:17; 4:13) they would have to face. He warned that Satan is like a powerful lion seeking to destroy us. In spite of these challenges, Peter wrote with great hope, because he knew that God – not the culture, and not Satan – would win the victory in the end. Peter learned this directly from Jesus. In Luke 22, with his death only hours away, Jesus encouraged his followers: “You have stayed with me in my time of trial” (Luke 22:28). In response, “I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom” (Luke 22:29-30). Jesus promised that his death was not an ultimate victory for evil. Christians might suffer in many ways for a time, but God would reward his faithful followers in the end.
1 Peter ends with this same hopeful news. In verses 10-11, Peter reminds his readers of the great truth he introduced in chapter 1: “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory…” (1 Peter 5:10). Suffering is only temporary. In the end, Peter is confident that God “will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation” (1 Peter 5:10). That’s why Peter can say, in verse 7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you.”
The promise of verse 10 has two important applications. On one hand, we have the assurance that God will keep us strong when the culture comes against our values and beliefs – even if we suffer as a result. When we stumble, God will restore us – as Peter knew first hand. But Peter also knew that the culture war might lead to martyrdom, as it did for him. So the second application of this promise is eternal. There is an ultimate restoration ahead, when we are united with Jesus at the end of the age.
So don’t be afraid when the culture comes against you because of your faith. Stand firm! Don’t stop doing what’s right! We have every reason to trust in God. No matter what happens to us in this life, we belong to him, and he will win the ultimate victory.
