FIRST PETER 5:3

The Bible says in First Peter 5:3, “Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” A pastor is not a dictator. Neither is any other Christian leader. Jesus Christ is the only Lord of the people of God. When any man attempts to rule over the people of God, great abuses take place. The Christian life is a call to the greatest and highest of standards. The only way that someone will desire to attain to that standard is to do so out of his or her own free will. The best way to appeal to that free will is to have someone who is an example. Of course, Jesus is the best of the examples, but Christian leaders should also lead by example. It is no wonder that a group of Christians is compared to a flock of sheep. They will follow the leader, which is why the leader must set a good example.

A reward is promised to the pastors who fulfill the commandments given in First Peter 5:1-3. Concerning that reward the Bible says in First Peter 5:4, “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” Jesus is the chief Shepherd. All believers should be following Jesus, and not following any man. All pastors should consider themselves under the authority of Jesus because Jesus is the chief. The word that is translated “Shepherd” can also be translated “Pastor.” Jesus is the chief Pastor. We must point out once again that this verse along with verses 1-3 is scriptural evidence that elders are pastors. Peter addresses the elders, then he says that the elders should pastor the flock, and then Peter points out that the elders are under the authority of the chief Pastor. In other words, elders are pastors under the chief pastor.

Notice that the “crown of glory” is only obtained if the conditions are fulfilled. Salvation is free, but the rewards will be won or lost depending upon the performance of each believer. Jesus wants to give us crowns. The judgment of believers will show who gained such crowns and who lost them. A crown is a symbol of authority. In the vast and eternal kingdom of God, evidently power and authority will be given to those who have earned them. Power and authority will be lost by those who failed to earn their reward.

The Bible says in First Peter 5:5, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” It is interesting that Peter uses the word “elder” in this verse, but in a different way than he used it already in this chapter. We saw that an elder is a pastor, but we know that the word “elder” literally means “one who is older.” Youth should always respect those who are older, if for no other reason than because they are older. Youth should be subject to the elder. How much better life would be for most people if when they were young they submitted to the older ones. The ones who are older have been there already. They made the mistakes or have seen others make them. They know. The mistakes of youth would be much fewer and the terrible consequences of such mistakes would be much less frequent if only the youth would submit themselves to the elder. God does not give commandments in order to limit human beings, but God gives His commandments because He knows what will work out for the best. Jesus said, “I am come that ye might have life, and that ye might have it more abundantly.”

All Christians are equals, and every Christian has a part to play in building unity among the congregation of the saints. That is why this Bible verse says that every believer should “be subject one to another.”

Tied closely to the concept of being subject one to another is the concept of humility. You are either a humble person or a proud person. A proud person is someone who has a high opinion of himself. A humble person is someone who has a low opinion of himself, at least to the point of not viewing himself or herself better than others. Which opinion that you have of yourself will show through in your relationships with others. You know your own weaknesses and the sins that you have committed, and you should know your own sins much better than you know anyone else’s sins. Therefore, you have no reason to be proud.

The phrase “be clothed with humility” indicates that you have control over your own pride or humility. You can show forth the one or the other depending upon your own view of yourself and your own choices on how you think about yourself. To be “clothed” with humility also speaks of being totally covered by humility. In other words in everything that you do, do it with humility. With everyone that you meet, treat them with humility.

One of the negative consequences to not having humility is given in First Peter 5:5. It says, “For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” In order to be rightly related to God, a person must have a right view of himself and that includes a right view of his own sinfulness. A proud person has a wrong view of himself: a view that is not true: a view that is false. Truth cannot coexist with falsehood. You come to the truth by first coming to an understanding of what you really are.

God will determine your ultimate fate, both in this life and in the next. You do not have to vaunt yourself in order to get where you need to be. That is what the next verse is saying. First Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” Notice the phrase, “In due time.” God knows when the time is right. There is a time to wait, and there is a time to go into action. Do not mess things up by your own pride. Believe God, and humble yourself under the mighty hand of Christ. If and when He is ready, He will open the door to whatever He wishes you to do. Everything is timing. God’s timing is perfect timing. “In the fullness of time God sent forth His Son.” The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” Yield to God’s time, and you will fit into God’s purpose. Make your own decisions without considering God’s time, and you will definitely be an unspiritual person on this earth. This is a good way to accept your own advancing age. It is God’s time for you to be become older. He will guide you through it and use you in it according to His purposes for you. Some human beings did not reach an advanced age because the appointed time of their death prevented it. That was God’s will for them. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

One reason that people are proud instead of humble is that they have certain concerns about their own status in this world and they are going about advancing themselves through prideful means. Another way of handling the concerns that you have about your life is given in First Peter 5:7 that says, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.” Your cares are the things that occupy your thoughts. Your cares can be anything in regards to your life: your daily responsibilities, your trials and tribulations, your difficulties, your hopes and dreams, or your fears. Human beings tend to not be strong enough for all of the things that life can throw at them. It is good to know that God cares about us. His great eternal mind is filled with thoughts of each of us and our well-being. One of the many benefits of being a believer in Jesus is that we can “cast” our cares upon Him. We can use energy and determination to make sure that instead of worrying about things, we take them to the Lord. Learn to take you burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Philippians 4:6-7 gives the same message. It says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The Bible says in First Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” We should never forget that the Christian life is a call to a spiritual warfare. Both good and evil exist in the world, and of course there is contention between them. The devil is the leader of evil forces, and he is opposed to everyone who desires to serve Jesus Christ. There is one important thing to remember about the devil that this verse implies regarding the fact that the devil is not all-powerful. He “walks about.” He is not everywhere at all times in the way that God is.

The devil has certain limitations, but he is certainly strong enough to destroy any human being. That is the problem that you and I have. Therefore, we must be sober and vigilant. In being “sober” it means that we take life seriously. We understand that we might be attacked at any time, and therefore we must not let down our guard. If you are properly prepared for an attack, then you can fight it off. But if you are unprepared because of not being serious enough about the spiritual battle, then you will be in big trouble when an attack comes. We live in a dangerous world because of the evil spiritual forces that hate us.

In telling us to be “vigilant” it means to be watchful. Life is temporary and dangerous, both from a physical and a spiritual standpoint. God wants your life to become useful and productive for His service and for your fulfillment. The devil wants your potential to be ruined. Notice that the devil is compared to a lion. In the natural world a lion seeks prey. A lion kills and destroys. The devil does the same thing to human beings. The devil started this terrible business in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Adam and Eve to go against God’s will and to lose the paradise, and the service in that paradise that God would have had for them. How many times the same things have happened! How have the mighty fallen! Countless lives have been ruined and have had their potential wasted or vastly reduced because the human beings did not have the spiritual sense to be “sober” and “vigilant.” May God have mercy on us.

First Peter 5:9 gives additional instruction on how to gain the victory over the devil and his attempts to destroy you. It says, “Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” We were already told that the devil is our adversary. He is opposed to us. He wants to devour us. Just make sure that you are also opposed to him. If you have an enemy who is fighting against you and if you are not fighting against him, then the battle is over before it has started. “Resist” the devil. This means to take a stand in opposition to the devil. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Do not underestimate the power of your own will to say, “No,” to the devil. He can tempt you, but he cannot make you do anything. There is a common saying, “The devil made me do it.” That is not true. The devil cannot make anyone do anything. You are responsible for your own actions because you have the power to choose one or the other of any action.

Be careful to notice that First Peter 5:9 says to resist the devil “in the faith.” This spiritual battle that we are involved in is primarily a battle of faith. You win the battle by fighting it with the arm of faith and not with the arm of the flesh. Ephesians 6:11-12 says, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Do not make the mistake of thinking that you must fight with the arm of the flesh: with human means. It is a battle of faith. “The just must live by faith.” “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” “Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.” “Whom resist steadfast in the faith.” “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” Protect your faith. Stay in the Word and keep it strong. Confess your sins, and stay close to Jesus so that you can have a daily walk of faith in Him.

This may be the greatest challenge of life for anyone who wishes to be a Christian: to keep the faith no matter what happens over the course of your entire life. The Apostle Paul thought it was a very big deal. He said exultantly at the end of his life in Second Timothy 4:7, “I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

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