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1 Peter 5:8-11

8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

8. Sobrii estote, vigilate, quia adversarius vester diabolus, tanquam
leo rugiens, circuit, quaerens quem devoret (vel, quempiam devorare)

9. Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

9. Cui resistite firmi fide, scientes easdem passiones, vestrae quae in
mundo fraternitati adimpleri.

10. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory
by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,
stablish, strengthen, settle you:

10. Deus autera omnis gratiae, qui nos vocavit in aeternam suam gloriam
per Christum Jesum, paulisper afflictos ipse vos perficiat, confirmet,
corroboret, stabiliat:

11. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

11. Ei gloria et imperium in secula seculorum. Amen.


8 Be sober This explanation extends wider, that as we have war with a
most fierce and most powerful enemy, we are to be strenuous in
resisting him. But he uses a twofold metaphor, that they were to be
sober, and that they were to exercise watchfulness. Surfeiting produces
sloth and sleep; even so they who indulge in earthly cares and
pleasures, think of nothing else, being under the power of spiritual
lethargy.

We now perceive what the meaning of the Apostle is. We must, he says,
carry on a warfare in this world; and he reminds us that we have to do
with no common enemy, but one who, like a lion, runs here and there,
ready to devour. He hence concludes that we ought carefully to watch.
Paul stimulates us with the same argument in the sixth chapter of the
Epistle to the Ephesians, where he says that we have a contest not with
flesh and blood, but with spiritual wickedness, etc. But we too often
turn peace into sloth, and hence it comes that the enemy then
circumvents and overwhelms us; for, as though placed beyond the reach
of danger, we indulge ourselves according to the will of the flesh.

He compares the devil to a lion, as though he had said, that he is a
savage wild beast. He says that he goes round to devour, in order to
rouse us to wariness. He calls him the adversary of the godly, that
they might know that they worship God and profess faith in Christ on
this condition, that they are to have continual war with the devil, for
he does not spare the members who fights with the head.

9 Whom resist As the power of an enemy ought to stimulate us and make
us more careful, so there would be danger lest our hearts failed
through immoderate fear, except the hope of victory were given us. This
then is what the Apostle speaks of; he shows that the issue of the war
will be prosperous, if we indeed fight under the banner of Christ; for
whosoever comes to this contest, endued with faith, he declares that he
will certainly be a conqueror.

Resist, he says; but some one may ask, how? To this he answers, there
is sufficient strength in faith. Paul, in the passage which I have
already quoted, enumerates the various parts of our armor, but the
meaning is the same, (Ephesians 6:13,) for John testifies that faith
alone is our victory over the world.

Knowing that the same afflictions, or sufferings. It is another
consolation, that we have a contest in common with all the children of
God; for Satan dangerously tries us, when he separates us from the body
of Christ. We have heard how he attempted to storm the courage of Job,

"Look to the saints, has any one of them suffered such a thing?"
-- Job 5:1.

The Apostle on the other hand, reminds us here that nothing happens to
us but what we see does happen to other members of the Church. Moreover
a fellowship, or a similar condition, with all the saints, ought by no
means to be refused by us.

By saying that the same sufferings are accomplished, he means what Paul
declares in Colossians 1:24, that what remains of the sufferings of
Christ is daily fulfilled in the faithful.

The words, that are in the world, may be explained in two ways, either
that God proves his faithful people indiscriminately everywhere in the
world, or that the necessity of fighting awaits us as long as we are in
the world. But we must observe that having said before that we are
assailed by Satan, he then immediately refers to every kind of
afflictions. We hence gather that we have always to do with our
spiritual enemy, however adversities may come, or whatever they may be,
whether diseases oppress us, or the barrenness of the land threatens us
with famine, or men persecute us.

10 But the God of all grace After having sufficiently dwelt on
admonitions, he now turns to prayer; for doctrine is in vain poured
forth into the air, unless God works by his Spirit. And this example
ought to be followed by all the ministers of God, that is, to pray that
he may give success to their labors; for otherwise they effect nothing
either by planting or by watering.

Some copies have the future tense, as though a promise is made; but the
other reading is more commonly received. At the same time, the Apostle,
by praying God, confirms those to whom he was writing, for when he
calls God the author of all grace, and reminds them that they were
called to eternal glory, his purpose no doubt was, to confirm them in
the conviction, that the work of their salvation, which he had begun,
would be completed.

He is called the God of all grace from the effect, from the gifts he
bestows, according to the Hebrew manner. [56] And he mentions expressly
all grace, first that they might learn that every blessing is to be
ascribed to God; and secondly, that one grace is connected with
another, so that they might hope in future for the addition of those
graces in which they were hitherto wanting.

Who hath called us This, as I have said, serves to increase confidence,
because God is led not only by his goodness, but also by his gracious
benevolence, to aid us more and more. He does not simply mention
calling, but he shews wherefore they were called, even that they might
obtain eternal glory. He further fixes the foundation of calling in
Christ. Both these things serve to give perpetual confidence, for if
our calling is founded on Christ, and refers to the celestial kingdom
of God and a blessed immortality, it follows that it is not transient
nor fading.

It may also be right, by the way, to observe that when he says that we
are called in Christ, first, our calling is established, because it is
rightly founded; and secondly, that all respect to our worthiness and
merit is excluded; for that God, by the preaching of the gospel,
invites us to himself, it is altogether gratuitous; and it is still a
greater grace that he efficaciously touches our hearts so as to lead us
to obey his voice. Now Peter especially addresses the faithful; he
therefore connects the efficacious power of the Spirit with the outward
doctrine.

As to the three words which follow, some copies have them in the
ablative case, which may be rendered in Latin by gerunds (fulciendo,
roborando, stabiliendo) by supporting, by strengthening, by
establishing. [57] But in this there is not much importance with regard
to the meaning. Besides, Peter intends the same thing by all these
words, even to confirm the faithful; and he uses these several words
for this purpose, that we may know that to follow our course is a
matter of no common difficulty, and that therefore we need the special
grace of God. The words suffered a while, inserted here, shew that the
time of suffering is but short, and this is no small consolation.

11 To him be glory That he might add more confidence to the godly, he
breaks out into thanksgiving. Though this be read in the indicative as
well as in the optative mood, still the meaning is nearly the same.
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[56] We read in 1 Peter 4:10, of "the manifold grace of God," which may
be viewed as explanatory of "the God of all grace." -- Ed.

[57] It seems that the preponderance as to readings is in favor of this
construction, for Griesbach has introduced into his text these three
words as nouns, sterixei, sthenosei, themeliosei, but it is a harsh
construction. The probability is, that this reading has been introduced
because of the sense, as it was not seen how these words could come
after "make perfect." But the order is according to the usual style of
the prophets, examples of which are also found in the New Testament:
the ultimate object is mentioned first, and then what leads to it. The
writer, as it were, retrogrades instead of going forward. See on this
subject the preface to the third volume of Calvin's Commentaries on
Jeremiah. Divested of this peculiarity, the words would run thus: "may
he establish, strengthen, confirm, perfect you;" that is, to give the
words more literally, "may he put you on a solid foundation, render you
strong, render you firm, make you perfect." -- Ed.