First Peter 1:5

 

Nasv; (Believers)who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time

Nkjv: who are kept by the powr of God through faith for salvation to be revealed in the last time.

Amplified: Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.

Amplified (2015) who are being protected and shielded by the power of God through your faith for salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.

NLT: And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see.

Phillips: And in the meantime you are guarded by the power of God operating through your faith, till you enter fully into the salvation which is all ready for the dénouement of the last day.

Wuest: who are constantly being kept guarded by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in a last season which is epochal and strategic in its significance.

Young's Literal: who, in the power of God are being guarded, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time,

SECURITY

Note the protection is by and through. By speaks of our vertical security (our God) and through of our horizontal security (our faith).

Notice how the Greek appropriately places the power of God first in the sentence for emphasis. Indeed God is the "first Cause" Who Alone has supernatural "keeping power!" God grant us by Your Spirit the desire and power (Philippians 2:13) to run to Your Protecting Name "The Power of God" as if running into a strong tower... "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him""

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous (Our Responsibility) runs into it and is safe (God's Sovereign Keeping Power -Hebrew = sagab = lifted high). (Pr 18:10) "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe"

"In the Greek, the first and preeminent idea is God's power as the basis of protection; faith is our "passive" part in the process

We "run" into His Name and His Power by faith). This means that we rely entirely on the divine might exercised on our behalf, not on what we can do....

 

In First Peter 1:5 it (protecting power) refers to the hosts of heaven, the "power of God," that stands against the vicissitudes of life. (a variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something.)

 

It is important to realize that this protection is entirely supplied by God, Who exercises His might on our behalf. It is nothing we can do, as if we could control His power and so guard ourselves.

 

We respond with "faith," that is, a total reliance on God Who Alone keeps us secure. This does not mean we are inactive (Like the catchy but theologically inaccurate aphorism says "Let go and Let God."), as if we sit back and wait for God to do everything for us.

 

Rather, we actively seek God and both His might and wisdom as we work through our difficulties.

 

The key is our utter dependence on Him.

KEPT or PROTECTED (5432) 

is a military metaphor speaking of a fortress with strong walls being guarded by a battalion of soldiers. This term in this context also implies that those who have been born again are in a holy war and are under constant enemy attack from a host of unholy enemies = the world the flesh, and the devil, (cp similar military metaphor in First peter 2:11.

 

Spurgeon: God's guarding providence writing that…"As sure as ever God puts His children in the furnace He will be in the furnace with them."

 

Darby: God's ways are behind the scenes, but He moves all the scenes which He is behind.

 

is in the present tensse which emphasizes God's ever available power and our need for His continual supernatural protection in our struggle in this present life (and our 3 enemies = theworld, the flesh and the devil.) as we await our day of redemption Ephesisans 4:20) and our life of eternal glory.

 

Present Tense: From Peter's use of Present tense one can see that in context he is referring to born again ones, describing them as those who are "continually being protected by the power (dunamis) of God". God's protection of His children isn't fickle, present one day and absent the next. You can see how even the most basic understanding of verb tense can add so much to the meaning.

 

Hallelujah! We are constantly being kept guarded by the omnipotent power of God which guarantees every believer's final victory even what may seen to them now as "against all odds"!

The passive voice (so called "Divine passive" in this context) indicates that the "guarding" is being carried out by an outside force, specifically God, Whose power is continuously guarding us.

 

Peter's point then is that it is not believers who make themselves holy (eg, by keeping a list of do's and don't's) but it is God Who makes us progressively more and more holy as we surrender our will to His sweet will.

 

Peter's point is that we will make it to heaven no matter what trials we experience here, so hangeth thou in there! As Peter says in 1 Peter 1:6- although the trials may feel like they are never ending, they are only "for a little while!" (cp "momentary, light affliction" in 2 Corinthians 4:17 God's keeping power is sufficient to bring us safely through the trials and afflictions.

Christian Are To Be Cool and not Panic

Satan Have You For Breakfast

1Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (NASB:)

: Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. (Amplified Bible -

 

Be sober; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour

 

Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. (NLT -

: Be self-controlled and vigilant always, for your enemy the devil is always about, prowling like a lion roaring for its prey. (New Testament in Modern English)

 

Wuest: Be of a sober mind, be watchful. Your adversary who is a slanderer, namely, the devil, as a lion roaring in fierce hunger, is constantly walking about, always seeking someone to be devouring

 

Young's Literal: Be sober, vigilant, because your opponent the devil, as a roaring lion, doth walk about, seeking whom he may swallow up,

 

Paraphrase: (Peter commands saints to) Be sober, be self controlled, be circumspect, be cool, show sound moral judgment (Do it now. It is urgent). Be alert, vigilant, wide awake (Do it now. It is urgent). Your opponent (adversary) like a lion continually roaring and howling (trying to incite fear in his victims), is continuously walking around (pacing back and forth), continuously seeking to drink (you) down and devour (you). (: is my personal "

 

BE OF SOBER SPIRIT : Nepsate :

1Peter 1:13; 4:7; Mt 24:48, 49,50; Lk 12:45,46; 21:34,36; Ro 13:11, 12, 13; 1Th 5:6, 7, 8; 1Ti 2:9,15; 3:2,11; Titus 1:8; 2:2,4,6,12) ("spirit" is added by the translators

　

Be sober (3525) (nepho) in the physical sense literally was used to refer to either complete abstinence or in a relative sense to refer to temperance (drinking but not to the point of intoxication).

1.Yes, we can cast the burden of our anxiety and cares on God, but we are not absolved of the duty to remain sober and watchful. God's Spirit will enable us to carry out both of these commands (jettison self-reliance, self-effort!) but we are ultimately responsible to carry them out in loving obedience. To sum up all of the commands given to us in the NT (of which there are in the range of 1000!), believers are 100% dependent and 100% responsible to obey!
 
2. the NT is used only figuratively meaning to be free from every form of mental and spiritual "intoxication". The idea then is to be calm and collected in spirit, circumspect, self-controlled, well-balanced, clear headed. Be self-possessed under all circumstances or for believers a more accurate description would be "Spirit" possessed, for indeed there is no other way we can stay sober in our own strength. We are 100% responsible for staying sober minded but we are 100% dependent on the Spirit's enablement to exercise restraint and keep ourselves free from excess, from evil passions, from rashness, etc.
 
3. The aorist tense, imperative (command) mood calls for urgent action. Peter is saying you must "Do this now. Keep your head clear!" And the next passage explains why believers need to remain watchful and vigilant, for we have a watchful, vigilant adversary!
4. Here are the 6 uses of in Scripture (none in Lxx) (note some are discussed in more detail below)...
 
1 Thessalonians 5:6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober....8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
 
2 Timothy 4:5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
 
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
 
1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
 

5. sober conveys

1. idea of freedom from excitability (a contrast to the excitement of drunkenness)
2. thus means to be calm and collected in spirit,
3.  temperate (marked by moderation, keeping within limits, not extreme or excessive), not given to excessive indulgence in drink or any other activity,
4.  dispassionate (not influenced by strong feeling; especially not affected by personal or emotional involvement),
5.  circumspect (careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences, prudently watchful and discreet in the face of danger or risk), with
6. equanimity (evenness of mind especially under stress and suggests a habit of mind that is only rarely disturbed under great strain),
7.  cool (marked by steady dispassionate calmness and self-control) and unimpassioned
 
6. "a part of this soberness includes not blaming everything on the devil. Some people see a demon behind every bush and blame Satan for their headaches, flat tires, and high rent. While it is true that Satan can inflict physical sickness and pain (Luke 13:16; and the Book of Job), we have no biblical authority for casting out "demons of headache" or "demons of backache(Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition
 
7. sober means taking heed of what is happening and pursuing a course with calm and steady aim."denotes a condition free from every form of mental and spiritual loss of self-control; it is an attitude of self-discipline that avoids the extremes of the 'reckless irresponsibility of self indulgence on the one hand, and of religious ecstasy on the other.' It inculcates a calm, steady state of mind that evaluates things correctly, so that it is not thrown off balance by new and fascinating ideas. Such 'level headedness' is a constant Christian need)
 
8. "Christian living needs order as well as ardour." (E. P. Clowney. The Message of 1 Peter. page 63) (and similar words in this word group) is the antithesis of all mental fuzziness. The Greek culture highly valued sober judgment in both individual and public life.
 
9. Barclay says that the Greek word sober
like the English, can have two meanings. It can mean that they must refrain from drunkenness in the literal sense of the term;
 
and it can also mean that they must be steady in their minds. They must become intoxicated neither with intoxicating liquor nor with intoxicating thoughts; they must preserve a balanced judgment.
 
It is easy for the Christian to be carried away with this, that, or the next sudden enthusiasm and to become readily intoxicated with the latest fashion and the newest craze. Peter is appealing to them to maintain the essential steadiness of the man who knows what he believes..
 
This does not mean that the Christian is to be lost in a gloomy joylessness; but it does mean that his approach to life must not be frivolous and irresponsible.
 
To take things seriously is to be aware of their real importance and to be ever mindful of their consequences in time and in eternity. It is to approach life, not as a jest, but as a serious matter for which we are answerable. )

10. Sober characterizes the individual marked by self-control; of sound moral judgment. Sober Christians deny themselves worldly pleasures ( Titus 2:12). This allows them to be always alert, able to guard against Satan’s attacks (1Pet 5:8) and ready to receive the revelation of Christ ( 1 Peter 1:13).

 

11. a sense of coolness (arising out of abstinence from what will excite) of one who is prepared for any emergency. Part of being sober is not blaming everything on the Devil!

 

12. is the proper exercise of the mind, that state of mind in which the individual is self-controlled, and is able to see things without the distortion caused by worry, fear, and their related attitudes.

 

13. First Thessalonians 5:5-8 you are all sons of light and sons of day... not of night nor of darkness (Believers live in an entirely different sphere than those who will experience God’s wrath in the Day of the Lord);" and that because of who are they are (emphasizing that there must be an inseparable link between our new nature and new behavior) they are to "not sleep as others do (day people can still do deeds of darkness), but... be alert (continuously awake and able to rightly assess what is happening in the spiritual dimension)

 

and sober (nepho - calm, collected, and circumspect) For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let

 

us be sober (nepho), having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

　

14. points to a condition of moral alertness, the sense of being so exercised and disciplined that all fear of sleeping again is removed. Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to live consistently with their new natures. The present tense (continuous action = lifestyle = habitual action) verbs in 1Thessalonians 5:6 (sleep...be alert.. and sober) call for the Thessalonians to be continuously awake, alert, and sober. A habitually spiritually sober person exhibits self-control, lives a serious, balanced, calm, steady life, and maintains proper priorities. To be sober is to be alert; the two terms are essentially synonyms. Just as sleep and drunkenness define night people’s insensitivity to spiritual reality, so alertness and soberness describe day people’s sensitivity to it.

 

15. William Hendricksen in discussing 1Thessalonians 5:6 adds that The sober person lives deeply. His pleasures are not primarily those of the senses, like the pleasures of the drunkard for instance, but those of the soul. He is by no means a Stoic. On the contrary, with a full measure of joyful anticipation he looks forward to the return of the Lord ( 1 Peter 1:13-14). But he does not run away from his task! Note how both here and also in 1 Peter 5:8 the two verbs to be watchful and to be sober are used as synonyms.

 

16. Knowing that Timothy would face spiritual opposition especially toward the pure truth of the gospel, Paul exhorted him to be sober (nepho - present imperative = make this your continual practice) in all things, endure (aorist imperative = do this now. It is urgent) hardship, do (aorist imperative) the work of an evangelist, fulfill (aorist imperative) your ministry." ( 2 Timothy 4:5)

 

17. Paul is encouraging his your protégé to be levelheaded, well-balanced, and in control of his faculties and by extension to be stable, unwavering, and steadfast.