The Word

These articles aim to study the various meanings and applications of one word in a specific Bible verse. It is the hope of the author that all who read will be equipped with a fuller understanding of the Word of GOD, then with this knowledge, claim the promise as well as the power that are available to the Christian living in these final hours of earth’s history. Hebrews 4:12 KJV “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: - 1 Peter 5:8 KJV

Be Sober

Consider the word, “sober” for a minute. What comes to mind? Perhaps you will think of someone who is focused and alert or someone who is not drunk. In our society “sober” has a positive meaning and we associate it most certainly with Seventh-day Adventists. We are a sober people in the literal sense of the word because we follow the health laws which instruct us to abstain from alcohol. While our physiological health is important to our salvation, in 1 Peter 5:8 we are commanded to not neglect our spiritual health.

The words “be sober” form an aorist imperative in Greek. This imperative appears four times as “sober” and twice as “watch” in the epistles thus this command appears six times. Three of which are used throughout 1 Peter alone. The aorist imperative is a type of tense in Greek which when used is a command (imperative means command). According to David A. Black, it is a “specific command” and one that is urgent. It is a “request for action to be done in a particular situation”. What’s the situation stated in 1 Peter 5:8? In modern English: the devil is going around trying to kill as many people as he can. He is compared to a lion that is hunting. People, we are being hunted! Do you understand now why the command is urgent?

We must be Obedient

Merriam-Webster states that the aorist imperative does not make reference to “completeness, duration or repetition” of an action. What does this mean to us? It means that we are commanded to always be sober because we don’t know when the adversary will attack. We must follow this command until our wonderful Lord comes.

The command in 1 Peter 5:8 goes beyond simply abstaining from alcoholic beverages but draws our focus to the need for us to abstain from anything that would cause us to lose spiritual sobriety. The verb “sober” is translated from the Greek verb, νήφω transliterated as nēphō. In addition to meaning sober, it also means to be calm and collected in spirit and to be temperate, dispassionate or circumspect. Also, it means to be discreet (figuratively) and to literally watch. What does this mean to us, a people who are eagerly awaiting our Lord’s return? The angel in Revelation 18:3 said that “all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her (Babylon’s) fornication”.

We must be separate from the World

This tells us that all the world is spiritually drunk. The scripture says “all nations”. The command to be sober in 1 Peter 5:8 is a call to be set apart from the world. Unlike all the drunk inhabitants of the nations, the Advent people are to be spiritually sober. While everyone else is worried about the possibility of global financial collapse, we are to be calm and collected in spirit or dispassionate. While everyone else abuses food, television, sex and all that can be abused, we are to be temperate. While everyone lives by the principle of “do as thou wilt”, we are to be circumspect or careful that our very lives are in harmony with God’s principles and that we are led by His Spirit.

In short, in 1 Peter 5:8 we are given a specific command to be sober at all times because we are being hunted by a vicious adversary. Being sober is a characteristic that all Seventh-day Adventists must possess because it means that we are a calm, collected, temperate and careful people. We live in contrast to the rest of the world where everyone is “drunk” with the wine of Babylon. Let this word transform you. If you have found yourself lacking in sobriety, God has given us all power to overcome in Jesus’ Name!

References

1 Peter 5. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/1pe/5/1/s_1156001

Black, D. (2009). Learn to Read New Testament Greek. Nashville, Tennessee: B and H Publishing Group.

Aorist. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aorist