📖 Biblical Definition
Resist the devil is James 4:7's command to the saint: submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The order matters — submission to God comes first; resistance to the devil follows. The promise is unequivocal: he flees. 1 Peter 5:8-9 doubles the command: resist stedfast in the faith. The saint is not passive in this combat.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
(James 4:7; 1 Pet 5:9.) The saint's direct command to oppose the devil; result: he flees.
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James 4:7's sequence is exact: submit, then resist. Without the submission, resistance is bare moralism; with it, the saint is operating under the authority of the One in whom the devil already finds nothing (Jn 14:30).
1 Peter 5:8-9 grounds the resistance in faith: whom resist stedfast in the faith. Resisting is not raw willpower; it is faith's standing in Christ's already-finished victory.
📖 Key Scripture
James 4:7 — "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
1 Peter 5:8 — "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
1 Peter 5:9 — "Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."
Ephesians 6:13 — "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern Christianity often treats resistance as optional or as ineffective; Scripture commands it and promises the devil's flight.
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James 4:7's promise is direct: he will flee from you. Not maybe; not subject to circumstance. The submitted saint who resists in faith causes the adversary's flight. The household trains in this discipline.
Practical: resistance is concrete. Naming the temptation, refusing the bait, citing Scripture, asking the Lord's help, walking away. Each is an act of resistance. The flight may be momentary or sustained; the command is the same.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek anthistēmi (to stand against).
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Greek anthistēmi — to stand against, withstand, resist.
Note: same verb in Eph 6:13 (that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day) and 2 Tim 3:8 (false teachers withstanding the truth).
Usage
"Submit, then resist; the order matters."
"Naming the temptation, refusing the bait, citing Scripture, walking away."
"He will flee — the promise is direct."