BE OF SOBER SPIRIT: Nepsate (2PAAM): (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)

Note: Hold mouse pointer over underlined links for pop up of Scripture (which stays open and can be copied).

Ephesians 6:10
Ephesians 6:11
Ephesians 6:12
Ephesians 6:13
Ephesians 6:14
Ephesians 6:15
Ephesians 6:16
Ephesians 6:17
Ephesians 6:18

James 1:13
James 1:14
James 1:15

Cyberhymnal Hymns on Topic of Spiritual Warfare (scroll down)

2 Chronicles 20:1-25 Ambushing Satan with Song - John Piper

THE METAPHOR OF THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER

Soldier Illustrations

Exposition of 2 Timothy 2:3-4
Three Kinds of Soldiers - Ten Principles of Warfare
Roman Soldier by Edward Gibbon (Decline & Fall of Roman Empire)
The Roman Soldier - Description from Jewish Historian Josephus
A Few Soldier Stories and Sermons

THE AMALEKITES: A PICTURE OF PERSISTENT SPIRITUAL WARFARE
 

Jehovah Nissi: Exposition of Exodus 17:8-16

Satan is not a joke and is not be to ignored but as the Holman NT Commentary says...

Wake up! Pay attention! We are involved in a spiritual battle. You need to know the enemy and his characteristics. You need to understand that we are in a life-and-death battle.

Be of sober spirit...on the alert - Bengel wrote that 

Let this be your "care." (anxiety - cp 1Pe 5:7) God provides, therefore do not be anxious. The devil seeks, therefore watch.

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).

In the NT nepho 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 (for believers a more accurate description would be "Spirit" possessed) under all circumstances. It speaks of exercising self-restraint (enabled by the Spirit) and being free from excess, from evil passion, from rashness, etc.

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.

Here are the 6 uses of nepho 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 (note) But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

1 Peter 1:13 (note) 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 4:7 (note) The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

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.

Nepho conveys the idea of freedom from excitability (a contrast to the excitement of drunkenness) and thus means to be calm and collected in spirit, temperate (marked by moderation, keeping within limits, not extreme or excessive), not given to excessive indulgence in drink or any other activity, dispassionate (not influenced by strong feeling; especially not affected by personal or emotional involvement), circumspect (careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences,  prudently watchful and discreet in the face of danger or risk), with equanimity (evenness of mind especially under stress and suggests a habit of mind that is only rarely disturbed under great strain), cool (marked by steady dispassionate calmness and self-control) and unimpassioned.

Wiersbe says that

"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 Commentary. 1989. Victor)

Nepho means taking heed of what is happening and pursuing a course with calm and steady aim.

Nepho

"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." (Hiebert, D. First Peter. page 91. Moody, 1984, 1992)

"Christian living needs order as well as ardour." (E. P. Clowney. The Message of 1 Peter. page 63)

Nepho (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.

Barclay says that the Greek word nepho

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. (Barclay, W: The New Daily Study Bible Westminster John Knox Press)

Sober characterizes the individual

marked by self-control; of sound moral judgment. Sober Christians deny themselves worldly pleasures (see note 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 (see note 1 Peter 1:13). (Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary )

Nepho speaks of 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!

Nepho 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.

Writing to the Thessalonian saints Paul reminds them that

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. (see notes 1Thessalonians 5:5;  5:6; 5:7; 5:8).

Nepho 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.

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 (see note 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. (Hendricksen, W. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Thessalonians, Timothy, and Titus. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981).

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." (see note 2 Timothy 4:5)

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.

MacArthur comments that

the sober preacher is like the diligent athlete, who “exercises self-control in all things,” who, like Paul himself, runs “in such a way, as not without aim,” boxes “in such a way, as not beating the air,” and buffets his body to make it his slave, lest, after having “preached to others, [he himself] should be disqualified” (1Cor. 9:25, 26, 27). In the midst of a changing world, a changing church, and even a changing gospel—which is not really the gospel but a distortion of “the gospel of Christ” (Gal 1:7; cf. 2Cor 11:4)—he remains committed to the changeless truth of God’s Word. (MacArthur, J. 2 Timothy. page 182. Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press )

Peter used nepho two other times in his epistle, the first use calling for is tried and tested saved readers to therefore (on the basis of all the great truths in the preceding verses)

brace up your minds (pull yourselves together); be sober (circumspect, morally alert); set your hope wholly and unchangeably on the grace (divine favor) that is coming to you when Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is revealed. (Amplified Version, see note 1 Peter 1:13)

Hiebert says nepho in this verse is literally translated "being sober", this mindset supporting a life of hope (absolute certainty of future good). He adds that

the present tense (1 Peter 1:13 -NOTE) calls for a continuing state or habitual temper of sobriety. (Hiebert, D. First Peter. page 91. Moody, 1984, 1992).

Constable says that Peter is saying

in effect, Now that you have focused your thinking positively you need to roll up your sleeves mentally and adopt some attitudes that will affect your activities...Sober of spirit describes a Christian who is in full control of his speech and conduct in contrast to one who allows his flesh (i.e., his sinful human nature) to govern him. (Constable, T. Expository Notes on the Bible)

In Peter's third use of nepho he reminds the suffering saints that

The end of all things is at hand (a process consummated with a resulting nearness > imminent); therefore, be of sound judgment and sober (nepho) spirit for the purpose of prayer. (1 Peter 4:7, 8, 9 see note 1 Peter 4:7-9).

Davids has written that

proper prayer is not an ‘opiate’ or escape, but rather a function of clear vision and a seeking of even clearer vision from God. It is only through clear communication with headquarters that a soldier can effectively stand guard.

Nepho is related to the adjective, nephalios, used to describe one of the qualities that should mark overseers (1Ti 3:2) and the wives of those who take the lead among the saints (1Ti 3:11). Likewise older men are exhorted in a similar sense "to be temperate" (nephalios Titus 2:2 see NOTE); it is to be observed that the Christian sobriety of mature years is the result of self-control and the study of the Scriptures in youth.

Barclay comments that saints

must be sober and watchful. The fact that we cast everything upon God does not give us the right to sit back and to do nothing. Cromwell’s advice to his troops was: “Trust in God, and keep your powder dry.” Peter knew how hard this vigilance was, for he remembered how in Gethsemane he and his fellow-disciples slept when they should have been watching with Christ (Mt 26:38, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46). The Christian is the man who trusts but at the same time puts all his effort and all his vigilance into the business of living for Christ. (The New Daily Study Bible Westminster John Knox Press)

BE ON THE ALERT: gregoresate (2PAAM):

Be on alert  (1127) (gregoreuo from egeiro = to arise, arouse) means to be watchful or to refrain from physical sleep. Later gregoreuo came to used in the moral and religious sphere and was used to call for one to be on the alert, in a constant state of readiness and vigilant (alertly watchful especially to avoid danger this word suggesting intense, unremitting, wary watchfulness; keenly alert to or heedful of trouble or danger as others are sleeping or unsuspicious).

Gregoreuo is used 22 times in the NAS (Matt. 24:42, 43; 25:13; 26:38, 40, 41; Mk. 13:34, 35, 37; 14:34, 37, 38; Lk. 12:37; Acts 20:31; 1 Co. 16:13; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:6, 10; 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 3:2, 3; 16:15) and is translated as: alert, 10; awake, 1; keep, 1; keep watch, 4; keep watching, 1; keeping alert, 1; stay on the alert, 1; stays awake, 1; wake, 2;)

Most of the NT uses are in reference to the Christians’ being spiritually awake and alert, as opposed to being spiritually indifferent and listless.

Gregoreuo conveys the idea of alertness. It is like a sleeping man rousing himself. It means to give strict attention to, to be active, to take heed lest through remissness and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one.

Secular Greek used gregoreuo  to describe people carefully crossing a river while stepping on slippery stones. If they did not pay strict attention to their steps, they would end up in the water. So the idea of vigilance is to stay alert and cautious.

Gregoreuo, is used of mental alertness, the condition of the mind opposite to that which characterizes it in sleep.

Gregoreuo  means to to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one.

"Confidence in God must not lead to slackness; the spiritual warfare that they wage demands vigilance" (Beare)

Gregoreuo is aorist imperative, which conveys the sense of "Stay awake now!" and do it with a sense of urgency. Stay awake! Be ready! Watch out! Note that a strong trust in God's power and watch care and a confidence that we can cast our anxiety on Him does not justify carelessness on our part. In other words, in spiritual warfare we cannot take the approach to simply "Let go and let God!" It is imperative Paul says that we not become indolent and lazy and let down our guard or we will become victims of the enemy. The outside forces that come against us demand us to be alert and vigilant.

In secular Greek gregoreuo was used to describe people carefully crossing a river while stepping on slippery stones. If they did not pay strict attention to their steps, they would end up in the water. So the idea of vigilance is to stay alert and cautious.

The enemy is very subtle, Paul recording that

"Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" and "his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness" (2Cor 11:14,15)

Alertness is required because our enemy rarely shows himself for who he is. He almost always masks himself as a religious personality, almost always endeavoring somehow in some way to be able to approach you subtly so that you can't recognize the reality of who he is. So you need to "be on the alert"!

Most of the 22 uses of gregoreuo are in the latter part of Gospels in the context of Jesus' imminent crucifixion and departure and the exhortation to His disciples to be on the alert for His future return. Thus He declared

Therefore be on the alert (gregoreuo), for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (Mt 24:42)

Jesus concluded the parable of the 10 virgins with the warning

Be on the alert (gregoreuo) then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. (Mt 25:13)

As Augustine wisely stated

“The last day is a secret, that every day may be watched.”

A man should live every day as if it were his last.

Gregoreuo is used three times in Mark 13 which closes with an exhortation to watchfulness and prayer in view of the Lord’s Return. Jesus' addressing His disciples, Peter and James and John and Andrew, on the Mount of Olives tells them a parable of the doorkeeper, declaring that

It is like a man, away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert (gregoreuo). Therefore, be on the alert (gregoreuo)-- for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, at cockcrowing, or in the morning-- lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert (gregoreuo)!' (Mk 13:34-37)

Vincent comments on the significance of Jesus' using the illustration of an awake, alert doorkeeper in this parable writing that

"In the temple, during the night, the captain of the temple made his rounds, and the guards had to rise at his approach and salute him in a particular manner. Any guard (doorkeeper) found asleep on duty was beaten, or his garments were set on fire." (Greek Word Studies)

Jesus used gregoreuo in His exhortation to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane in His hour of greatest attack by the Devil. Jesus said

"My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch (gregoreuo) with Me." (Mt 26:38)..."And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch (gregoreuo) with Me for one hour?" (Mt 26:40) and finally warning them to "Keep watching (gregoreuo) (present tense = continuously = make this your lifestyle) and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mt 26:41)

Spurgeon

remarks that there is no temptation in the world which is so bad as not being tempted at all, for to be tempted will tend to keep us awake. Whereas, being without temptation, flesh and blood are weak. Though the spirit may be willing, yet we may be found falling into slumber. Children do not run away from their father’s side when big dogs bark at them. The howlings of the devil may tend to drive us nearer to Christ, may teach us our own weakness, may keep us upon our own watch tower, and be made the means of preservation from other ills. (Spurgeon, C. H. Satan, A Defeated Foe)

Mark it down that the Christian who is not alert to Satanic attack is in for trouble. Don't misunderstand...we are not to look for a demon behind every bush. We are simply called to a continual state of spiritual alertness. It is as if we are like a sentry constantly on guard duty at the door of our mind and the gate of our eyes and ears, alert for any deceptive, seductive intruders. Keep watching and praying beloved.

John Calvin on "be sober...on the alert" writes 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 (intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something) produces sloth (disinclination to action or labor, spiritual apathy and inactivity) and sleep; even so they who indulge in earthly cares and pleasures, think of nothing else, being under the power of spiritual lethargy." (Commentaries)

Paul like a general keenly aware of the real spiritual war surrounding every saint, uses four Greek military terms to issue a staccato command (all in the imperative mood) to the church and all in the present tense (continuously) calling for each to be the habitual practice for the rest of our lives! (Note: "be on the alert" = gregoreuo)  The saints are to be on guard all the time. They are not to give up an inch of vital territory. They are to behave with true courage.

Our Daily Bread: A Daily Devotional has an excellent illustration of Peter's exhortation...

The ancient sport of falconry used trained hawks or falcons in the pursuit of wild game. When the "educated predator" was allowed to fly, however, it often rose too high for human eyes to see it. So a hunter often carried a small caged bird called a shrike. By watching the antics of the little bird, the man could always tell where his hawk was, for the shrike instinctively feared the predator and cocked its head to keep it in view.

The Christian desperately needs the alert perception of the shrike when it comes to detecting his spiritual enemy....We're to be always on the alert. It would be nice if God had giant sirens to warn us of an attack by the devil. But the Lord doesn't operate that way. Instead, we must read the Bible regularly, meditate on its truths, maintain a prayerful attitude throughout the day, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only then will we be sensitive to an imminent onslaught of the evil one, and be armed by grace to meet it.

Is your spiritual "shrike system" working well? --(MRD II)

The devil is clever, deceiving us all,
He subtly causes the strongest to fall;
But we his sly methods are sure to discern
By making God's warnings our daily concern. --DJD