Epiteleo: Walking Away from the Lion

Word of the Week

October 25, 2025

Epiteleō: Walking Away from the Lion

 

But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

1 Peter 5:9 NASB

 

No one escapes unscathed from a lion attack.

Just ask David (1 Samuel 17:34-35).  Or ask Benaiah, one of David’s “mighty men,” who killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day (2 Samuel 23:20).

Young men in the Masai tribes of Kenya used to enter manhood by killing a lion.  Though the custom has been dropped, no one can deny the courage that it took to tackle Simba solo.

If you walk away from such an encounter, you’re a winner—even if you’re bleeding.

The apostle Peter reminds us that we, too, face a lion named the Devil. He prowls about, looking for someone to devour. And sooner or later, he comes after you. One thing to remember, though: you’re not the first to face him. All around the world, your brothers and sisters in Christ have fought the same battle—and lived to tell about it.

There’s a fascinating Greek word that captures what happens in these struggles.  Let’s take a look at the way Peter uses it.

The word is epiteleō [eh-pee-the-LEH-oh]. It’s an intense word for completing or bringing something to full expression. It’s not just finishing a task—it’s carrying it through all the way to the end.

Appearing 10 times in the New Testament, epiteleō is an intense word for completing or bringing something to full expression. It’s not just finishing a task—it’s carrying it through all the way to the end.

Paul used this word when he told the Romans he couldn’t visit them yet because he had to complete his mission of delivering the offering from the Greek churches to Jerusalem (Romans 15:28). He had already urged the Corinthians to finish what they had started when they promised to give (2 Corinthians 8:11). The same word describes completing the construction of the tabernacle—carrying out every detail of God’s design (Hebrews 8:5).

That same idea carries over into our spiritual life. Epiteleō has the aroma of a process that begins with God’s initiative and persists until it reaches completion.

• Paul urged the Corinthians to cleanse themselves from defilement so they could bring holiness to completion (2 Corinthians 7:1).
• He scolded the Galatians for thinking that, having begun by the Spirit, they could complete their salvation by human effort (Galatians 3:3).
• And he assured the Philippians that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1:6).

Then Peter uses that same word to describe what happens when believers face satanic “lion attacks” (1 Peter 5:9). His readers were feeling the pressure—persecution from their pagan neighbors, spiritual assaults from the enemy, and the discouragement that whispers, You can’t keep going.

Peter’s answer? Resist him.
That’s the same counsel Paul gave in Ephesians 6 and James echoed in James 4:7: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Struggles with the roaring lion are not surprises—they’re part of the Christian life. And Peter adds a crucial encouragement: you’re not alone. The same kinds of suffering are being completed—epiteleo-ed—in your brothers and sisters around the world. They’re in the battle too, and by God’s grace, they’re coming through to the other side.

Anyone who fights a lion is going to have some scars. But if you’re still standing—if you’ve survived to tell the story—then you’ve already won a victory. You wrestled with Simba and lived to fight another day!

The devil isn’t dead; he’ll be back. But James promises that when you resist him, he will flee. The Christian life isn’t about avoiding the lions—it’s about finishing the fight, coming through the struggle stronger and more ready for the next encounter.

As Winston Churchill once wrote, “Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” I wonder what he would have said about a tussle with a lion!  You may not escape Satan’s attacks without a few scratches, but by God’s grace, you’ll walk away—bloodied, scarred, and victorious.

 

 

Study Hint:

As you can see, this word can refer to a wide variety of realities.  It’s an excellent reminder of the basic facts of word study:  Words have multiple meanings, but only one meaning in a particular context.  Therefore, always look at the context!

 

Coming Up

I just received a request for a study on the word Paraklete, one of Christ’s favorite titles for the Holy Spirit.  So . . . Next week we will examine the fascinating name for the third Person of the Trinity.

Ezra Project 2025