Although the literal reading of this text is for servants and masters, we will discuss the concept in a relational sense this morning to the workplace with employers and employees. Therefore, even though there is no exact parallel to such ‘servant’ status in modern society, the fact that this was by far the most common kind of employee-employer relationship in the ancient world, and that it encompassed a broad range of degrees of functional and economic freedom, means that the application of Peter’s directives to ‘employees’ today is a very appropriate one. (Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 132). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
1 Peter 2:18-20 [18] Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. [19] For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. [20] For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. (ESV)
In Montreal this past week (Monday), Dockworkers at Canada’s second-largest port began their second strike in less than a year, as business leaders urged Ottawa to quickly end a walkout they said could cost the economy $25 million (US$20 million) a day. In the workplace, employees voice their grievances over a lack of “rights” through work slowdowns, “sick-outs,” protests, or all-out strikes that prevent management from conducting business. Management sometimes responds with lockouts or even termination of the striking employees. Job actions on occasion do result in salary increases and improved benefits for employees, or perhaps a compromise agreement that benefits both sides in the long run. (https://financialpost.com/transportation/industry-urges-ottawa-to-end-montreal-dockworkers-strike)
However, the focus on “rights” in the workplace, whatever the results, is incongruous with the Christian life. Believers are to be concerned instead with obedience and submission to God’s will. When they obey and submit to their superiors, as He commands, they prove that their real hope is in the world to come. Neither Peter, Paul, nor any of the New Testament writers ever advocated that subordinates should rise up against their superiors.
How do you stand in your opinion on workers rights? Are you an unqualified union supporter in demanding the rights of workers at all cost? Do you see as separation between your job and your faith? Do you feel that you have no choice in going along with your union on everything because you are a member of the union?
In 1 Peter 2:18-20, Peter moves from civic responsibility to the workplace and commands believers who are servants/slaves to submit to their masters/employers. In broader terms, that means Christian employees are to respect and obey their employers according to biblical principles. As we have been commanded to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and render unto God what is God’s, we are to render unto our employer what is theirs and unto God what is His. To have the proper Attitude of a Servant, believers in Christ must understand first the 1) Mandate (1 Peter 2:18) and second the 2) Motive for submission (1 Peter 2:19-21).
In the workplace, to have The Attitude of a Servant, believers must understand:
1) The Mandate for Submission (1 Peter 2:18)
1 Peter 2:18 [18] Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. (ESV)
It is crucial to note that the NT nowhere commends slavery as a social structure. It nowhere roots it in the created order, as if slavery were an institution ordained by God (Cabal, T., Brand, C. O., Clendenen, E. R., Copan, P., Moreland, J. P., & Powell, D. (2007). The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (p. 1853). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.).
In terms of the workforce in the Roman world consisted of servants/slaves, and the way they were treated was wide-ranging. Some masters loved their slaves as trusted members of the household and treated them like family. Arthur A. Rupprecht presents a lucid description of the life and status of a slave in the Roman Empire: The living conditions of many slaves were better than those of free men who often slept in the streets of the city or lived in very cheap rooms. There is considerable evidence to suggest that the slave lived within the confines of their master’s house (was well dressed and cared for). But many Masters did not treat their slaves well, because there were scant protections—and virtually no rights—for slaves, who were considered property rather than persons. (Kistemaker, Simon J. Baker New Testament Commentary: 2004. p. 104)
Quote: For instance, the influential Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote, “A slave is a living tool, and a tool is an inanimate slave” (Ethics, 1161b). Writing about agriculture, the Roman nobleman Varro asserted that the only thing distinguishing a slave from a beast or a cart was that the slave could talk. Servants/slaves owned little or nothing and had no legal recourse to which they could appeal when mistreated. Somewhere from one-third to half of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves (Radmacher, Earl D. ; Allen, Ronald Barclay ; House, H. Wayne: Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1999, S. 1 Pe 2:18). Servants/slaves (oiketai) is from the root meaning “house,” and thus is the basic term for household servants (cf. Acts 10:7). It has been estimated that there were over 60 000 000 slaves in the Roman Empire: employed in every occupation from Doctors, teachers to manual workers. They were often paid for their services and could eventually buy their freedom. (Bentley, Michael: Living for Christ: Evangelical Press. 1990. P.92)
• This is why we are discussing the issue of the attitude of a servant/slave in the context of the workplace.
It is safe to say that as the gospel spread throughout the Greco-Roman world most of the converts were servants/slaves, They made up a large part of the Gentile church and their place in society raised some important issues. First, believing slaves often assumed that since they had become free in Christ (Rom. 6:17–18; 7:6; 1 Cor. 7:22; 12:13; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 6:8; Col. 3:11, 24) they also had a right to freedom from their masters. Yet Paul made clear in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 [12] For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. [13] For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (ESV) Again in Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
• In terms of our standing in Jesus Christ there are no higher or lower degrees. Yet, we still retain human distinctions of ethnicity, sex, occupation etc.
Please turn to the NT book of Philemon, just before Hebrews.
In the first century, unrest among servants/slaves was widespread, and undoubtedly some Christian slaves believed that, having been “bought” by Christ, they had been set free from their earthly masters. Later on, there were actually Christian groups which encouraged slaves to run away from their masters on these very grounds. If the slaves were to rebel against their masters then a bloodbath could follow. This is exactly what happened when all the slaves rose up against their masters at the time of Spartacus (Elwell, Walter A.: Evangelical Commentary on the Bible . electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1996, c1989, S. 1 Pe 2:18).
What is the Mandate that believers have in embodying the Attitude of a Servant? Look how Paul saw himself:
Philemon 1 Paul, a prisoner (slave/servant) for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon (Slave owner) our beloved fellow worker
• Put in the context of salvation and calling, even though we may be in subjection to others, like employers on this earth, we must see our primary allegiance as a slave/servant of Jesus Christ.
As we properly embody our role as a slave/servant of Christ, it results in particular things:
[5] because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, [6]and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
Notice now the change from Slave to self to Slave to Christ:
10]I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. [11] (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)
• There is a play on words: Oneimus’s name means “useful” or “beneficial”
Embodying the calling of God as a servant/slave makes us useful:
[15] For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, [16]no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother--especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. [17] So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.
• Beyond our role as being in subjection to or overseeing another, we are to regard one another in Christ as beloved.
Finally, being a servant/slave in Christ bears responsibilities:
[18]If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. [19]I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it--to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. [20] Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. (ESV)
• If we even in our pre-Christian state, rob our employer, we are responsible to pay back. Although there are civil bankruptcy laws, as Christians we have a debt to repay.
Under apostolic teaching, the early Christians developed strong and correct convictions on the slavery issues. They did not seek to incite a slave rebellion, but focused on making sure Christian slaves’ attitudes were right. Paul’s letter to Philemon is inspired testimony to the divine will for a slave, who was a brother in Christ, to fulfill his duty to his master. There are indeed directives for status of Slavery: 1 Corinthians 7:20-24 [20] Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. [21] Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) [22] For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. [23] You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. [24] So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God. (ESV)
In 1 Peter 2:18, Peter’s basic command to them is be subject/submissive (hupotassomenoi, a present passive participle with the sense of a present imperative, meaning “to line up under”). Slaves were to be continually subject/submissive to their masters, the despotai (from which the English word despots derives), who had absolute ownership of and complete control over them (cf. 1 Tim. 6:1–2; Titus 2:9). Therefore, the reason slaves are to submit to masters is because of their relationship with God. Hence, we have evidence that masters are not to wield absolute authority over slaves. If they commanded slaves to violate God’s will, then slaves are obligated to disobey, even if they suffer because of their disobedience (Schreiner, T. R. (2003). 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Vol. 37, p. 137). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
The submission of servants was to be rendered with all respect, that is, without bitterness or negativity, but with an attitude of gracious honor. That was a way to show respect to God Himself. In this time of history, God designed the servant-master relationship to ensure safety, care, support, productivity, and the conduct of human enterprise. The earth yields its produce and material wealth to support and enrich humanity through the providence of work relations. This is an institution of God from the Fall onward (Gen. 3:17–19). God has designed a complex of abilities and opportunities, relations and experiences, to allow humans to draw the rich resources out of this planet. Unlike the Greek writers, Peter directly addresses both slaves and wives, assuming that both have a moral responsibility for their own behavior that exceeds social expectations of that day. (Jobes, K. H. (2005). 1 Peter (p. 185). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
Such a God-fearing attitude is to extend beyond the good and gentle masters even to those who are unjust/unreasonable. Good (agathois) means “one who is upright, beneficial, and satisfactory for another’s need.” Gentle (epieikesin) refers to “one who is considerate, reasonable, and fair.” Therefore, good and gentle describes a magnanimous, kind, and gracious person, the kind of master to whom it is easy to submit. Though the persons exercising authority in a fallen world are necessarily sinful, such lines of authority have been established by God and must be respected (Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 134). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).
Please turn to Ephesians 6
The kind of Boss/master to whom it is not easy to submit Peter called unjust/unreasonable (skoliois), a term that literally means “curved” or “crooked,” and metaphorically means “perverse” or “dishonest.” (The word is transliterated in medical terminology to describe a twisted condition of the spinal column [scoliosis].) God is pleased when his people trust him in the midst of unjust suffering, imitating the example of Christ (Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, p. 134). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
The directive here is also to those in authority with a warning. In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul further stated God’s will on this issue:
Ephesians 6:5-9 [5] Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, [6] not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, [7]rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, [8]knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. [9] Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. (ESV)
• The principles in this passage apply today in terms of submission to any lawfully constituted authority, the only exception being if such a lawfully constituted authority were to require a believer to disobey God’s Word or to fundamentally compromise one’s commitment to Christ (as in the case of Acts 4:19, 20). Fulfilling one’s earthly obligations is, in fact, service to the Lord (cf. Eph. 6:6–7) (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2273). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
Illustration: New Sick Leave Policy
We don’t always get the employer or employee that we want. Ontario has just introduced a new sick leave program. Humorously, there is a story of a boss who just didn’t get it, and introduced a New Sick Leave Policy
1. SICKNESS: No excuse. We will no longer accept your doctor’s statement as proof, as we believe that if you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.
2. LEAVE OF ABSENCE (for an operation): We are no longer allowing this practice. We wish to discourage any thought that you may have about needing an operation.
We believe that as long as you are employed here, you will need all of whatever you have and should not consider having anything removed. We hired you as you are and to have anything removed would certainly make you less than we bargained for.
3. DEATH (other than your own): This is no excuse. There is nothing you can do for them, and we are sure that someone else in a lesser position can attend to the arrangements. However, if the funeral can be held in late afternoon, we will be glad to let you off one hour early, provided your share of work is ahead enough to keep the job going in your absence.
4. DEATH (your own): This will be accepted as an excuse, but we would like a two-week notice, as we feel it is your duty to teach someone else your job.
(Galaxie Software: 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002)
• It’s not always easy to submit to difficult people, but as we do so, it honors Christ.
Finally, in the workplace, to have The Attitude of a Servant, believers must understand:
2) THE MOTIVE FOR SUBMISSION (1 Peter 2:19-20).
1 Peter 2:19-20 [19] For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. [20] For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. (ESV)
The factor of overarching significance for those in the workforce is that they maintain their testimony before the watching world of sinners (cf. Matt. 5:15–16; Mark 4:21; Phil. 2:14–16), and in the workplace that occurs when believers labour with an awareness of God’s glory. Such awareness is the motivation not only for godly behaviour and submission on the job, but also for trusting in God’s sovereignty in every situation. The motivation for believers’ submission in the workplace resides in the short phrase, for this is a gracious thing/finds favor, literally, “this is a grace.” God is pleased when believers do their work in a humble and submissive way for their superiors (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22; Pss. 26:3; 36:10; James 1:25). From what we have seen thus far in Philemon: Contrary to his name, Onesimus did not live up to the usefulness that his name stood for. In the Bible, duty is always connected with doctrine. When Paul wrote to the slaves, he related his admonitions to the doctrine of the grace of God (Titus 2:9–15). Peter connected his counsels to the example of Jesus Christ, God’s “Suffering Servant” (1 Peter 2:21–25; see Isa. 52:13–53:12). Peter had learned in his own experience that God’s people serve through suffering. At first, Peter had opposed Christ’s suffering on the cross (Matt. 16:21ff); but then he learned the important lesson that we lead by serving and serve by suffering. He also learned that this kind of suffering always leads to glory! (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 406). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
• There should be a clear difference between believers and non-believers in the workplace. Instead of grumbling, just getting by or going with the crowd, believers should work unto the Lord, with excellence, diligence and integrity, regardless of the common practice around them.
Illustration: The Puritans
Hard work used to distinguish Christians from non-Christians. Remember the Puritan Work Ethic. In keeping with their belief that every area of life should be molded by Christian principles, the Puritans saw all honorable work as a means of glorifying God. All of life was God's, and there was no distinction between secular and sacred work. God calls each person to a particular vocation or occupation, and the Christian should act as a careful steward of the talents and gifts God has given them. Working in one's calling or vocation was a means of serving God and others. Idleness was considered a great sin; diligence in one's calling was a virtue. (http://chi.gospelcom.net/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps021.shtml)
• In a pandemic time, where idleness is regarded as a virtue, there is no greater opportunity to distinguish ourselves in an active, diligent care for others.
Please turn to Ephesians 4
Working in a non-Christian workplace is a great opportunity for excellent work and evangelism that would accord such. Those who work for parachurch or church ministry, primarily serve the saints so that Christians can then be equipped for ministry in the world.
This is how the Apostle Paul explained this concept to the Ephesians, explaining the work of Christ:
Ephesians 4:11-16 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (ESV).
• In life you are either growing or dying. Everything of our time encourages you to die. We make physical dying easier and easier. We have the news of constant death around us, and we are instructed to stop everything and slowly die. In Christ there is growth, but this growth happens through work. In the body of Christ, we are not called to wait but to adapt and work. Apathy and inactivity chokes out love. Love is an active work in itself in telling others of Christ and seeing out ways to show Christ’s love.
Back in 1 Peter 2:19, it is especially favorable to God when “mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly /for the sake of conscience toward God a person [believer] bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly”. Whether it was a slave in Peter’s day patiently enduring brutal treatment, or whether it is a modern-day employee not retaliating against an unkind and unjust supervisor, God is pleased. This is what James referred to as a “consider it all joy” experience by which believers are perfected (James 1:2–4). In suffering unjustly, is only such action endured while one is mindful of God, or, more accurately, ‘because he is conscious of God’ (NIV). It is not a stoic self-motivated tenacity which holds out against all opposition but rather the opposite, the trusting awareness of God’s presence and never-failing care, which is the key to righteous suffering. It is the confidence that God will ultimately right all wrongs which enables a Christian to submit to an unjust master without resentment, rebelliousness, self-pity, or despair. ( Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, pp. 134–135). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Mindful of God/Conscience toward God refers to the aforementioned general awareness of God’s presence, which again is believers’ main motivation for submission in the workplace. The word rendered endures/bears up under means “to persevere,” and the term sorrows implies pain, either physical or mental. The Lord wants believers, when suffering unjustly in the workplace, not to falter in their witness but humbly and patiently to accept unjust treatment, knowing that God has sovereign control of every circumstance (Pss. 33:11; 103:19; Prov. 16:1, 9; 19:21; Isa. 14:27; 46:9–10; Acts 17:28; Rom. 8:28–30; cf. 1:6–7; 2 Cor. 4:17–18) and promises to bless. This kind of endurance is something only made possible by being ‘conscious of God’ (v. 19 NIV) and continually trusting him to care for those rights which have been trampled underfoot by others. At such times trusting God is not easy, for it goes against our natural inclinations. But it is then that faith shows itself to be genuine, something that in God’s eyes is ‘far more precious than gold’ (1:7; cf. 3:4). Then you have God’s approval (i.e. you have ‘favour’ [charis, see v. 19] in God’s sight). (Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, pp. 135–136). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Peter pressed his argument with a negative rhetorical question, followed by a positive statement. To his question finally in verse 20:“For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten/harshly treated for it, you endure?/ you endure it with patience?” The implied answer is that “There is no credit.” Believers who sin deserve chastening (cf. Ps. 66:18; Jer. 5:25; Dan. 9:8; Heb. 12:5–11), they should know better. To be beaten/harshly treated was often the treatment of slaves in Peter’s day. If a slave would steal or lie or become rebellious and refuse to work, his master might take him and give him a real going over with his fists. Peter is saying that if you have been beaten for any such fault, and you take it patiently, you have nothing to brag about. The beating was your own fault. God is not going to commend you for your patience in a case like that (McGee, J. V. (1997). Thru the Bible commentary (electronic ed., Vol. 5, pp. 694–695). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
• Do not think you are being persecuted if you try to “witness” to someone on company time and receive a reprimand. You were hired to work. The quality of your work should stand out. The time for discussions are at break or lunch, where you can avail yourself to discuss the things of faith and how they impact your life.
Peter offered the positive assertion, But if when you do good/ what is right and suffer for it you (patiently)endure, this is a gracious thing/ this finds favor in the sight of God. This is reminiscent of Matthew 5:10-16, in the blessing Jesus gives those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. We are indeed commanded to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”. (ESV). Jesus never sinned, and yet He suffered so that we could be set free. When we follow Christ’s example and live for others, we too may suffer. Our goal should be to face suffering as He did—with patience, calmness, and confidence, knowing that God controls the future. (Barton, B. B. (1995). 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude (p. 73). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub.)
We are rarely comfortable being ‘under’ anybody else. Couple that with a society that is, at best, suspicious of authority in general, and we can anticipate objections—especially as this term is applied in so many different areas. The general need of mutual submission is taught in Scripture, but there is a specific responsibility within certain relationships that is sometimes explained away by appealing to the more general references. The truth is that none of us are exempt from this duty. A road sign that we see everywhere can serve as a reminder of the whole concept: ‘Give Way!’ (or ‘Yield’ in the USA). That doesn’t come easily to most of us. Being a rare quality today it poses some challenges, but it does provide us with an opportunity to stand out; to ‘shine as lights’ ‘in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation’ (Phil. 2:15). (Thomson, A. (2016). Opening Up 1 Peter (pp. 71–72). Leominster, England: Day One.)
