"Submission: Work"
1 Peter 2:18-25
Pastor John Bright
1 Peter 2 “18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
Are you aware of slavery in our day? This is info from 2022: “Of the 27.6 million people trapped in forced labor, 17.3 million are exploited in the private economy, 6.3 million are in commercial sexual exploitation, and nearly 4 million are in forced labor imposed by state authorities” (Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage, Geneva, September 2022) Do you know the estimated population of Virginia? 8.6 million. That number of modern-day slaves in forced labor is over 3 times the population of Virginia. Do we even care?
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Last week I introduced the topic of SUBMISSION and gave everyone a worksheet to pray about rebellion in your life. I hope you are working on that. Today, you will find an article from gotquestions.org that goes into greater detail about the levels of submission for a Follower of Jesus. Before we get going on the application of these verses, I need to talk to you about slavery.
First, the way we hear a word and experience the ideas related to that word are based on where we come from and the experiences we have. For example, having grown up on a farm and having lots of experience with hunting, I might have a different view of deer hunting to harvest venison than someone who grew up in a big city. That’s just an example that might be true. Let me share this one with you that is ALWAYS TRUE – when a white person hears the word “slave” she/he has a different view than a black person hearing the same word. Everyone’s experience is equally valid so there is no right or wrong. Can we agree on that?
Second, as I share about slavery in the Ancient World, slavery in the New World, indentured servitude in the Middle Ages, and modern-day slavery – we cannot ignore the immorality of all types of abuse of those in forced labor. While there are differences in these types of slavery during different centuries, we should never use scripture as an excuse to ignore immorality. Let me say this as a word of repentance for those who came before us. Please pray with me – Lord, forgive us for the sins of our ancestors in the Methodist Episcopal South Church who used scriptures like this to claim that God approved of the enslavement of black men, women and children. May we never follow in their sin by making excuses for the injustice and immorality in our day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Third, while Paul gave instructions to masters about how to treat slaves in Ephesians 6:1 and Colossians 4:1, we can’t assume that because Peter only gives the exhortation to slaves, that there were no masters in the house churches of Asia Minor. That would be “an argument from silence” and those tend to be hard to defend. What do we know from this scripture? There were definitely a good number of slaves in the church and their behavior could be seen by others. (NIV Commentary, 1 Peter, McKnight, 1996)
Submission is not based on your circumstances, v. 18
“18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.”
As I mentioned last week, all of these verses on submission have to read in the context of 1 Peter 2:11-12 “11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Again – why is this important? THE WORLD IS WATCHING US!
These slaves have the freedom to be submitted to or in rebellion to their masters. They had the same freedom that is given to every Follower of Jesus. Did they have the freedom to walk away and leave the situation? No, that’s why I have to talk about slavery in their day. In both Greek and Roman times, the practice of slavery was the cornerstone of their entire economy. It has been estimated that at least one third of the population were slaves. Now I need to make some distinctions about the practice of slavery in the time of the Early Church. Slavery, in that day, was rarely a permanent situation and was usually a pathway to Roman citizenship after being set free. (NIV Commentary, 1 Peter, McKnight, 1996)
While I want us to all see this as different than the practice of slavery in the New World, let’s also take notice of what we see in this verse, some masters were harsh. That means some slaves were abused and that is immoral. Now the subject before us is how does the Follower of Jesus react to mistreatment? That’s how I make the transition over to applying this verse to the work environment. If you have spent time working in a business or for the government, you already know there are good bosses and bad bosses.
Let me share with you some advice that I gave my children. As each one got close to getting that first j-o-b, I told each one that every employee was paid to work for a certain number of hours. If you finish your work assignment, ask the boss for more work to do. You do your best and never make a job expand to fill the hours of work. I tried to get each one to see that doing otherwise is simply stealing from the business. I never told them that if the boss is a pain in the neck, do whatever you want. No way! How do you think that has worked out for my children?
Why? v. 19-20
19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.”
Each of our relationships – the government, work, or spouse – can be pleasing to God. How we react when we are treated badly can be pleasing to God or not. If you are being treated badly by your boss because you are not doing the job they hired you to do – that’s not good and God is not pleased. This seems obvious – right? If you do your job the right way and a boss makes you suffer for that, don’t blow up and make a scene. You submit and be patient.
We have forgotten that suffering can be God’s will for us: Romans 5:3-5 NLT “3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” If you have suffered for the good – thank God! If you have suffered for doing wrong – repent and get back on the straight & narrow way(Matt. 7:13-20).
Jesus also suffered, v. 21-25
“21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
Listen to me and hear this loud and clear – we cannot use these verses to condone the evils of slavery – no matter what the form or type in both the past and the present. Peter is not condoning the slavery of men and women in his day, rather he is instructing them to suffer as Jesus suffered. Most of the time, we have not control over the circumstances of our lives, so we react by way of rebellion and complaining. Let me share a little formula with you… again: E + R = O Event + Response = Outcome
We have no control over the events – things just happen. We often try hard to control the events and circumstances around us: “If that person would just stop making me mad!” That won’t work, never has and never will. The only way to change the outcome is to change your response to the event. Nobody ever made you mad. No, you chose to respond with anger. Are there other choices for you? Sure! Think back to my example last week of driving on the interstate. It is possible for you to arrive at the end of your drive at peace (the outcome) if you choose to offer grace (the response) for the other drivers on the road (the event).
One example of this way of living for Christ in the midst of suffering is William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833). There is a wonderful movie about him that came out in 2006 – “Amazing Grace.” You can watch is for free on Youtube. The movie opens in the year 1797 with Wilberforce suffering and feeling very defeated. He had come to be in Parliament 15 years earlier and had introduced a bill to abolish the British slave trade. It was defeated and Wilberforce was slandered and made a social outcast. Why was it defeated? Follow the money - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zc92xnb/revision/1 It will not be until 1807 that he is able to introduce a bill that passes. Wilberforce suffered for doing what was right just like Jesus.
Verse 24 – “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” – defines for us one of the great truths revealed in the Word of God. What we receive from the sacrifice and suffering of Christ on the cross is “vicarious atonement.” What’s that? Well, vicarious is a word that means “in place of” and atonement means “to make right or make amends.” Christ shed His blood so that you and I could be brought back into a right relationship with God, the Father.
Another truth – you and I are made in the image of God just like Adam and Eve. Fancy theological term for today – “Imago Dei” – that means image of God in Latin. Our eternal spirits are that image. Adam and Eve were given the same free will we have and get to use every day. They chose to disobey God and we call that the Fall of Humanity. When that happened, the Imago Dei in them was damaged by the choices they made. That same damaged Imago Dei is received in each human being. What can restore that image? Being a good person? NO. What about lots of good works? NO. Only the blood of Jesus so that when we accept the gracious gift of salvation we are changed on the inside. We read about this change in God’s Word:
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 “22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Part of our holiness is submission in every part of life, but especially in obedience to God. Amen.
Homework:
• Look up all the Bible verses on your teaching sheet. Think back on the bosses you have worked for over the years. Were you submitted to their authority or did you rebel? Do you need to repent?
• Have you accepted the free gift of salvation? What is the evidence of that change – “new creation” or “new man” in your life? Be bold and ask a family member if they can see it in you.
• Next week: 1 Peter 3:1-7 “Submission: Marriage”
