The Attitude Of A Servant Series

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)