Submitting at Servants

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.

Servants,

Before we go straight to application. Let’s take a few minutes and consider who Peter is addressing here. This is not the word fro slaves/servants we often see or hear from Scripture (duolos), however is the word oiketes which is synonomous with doulos.

This word,

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. οἰκέτης

οἰκέτης, ου, ὁ (fr. οἶκος, cp. prec. entry) lit. ‘member of the household,’ then specif. house slave, domestic, and slave gener.

Here Peter is addressing those who were household servants or slaves in his time. What is our problem when we come to the idea of slavery? We immediately think of the slavery that took place in the 18th and 19th century. When more often than not slaves were stolen, sold, and then subject to cruel and unusual punishment in England and America. This was not the case for the servants in Peter’s day. Now there were obviously masters who treated their slaves cruelly that is why Peter say be subject to both the kind and the cruel. But for the most part slaves were treated well.

Wayne Grudem writes,

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 1. Even to Evil Ones (2:18–20)

Although mistreatment of slaves could occur then too, it must be remembered that 1st-century slaves were generally well treated and were not only unskilled labourers but often managers, overseers, and trained members of the various professions (doctors, nurses, teachers, musicians, skilled artisans). There was extensive Roman legislation regulating the treatment of slaves. They were normally paid for their services and could expect eventually to purchase their freedom

But, these men and women were not in this position voluntarily. They had not chosen to be household servant or slaves. They had been placed into servitude through kidnapping, war, by birth or some other means and due to this they had a lower legal status than general society.

Doriani contrasts 1st century and 19th century slavery,

1 Peter The Duty of a Christian Servant

American slavery was worse than Roman slavery in most ways. Roman slaves could own property and follow their traditions. Although a slave’s life expectancy was short, many slaves gained their freedom eventually. American slavery was race-based, had limited paths to freedom, and rested on kidnapping, which is a sin—and a capital crime in Moses’ law (Ex. 21:16; Deut. 24:7). While the Mosaic law tolerated slavery, it regulated potential abuses. For example, if a master so struck a slave as to cause major injury, the slave went free (Ex. 21:26). The law also had several paths to manumission. For example, all slaves normally went free every seventh calendar year (Deut. 15:12–18). Roman slaves also had several paths to freedom.

Grudem goes on to say,

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 1. Even to Evil Ones (2:18–20)

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.

Here are a few facts about Roman slavery,

Legally, they did not have any rights as people.

Slaves were property of their masters.

Slaves could be sold and separated from their families at any time.

Think about the difference, today we more often than not choose where we want to work. We may not always get our dream job, or we may not always do exactly what we want to do, but we still have a lot of say in where we will work. This was not the case in the first century, the most common type of employee/employer relationship was servant to master.

be subject

1 Peter Chapter 8: A Life Shaped by the Crucified Christ (1 Peter 2:18–25)

But the call to submit is more than a survival strategy. God has woven authority structures all through society, indeed through all creation, and we needlessly harm ourselves and miss the blessing of walking in his ways if we ignore those structures. Social ethics are essential both to Christian living and to the cause of Christ. If a fleet is about to sail, the sailors need to know how to avoid bumping into each other. Peter’s social instruction enhances both the public reputation and the inner peace of the church.

to your masters

with all respect,

not only to the good and gentle

but also to the unjust.