Obligations of the People of God: Submission to Masters

Andrew Slay

Hope As Exiles: 1 Peter Series • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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Introduction

Last week, we begun a three part series at looking at our obligations as God’s chosen people and how we should live our lives before unbelievers to win them for Jesus.

Specifically, Peter commands the church to live lives of submission to God and allow this submission to play out in three specific relationships.

Last week, we focused on our submission to God through submission to government.

Tonight, we will focus on our submission to God in submission to those in authority over us…and how we should respond when we are wrongly mistreated and suffer for it.

One of the questions Peter addresses with his readers focuses on how they should respond as they were suffering unjustly, being persecuted for their faith, and having their names being slandered?

Should they still submit to those in authority over them when they are wrongly mistreated?

The temptation when being falsely accused or wrongly mistreated is to return the favor by mistreating others in return or even “getting even” or “getting revenge.”

Just ask yourself how you responded last time someone said something about you that was not true or someone made fun of you or mistreated you....how did you respond?

Retaliation and revenge are the natural response for us…Hollywood has made a fortune off of revenge movies from The Punisher to the Equalizer and everything in between.

But is this the way that God has called us to live as his chosen people in a land that is not our home?

Tonight, 1 Peter 2:18-25 will teach us that God is calling us to live a different way...

Sermon In A Nutshell: This is the way God has called us to live as his chosen people:

First, we should submit to those in authority over us, regardless of the way they treat us, out of fear of God.

Second, we should submit to gain an eternal reward and to imitate our suffering savior.

And Third, Jesus will give us the grace to do this through his atoning sacrifice for our sin, rendering sin powerless so that we can live to righteousness.

Submit to Gain an Eternal Reward (vs 18-20)

1 Peter 2:18 “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.”

Using the example of slaves, Peter calls the church to submit to those who are in authority over them, regardless of the way they are treated.

Peter addresses what were known as household servants or slaves that predominately worked in the house. These were known as the “household codes” of the Greco-Roman culture of the relationship between slaves and masters, husbands and wives, and children and parents.

Peter’s main purpose in addressing these codes was to have the believers who were dispersed abroad to be an apologetic of Christianity before the unbelievers they were living with.

Most people questioned a new religion, especially if it completely denounced cultural standards that the people followed.

Peter calls the church (in some ways) to submit to these codes but he also redefines them so that Christianity will not be questioned by outsiders and the gospel message will not be hindered.

Brief Explanation on Slavery in the New Testament:

Slavery was not based on race or national identity in the Greco-Roman Culture.

Many slaves were well-educated and held positions of responsibility in the household.

Many slaves owned land and even other slaves. Not all slaves were considered to be in the same social status together.

Servants could buy their freedom if they had enough money, but most could not afford this task.

However, slaves were considered property but also people, and Peter and Paul address servants as people who have moral freedom to make choices-something their owners, nor the Greco-Roman culture acknowledged.

Even though Paul and Peter did not outright condemn slavery, It must be noted that both planted moral seeds that, when in full fruit, would abolish slavery as a legitimate practice.

1 Corinthians 7:21 “Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.)”

Also see: Philemon 15-16.

Peter rejected the cultural norms that called for slaves to worship their master’s god and a wife must worship her husband’s god.

It may not be that those in Peter’s audience were servants but Peter uses the example of a slave and his submissiveness to his master (whether good or evil) as an example for the believers he writes to who have maybe lost their status and empowerment in their society.

The slave had a low social status and little personal power and so is a fitting role model for this situation. Moreover, regardless of their standing in society, as Christians they are to live as slaves to God, obeying him in every aspect of life (1 Peter 2:16).

For us today, this passage would apply to anyone who is in an authority position over us...

Parents, Pastors, Teachers, Coaches, Bosses, fellow peers in extra curricular activities, etc.

So, going back to verse 18, Peter says that servants are to be submissive to their masters “with all respect.”

The word used here means “fear” and is the same word Peter uses throughout his letter in reference to fearing God.

Therefore, Peter is calling the church to submit to those in authority over them out of fear and love for Christ, just as he called them to submit to the governing authorities for “the Lord’s sake” in the previous section.

The counter cultural statement from verse 18 is that Peter calls the church not only to submit to those who treat them right but also to those who treat them wrongly.

Once more, believers are not to submit to those in authority over them because the person necessarily is worthy or deserves it, but because once has submitted their life to God and he is worthy of their love and respect.

This ties into Jesus’ command to love one’s enemies and turn the other cheek when Christians are mistreated.

Peter goes on to say in verse 19...

1 Peter 2:19-20 “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 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.”

The word “for” provides the reason why Christians should submit to masters even if they mistreat them…because it is a gracious thing in God’s sight.

Peter’s readers can endure being mistreated because they are “mindful of God,” which communicates being conscience and remembering the promises of God and the eternal inheritance they have in their salvation that Peter laid out in chapters 1-2.

This is a reminder for us today that we must not forget the blessings of our salvation, but use those as a reminder to help us endure suffering when we are wrongly treated.

But Peter says that just because you suffer does not mean you should be praised…for no one should be praised for enduring suffering if they suffer because they sin, but it is only a gracious thing in God’s sight when one endures suffering when treated unjustly.

Ultimately approval from God is the goal, not acceptance from the master.

As Christians, sometimes the greatest way we can glorify God is by giving up our freedoms....by giving up our right to be right.

We always have a right to defend ourselves when we are wrongly treated…but it may be that God can use us as a stronger witness when we give up our right to be right.

When Christians endure unjust suffering Peter again says, it is gracious in the sight of God.

Peter restores dignity to the slave, especially the one who is treated harshly, by showing that his or her suffering is not in vain and is not going unnoticed. The Lord sees what is happening and shows this person favor. The slave who freely submits to his master and endures unjust suffering has God’s favor.

By highlighting the redeemed status of a slave in God’s sight and demonstrating how full submissiveness, even to unjust masters who treat them harshly, will bring God’s favor and glorify him, the church is called to live in this same way before others who are slandering them and treating them harshly.

We should be motivated to willingly submit to those who mistreat them and endure unjust suffering knowing we will receive a reward from God when Christ returns and their actions will bring glory to God and possibly cause our persecutors to glorify God.

Submit to imitate our Suffering Savior (vs 21-25)

1 Peter 2:21 “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

Peter gives another reason believers should submit to those in authority over them and endure unjust suffering…because this is what God has called them to and is apart of their salvation.

This means that believers were called by God to experience their final reward through enduring suffering…suffering is not a detour, but a planned stop along the way to reaching their final destination of receiving their eternal inheritance.

Dont miss this…for this means as Christians, we are called by God to suffer unjustly…this should be a normal and expected aspect of our salvation and following Jesus.

Believers are called to suffer unjustly because Christ, himself, suffered for us unjustly, and left us an example to follow after him.

Notice that Christ “suffered for us”-this is substitutionary language.

The idea of “following in his steps” uses a Greek phrase that communicated how a child would trace the lines of the alphabet to learn how to write the letters correctly.

We are called to trace the lines of our lives completely to the stencil that Christ has given us through his suffering and not retaliating or reviling in return.

In these next three verses, Peter explains specifically how Jesus endured unjust suffering and how he responded to it, giving the example of how the church should follow Christ’s example from verse 21.

1 Peter 2:22-23 “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

Most of these verses are quoted from or refer to Isaiah 53.

Peter makes clear that Jesus was sinless…even in his suffering.

Peter’s main point is to use as an example to his readers....if Jesus did not sin or lie in his life, nor when he suffered unjustly, believers should follow his example and refrain from sinning or using deceit when they are mistreated.

Instead of reviling his mockers and persecutors in return, Jesus entrusted himself to the Father who judges justly.

He was like a lamb led to the slaughter…who was silent before its shearers.

Jesus could do this because he fully trusted in God to judge his persecutors…Jesus fully entrusted every aspect of his life continually to the father throughout his earthly ministry.

This would be a huge implication and encouragement to Peter’s audience to entrust themselves to God while they were being unjustly slandered...knowing that God sees what is happening...he is the just judge...and he will righteously judge their persecutors when Christ returns.

We, as his followers, are called to do the same. We must continually entrust every aspect of our lives to God.

We must leave room for God’s vengeance and wrath and not take matters into our own hands.

If we seek to get revenge on others…we are essentially not trusting God and saying that we can do a better job at judging and punishing someone than God can.

In closing this section, Peter seems to shift from Jesus being an example of enduring unjust suffering to specifically highlighting what Jesus did on a believer’s behalf in verses 24-25. He does this to show the way believers will have the power to endure unjust suffering (die to sin and live to righteousness)...through Jesus dying for our sins and putting them to death (rendering them powerless) on the cross.

1 Peter 2:24-25 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

These verses are a great summary of the gospel…Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, Himself, bore our sins.

What this means is that Jesus took upon himself God’s holy wrath, paid the debt of sin, and died in the place for all those who would trust in him.

We were created by God for a relationship with him.

But we have all turned away from him and worshipped ourselves instead.

God is holy, righteous, and good, and will punish sin…therefore, our sin must be dealt with.

The payment for sin is death.

Therefore, for us to be forgiven…someone had to take our place…someone had to fulfill God’s law perfectly for us....and someone had to take God’s wrath and die for our sin.

This person is none other then Jesus Christ.

Peter says that those who trust in Christ have been healed from their spiritual death through the wounds of Christ’s substitutionary death.

But Peter says that Jesus died “so that” believers would die to sin and live to righteousness.

It is through the atoning death of Jesus that will free us from the control and power of sin to live holy and obedient lives to God.

Specifically, in this context, this means we will have the power to live righteously and endure suffering when we are mistreated because of the atoning death of Jesus!

We were all straying like sheep, we have all gone our own way…yet because Jesus has paid for our sin and healed us by his wounds…by his grace…he has turned us from our sin to come back to him.

When we turn from our sin and put our faith in Jesus, we declare that he is the Shepherd and Overseer of our lives.

We submit to him…He is our Lord and our ultimate authority.

Response

In response, we are completely helpless in ourselves to submit to those in authority over us....we are helpless in enduring times when we are mistreated and not lashing back in retaliation…because left to ourselves, we are selfish and will always seek to defend ourselves and get back at others.

But praise God that we have Savior who submitted perfectly for us.

Praise God that we have a Savior who endured unjust suffering perfectly for us.

Praise God that we have a Savior paid for our selfishness, rebellion, and sin on the cross....

SO THAT, we can die to our sin and have the power to submit to God.

SO THAT, we can have the power submit to those in authority over us.

And SO THAT we can have the power to endure unjust suffering.

So may we confess our selfishness, pride, and faithlessness to God, turn from our sin, and trust in our perfect Savior, Jesus Christ, who has healed us by his wounds, so we can submit to those in authority over us to gain the eternal reward and live righteous lives to God as exiles on this earth.

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