1 Peter 2:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

NIV: Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

NASB: Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh.

CSB: Household slaves, submit to your masters with all reverence not only to the good and gentle ones but also to the cruel.

NLT: You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you — not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.

KJV: Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

NKJV: Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.

After commanding all Christians to submit to every human authority, including emperors, kings, and governors, Peter specifically says the same to Christian servants (or slaves) about their masters. The word used here is not the Greek douli, the classic term for "slaves." Rather, it is oiketai, probably best translated as "servants." That being said, the line between servants and slaves was blurry in Peter's time. Slavery had little to do with race, as modern readers often process the idea, and more to do with economics and social class.

Slaves consisted of those captured in war, those born into slavery as children, and those who had sold themselves into servitude for a set time. Some "slaves" were highly educated and served as artists, accountants, skilled craftsmen, etc. Others worked under terrible conditions (in mines, for example). Many suffered significant abuse; few reasonable legal restrictions existed about the treatment of slaves. Slavery in this era was completely normalized, and a large percentage of Peter's readers in the early Christian church were slaves and/or servants of one kind or another.

It's important to recognize here that God's commands to slaves about submission are not an endorsement of slavery as an institution. It was simply a reality of the day. As someone who was now "free in Christ" by the grace of God, how should a Christian slave live in the world? Peter insists that God's will for slaves is the same as His will for everyone under any kind of human authority: Don't make it about your master; make it about God.

This command is to demonstrate reverence for God by giving respect and submission to one's master, no matter how fair and kind or harsh and unreasonable he may be. In fact, the term translated "respect" in translations such as the ESV and NASB is phobō, from the same root word used to describe a respectful "fear" of God in verse 17. Those who are truly free aren't dependent on any human authority to determine their actions or attitudes. We submit to human authority for the Lord's sake (1 Peter 2:13) and, as Jesus did, trust our Father to provide for us (1 Peter 2:23).

1 Peter 2:13–25 reveals God’s will for those who are free in Christ: to willingly submit to every human authority for God’s sake. This includes emperors, governors, kings, and even slave masters. Peter does not endorse slavery, but he does instruct Christian slaves to endure unjust suffering, as Jesus did for our sake on the cross. He does not expect us to ''obey'' when the instructions are sinful. Rather, Christians are called to imitate Christ by suffering for doing good. Because Jesus was willing to do so, we lost sheep are now under the protection of our shepherd.

Peter gets specific about what it means to live as God’s set-apart people. Christ is the foundation stone of the spiritual house God is building. We must engage in battle with our selfishness and desire to sin. This includes submitting to human authorities, no matter how evil or harsh. It means enduring suffering, as Christ did for our sake when He died on the cross. Our role is not to fight a physical war for justice here; we will be going home soon.

First Peter 1 described the glorious reality of our present and future as God’s children, by His grace and through our faith in Jesus. He called us a holy people redeemed by God for new purposes. That means believers must live differently than those in the world around us. In this chapter, Peter narrows down exactly what it means to lead a holy life, including doing battle with our own desire to sin. This also means suffering under human authorities, even unjust ones.

Some 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus, Christians are facing greater persecution for their faith. How should they respond? How should we respond to suffering today? The apostle Peter writes this letter both to comfort believers and to encourage them to stay strong. He urges them to put all their hope in their perfect future with Christ, and to obey and trust Him in the present, even in their suffering. Christ suffered greatly; now the Christ-followers have the opportunity to follow Him even in this, showing His grace and power in their hopefulness, obedience, and faith.