Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 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. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; - 1 Peter 2.18-22
This is admittedly and difficult passage to grasp. It was written to an age different from our own. The servants referred to here were mostly indentured servants paying off debts. Some were what we would consider slaves in the the modern sense of the word. Some of these servants were getting saved and didn’t know how to deal with their masters. Should they try to get free, or continue to submit?
The New Testament deals with situation as it was. Being a testimony for Christ was more important than their physical freedom. By their submission they could demonstrate a Christ-like spirit. Christ submitted to suffering for us - so to submit to their masters was to do no more than follow the example of Christ. It might involve harsh treatment. It might involve grief and suffering. And it might involve doing that when they had done nothing wrong.
Christ submitted to the will of God even to the point of death. That was our example – to follow in His steps.
The issue here is not so much the rights or wrongs of servants and masters. The issue is servants being a testimony before their masters and other servants. This is the ultimate example of suffering for Christ. But it is no more than He did for us.
May God straighten us to be willing to follow in His steps – no matter how tough it gets.
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