James, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude by Jim Samra

Author:Jim Samra
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bible (James—Commentaries);Bible (Peter—Commentaries);Bible (Jude—Commentaries);Bible (James—Sermons);Bible (Peter—Sermons);Bible (Jude—Sermons);REL006070
ISBN: 9781493405367
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2016-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

1 Peter 2:18–25

Working for God

Big Idea

Workers should be willing to follow Christ’s example and suffer injustice and persecution, entrusting themselves to God so that his purposes and sovereignty win out.

Key Themes

Submit to difficult leaders in the workplace, school, and volunteer organizations.

Christ willingly suffered in our place.

Follow the example of Christ’s nonretaliation in the face of suffering.

Understanding the Text

The Text in Context

First Peter 2:18–25 applies the general election-ethics-community-mission principle from 2:11–12 to the situation of slaves/workers and masters. Peter also continues to flesh out what he has said in 2:13–17 regarding his readers being slaves of God.

In this section Peter draws on Christ’s response to his unjust suffering as an example for the readers. This theological rationale applies not only to slaves who are treated poorly but also to all believers who are persecuted in this world, in which we are strangers. Peter will return to this in 3:8–22.

Peter’s comments in 2:25 about Jesus being the Shepherd and Overseer form the theological basis for his exhortations in 5:1–6.

Structure

1. The command to submit to masters, especially those who persecute workers who do good (2:18–20)

2. The theological basis for this command—namely, that Christ endured such ill-treatment to bring us salvation (2:21–25)

Interpretive Insights

2:18 Slaves. See the sidebar “Greco-Roman Slavery.”

in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters. Although “of God” is not in the Greek, the NIV has correctly identified that “fear” refers to fear of God and is connected to 1:17 as well as 2:17 (see the comments on 1 Pet. 1:17 and “Theological Insights” in that unit). Fear is usually associated with discipline and judgment. Here the idea is that those who are working for masters are actually working for God. The person who is theologically free from earthly masters is still enslaved to a heavenly one. The idea is similar to Ephesians 6:5–8. On submission, see the comments on 1 Peter 2:13 and 3:1–7.

to those who are harsh. The word for “harsh” often means “morally crooked, dishonest, and unjust” (Acts 2:40; Phil. 2:15). It probably includes being unkind and mean-spirited, since it is contrasted with the word “considerate.” Therefore, it can refer to those in positions of authority who are seemingly kind but unethical and morally corrupt.

2:19 pain of unjust suffering. The suffering must be unjust in order for what Peter is saying to qualify. He does acknowledge that unjust suffering causes grief, so he is not asking his readers to celebrate or enjoy suffering. Instead, there is space to grieve as Jesus did.

because they are conscious of God. Enduring unjust suffering is commendable only if it is done because one is conscious of God, meaning that one puts up with difficult conditions so that God might achieve his missional purposes. Enduring difficult working conditions in an effort to advance one’s career or make more money doesn’t count.

2:20 for doing wrong . . . if you suffer. Two key words in this passage are used: (1) “doing wrong” (often translated “sinning”), which is used in connection with Christ not sinning

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.