Title: Responsibilities of a Servant
Contents
1. Words that begin
In the world, there are absurdities and contradictory customs, laws and institutions that are difficult to understand. In addition, there is also a structural evil that exerts enormous power that can only be called irresistible with the power of an individual or a few.
So, some people live in compromise or conflict with this world, some live submissive to the waves of the world, some live in denial or rebellion against this world, and some attempt moderate reforms or violent revolutions. and live.
In that sense, the words to the slaves who are victims of the unjust and evil slavery will be invaluable lessons.
2. Be obedient to all masters
The apostle Peter taught slaves to obey their masters with fear in all things. It also means obeying not only good and tolerant masters, but also demanding masters.
The Roman Empire at that time had many slaves, as many as sixty million, and their work was by no means low. Doctors, teachers, musicians, actors, secretaries, and stewards were slaves. Virtually everything in Rome was done by slaves. The Romans thought that because they were the masters of the world, they did not need to work, they should just eat, drink, and have fun.
Slaves were not allowed to marry but were allowed to live together, and the children they were born became the property of their masters. The owners argued that the lamb did not belong to its mother, but rather to the owner of the flock.
According to Roman law, slaves were objects, not people, and therefore slaves had no legal rights.
Aristotle said, “There can be no friendship or justice for inanimate things. Indeed, it is true of horses and cattle, and also of slaves. Master and slave have nothing in common. A slave is a living tool, and a tool is a lifeless slave. The use of horses includes slaves, the non-horse includes livestock, and the absence of horses includes vehicles.”
Peter Chrysologus said, “Whether the master acts unjustly, irritably, or arbitrarily, whether he acts reluctantly, or without thought, whether he acts after careful thought, whether he acts knowingly or ignorantly, No matter how you act, it is all judgment, justice, and law.”
In this circumstance, Christianity came with the message that all people are honorable in the eyes of God, and that whoever believes in the Lord is free from the bondage of sin and death, self and the world. As a result, social barriers within the church have been broken down. In Galatians 3:28, the great eternal truth is declared. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
This revolutionary change had two dangerous and tragic consequences.
First, there were those who refused to work as slaves or even refused to be slaves at all. Second, some of the slaves incited slaves to rebel against their masters and even demanded the abolition of slavery.
However, many slaves were suppressed with the disastrous result of being killed or maimed. The church also gained a reputation for being a destructive, revolutionary, and dangerous organization, which caused enormous disruption to evangelism.
No matter how vexing and evil it is, there are things that cannot be resolved quickly, and there are things that cannot be resolved quickly. There are situations in which procrastination can actually hinder the achievement of goals. Just like leaven slowly puffs up the dough, there are times when you have to stand firm in the gospel and endure it. In fact, it was only after the leaven of the gospel worked in the world for many generations that the abolition of slavery was accomplished.
Even when certain circumstances cannot be changed, church members must consistently live worthy of the gospel and learn to temporarily accept the circumstances until they are changed. In particular, we who believe must be able to bear some loss or damage because of the evangelism mission, the love for the salvation of souls of the world. Whether the masters of the slaves are good or bad people, they too are pitiful sinners who need to be saved before God.
In the sense of the glory of God and evangelism, Peter is afraid that he will not be able to properly perform his servant's duties in all things, so he asks him to obey even his masters with a perverse character.
Peter comforts the slave Christians who suffer unfairly due to the unfair treatment of their masters.
The Greek word for “vague” is adikos (?δ?κω?), meaning “unjustly”. The ethic of the time was that whether a master treated his servants good or bad was not unrighteous or unjust. But in Christian ethics, the master was no exception. Ephesians 6:9 says, “Masters, do the same to them, and stop accusing them, for you know that they and your master are in heaven, and there is no favoritism in him.” Masters are also obligated to do justice and fairness to their servants before God, their master in heaven.
Slave members do not have to endure and obey the unfair treatment of their master because they are slaves, but they must endure and obey the unfair treatment of their master because of their conscientious perception toward God. In that sense, it was comforting to say that it is beautiful to endure sorrow by thinking of God.
To emphasize once more, Peter said, “What praise is there if you are beaten for sin and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and endure it, this is beautiful in the sight of God.”
3. The sufferings of Christ to be imitated
There is the ultimate reason that slaves must endure and obey for the glory of God and the mission of the gospel, even against the unfair treatment of their evil masters. It is because Christ suffered to save them and left them an example to follow in His footsteps.
For the glory of God and the salvation of mankind, the Lord endured and endured the evil deeds of rejecting, persecuting, and ultimately nailing Him to a cross. He committed no sin, did not deceive with subtle lies, was reviled but did not curse in return, suffered and did not threaten with divine power. He only entrusted himself to God who judges righteously and carried the cross of atonement.
Please believe that the purpose of doing so, like a powerless slave, was to set an example for all the saints, including slaves, to follow in his footsteps. That Jesus Christ said, “He called the crowd and his disciples, and said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
The second purpose is that we may break from all our former sins and live in righteousness, now healed by the scourge of the Lord.
The third purpose is to bring us, who were lost sheep, into the arms of the Lord Himself, the shepherd and overseer of our souls. Isn't it promised that not only slaves but all of us members will enjoy eternal life with the Lord in heaven?
4. Conclusion
This world is covered with so many absurdities, contradictions, and evil structures that we have no choice but to vent our personal resentment or public outrage. However, we should not be impatient as we have to live as the light and salt of the world. When the time is fulfilled, the Lord has come, and we must learn to believe in God's time and wait patiently by following the example of the Lord who suffered the sufferings of the ransom.
We earnestly pray that we all deny ourselves in everything and act with God's glory and gospel mission in mind first.
(Poongseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete Commentary on 27 New Testament Books/ Interpretation of Difficult Scriptures I, II/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/Paul’s Understanding of Man/ Prosperous Prayer/ Seasonal Sermonbooks/ Sermonbook 18. T. 426 -3051)