1 Peter 2:18-25

1 Peter 2:18-25

[18] Servants,  be subject  to your masters  with  all  fear;  not  only  to the good  and  gentle,  but  also  to the froward.  [19] For  is thankworthy,  if  a man  for  conscience  toward God  endure  grief,  suffering  wrongfully.  [20] For  what  glory  is it, if,  when  ye be buffeted  for your faults,  ye shall take it patiently?  but  if,  when ye do well,  and  suffer  for it, ye take it patiently,  is acceptable  with  God.  [21] For  even  were ye called:  because  Christ  also  suffered  for  leaving  an example,  that  ye should follow  his  steps:  [22] Who  did  no  sin,  neither  was guile  found  in  his  mouth:  [23] Who,  when he was reviled,  not  again;  when he suffered,  he threatened  not;  but  committed  himself to him that judgeth  righteously:  [24] Who  his own self  bare  sins  in  his own  body  on  the tree,  that  being dead  to sins,  should live  unto righteousness:  by  whose  stripes  ye were healed.  [25] For  as  sheep  going astray;  but  now  returned  unto  the Shepherd  and  Bishop  souls. 

What does 1 Peter 2:18-25 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Peter proceeded to address the situation of Christians working under the authority of others.
"The unusual fact, unnoticed by most Bible readers, is that he [1], along with Paul ( 1 Corinthians 7:21; Ephesians 6:5-8; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9-10) and later Christian writers (Did. 4:11; Barn19:7), addresses slaves at all, for Jewish and Stoic duty codes (which in many respects this code in1Peter, as well as those in Ephesians and Colossians , resembles) put no such moral demands on slaves, only on masters.
"The reason for this difference between1Peter and other moral codes of his time is simple. For society at large slaves were not full persons and thus did not have moral responsibility. For the church slaves were full and equal persons, and thus quite appropriately addressed as such. The church never addressed the institution of slavery in society, for it was outside its province-society in that day did not claim to be representative, and certainly not representative of Christians, concepts that arrived with the Enlightenment-but it did address the situation in the church, where no social distinctions were to be allowed, for all were brothers and sisters ( Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Colossians 3:11; Philemon 1:16), however shocking that was to society at large." [2]
Peter evidently addressed servants but not masters because he addressed a social situation in which some of his readers were household servants but few, if any, were masters. [3]