Maranatha Baptist Church
Philemon
  • Behold Our God

      • Psalms 10:1-3ESV

      • Psalms 10:4-6ESV

      • Psalms 10:7-8ESV

      • Psalms 10:9-12ESV

      • Psalms 10:13-15ESV

      • Psalms 10:16-18ESV

  • Praise To The Lord The Almighty
  • I Will Glory In My Redeemer

      • Philemon 1:1-4ESV

      • Philemon 1:5-6ESV

      • Philemon 1:7-9ESV

      • Philemon 1:10-13ESV

      • Philemon 1:14-15ESV

      • Philemon 1:16-18ESV

      • Philemon 1:19-21ESV

      • Philemon 1:22-25ESV

  • “The Bible was not written for us, but it was not written to us” I’ve heard several pastors and theologians say this, or something like it, but it seems to go back to the late theologian Michael Heiser.
    None of the letters are addressed: To Maranatha Baptist Church or to the Churches in Globe, Arizona, or even to the Church in America.
    They are addressed to the saints and faith brothers in Christ at Colossae, the saints who are in Ephesus, the churches of Galatia, or The Gospel According to Luke and Acts to “Most Excellent Theophilius”.
    The Biblical writers were not thinking of Brian Morris, or the United States of America when they wrote.
    But each of these letters was written for us. We learn this from 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
    And I think that the book of Philemon teaches us that very well. This letter was written to Philemon, Apphia, Archippus and the church in Philemon’s house. It has a very specific audience, and we don’t know all that much about the audience. Even so, this letter was written for us, for our benefit.
    Though, we may often think of Philemon as that one letter book in the Bible that is a personal letter between Paul and this slave owner about his runaway slave. The letter is more than that. It may even be easy to think “well this book is about a slave, and slavery is a thing of the past here in America, so this letter may not have much to do with me.” While it is true that this letter is about a slave, this letter is not about slavery. It’s about reconciliation.
    And that is another issue that people might have when they come to this letter. It’s about a slave but Paul doesn’t specifically call Philemon to repent of his slavery. And really there would be no reason for him to do so. As a reminder, this was dramatically different than American slavery, this was not race based. In many instances they sold themselves into slavery for a period of time to pay off a debt.
    And while we would agree that you cannot and should not own people, there’s a cultural barrier here.
    It was not uncommon in Roman slavery for a slave to be more educated than their master. Sometimes slaves were doctors, other times they performed managerial duties, or administrative duties. That is not me saying that the Roman slavery system was good, but rather than it is remarkably different than the slavery of America’s past. So much like Colossians 3-4, we cannot think of our nation’s past.
    Many have used this letter to claim something that Paul did not say. I have heard some state that Paul was writing this as an early abolition letter. I have heard others complain that Paul doesn’t go far enough.
    Oddly enough, Paul doesn’t actually show himself railing against cultural systems. In his writing though he does work within them and attempt to flip them on their head. And if we really look at how Paul handles this letter, and this request for reconciliation, we see a remarkable demonstration of Paul presenting Onesimus to Philemon as not only a useful servant, but a cherished brother and son in the faith. Paul refers to Onesimus as his child, useful, his very heart before he ever refers to his as a slave. And when he finally does call him a slave - he refers to his as more than a slave, but a beloved brother. Paul demonstrates a love for Onesimus that surpasses that of a lowly slave.
    It is not merely Paul’s treatment of Onesimus that is of note, but also how he writes to the recipients of this letter.
    Paul begins this letter first with a title, and then with an address.
    Philemon 1 ESV
    1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker
    The title is significant in how it differs from the rest of Paul’s letters. Paul generally begins his letters by stating that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. However, Paul in this letter does not want to pull rank with Philemon. We see this in verse 8, as well. Paul doesn’t come to Philemon throwing his apostolic authority around… but he comes as a brother in Christ, who is imprisoned because of his commitment to proclaiming the good news of Jesus.
    Philemon 2 ESV
    2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
    In his address, he writes to Philemon, Apphia and Archippus. We don’t know much about the three addressees. What we know of Philemon comes from this letter and Colossians. He is a man of influence in Colossae, and he owned a slaved named Onesimus who fled from him. He hosted a church in his home. Concerning the other two individuals, there is no certainty of the identity but given the nature of this letter - it seems that they are members of Philemon’s household. Apphia possibly being Philemon’s wife, and Archippus possibly being their son. We cannot say for certain one way or the other. But what we can say from this, is that while it is a personal letter to Philemon concerning Onesimus - it was intended to be read among the Colossian church.
    While this letter reads as if it is personal mail, Paul (and the Holy Spirit) always intended for it to be a church letter. This letter demonstrates how a repentant sinner should be received in the community. It’s the prodigal son of the Pauline epistles.
    Lest we think that Philemon is somehow the bad guy because he owned a slave, let’s see how Paul speaks of him in.
    Philemon 4–6 ESV
    4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
    In that one sentence, Paul celebrates Philemon. He prays for Philemon. He rejoices in his faith in the Lord, and his love for the saints.
    And in verse 7, he continues to celebrate the joy that he receives from Philemon.
    Philemon 7 ESV
    7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
    Some might have the temptation to think that verses 4-7 are just Paul buttering Philemon up before he makes his plea for Onesimus. However, let’s avoid them temptation - for the reason that this sort of celebration of one’s faith is not unique to this letter. Colossians has a very similar introduction.
    Though in that address, he notes that the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through Philemon. He has built up, cared for, and refreshed the church. And Paul will use that phrase again at the end of the letter. In that request, he is asking that Philemon do for him what he has done for the rest of the church. Paul will even emphasize this theme by calling Onesimus his very heart.
    The theme of the book is hidden in that phrase “refresh my heart”.
    In verse 10, Paul gets to the reason for his letter. The manner in how Philemon can refresh his heart.
    Philemon 8–9 ESV
    8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—
    But prior to that reason, he gives a condition to his request. He tells Philemon, I could pull rank here. I am bold enough to command you to do the right thing - but as I mentioned earlier he is not drawing upon his apostolic authority to command him to do anything, but instead he is making a request. Which also means that Philemon could have rejected this request - given that we still have the letter today, we can assume that he didn’t.
    Paul takes a few verses to get to his request - but he is asking Philemon to show mercy to Onesimus, in receiving him back.
    He calls Onesimus his child in verse 10, and that he became his father while he was imprison. While not a literal child, it is the same sort of language that he has used to describe Titus and Timothy as well.
    Philemon 10 ESV
    10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.
    He makes a play on words in verse 11, when he is speaking of Onesimus.
    Philemon 11 ESV
    11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)
    Onesimus’ name means useful. Paul is not just merely making a silly pun with the name. He is demonstrating the change in Onesimus’ character from when he left Philemon to who he is now. He was useless to him because he abandoned his master and likely stole from him, but now he’s useful because he has been given new life in Christ Jesus. He has gone from runaway slave, to useful and beloved brother in the Lord.
    Paul doesn’t send Onesimus back to Philemon, because he does not have use of him, but rather because he knows that it is the proper thing to do. He writes: I have need of him, but I did not want to keep him without your consent - so I am sending him back to you.
    So Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon. In verses 15-16, where Paul makes a speculative comment… maybe he left you so that when he returned things would be better than before.
    Philemon 15–16 ESV
    15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
    He left you as a runaway slave, but now he comes back to you, better than when he left. He comes back to you as a brother in Christ.
    In verse 17, we read the core of the request… receive Onesimus, this slave who fled from you, as you would receive me.
    Philemon 17 ESV
    17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.
    And charge anything that he may have stolen from your to my account. Paul is offering to take the debt that Onesimus owes on himself and he will pay it in full.
    For his crimes, Onesimus was ultimately at Philemon’s charge. His master could legally mistreat him, or kill his slave without any real legal repercussions from the Roman government. The most likely punishment is that he would sold to another, harsher master, or physically punished or humiliated.
    In some instances slaves could be crucified for crimes of this sort. Normally, that punishment was reserved for slaves who killed their master. However, one commentator (J.B. Lightfoot, aqi: DNT Vol 3) writes “slaves were crucified for far lighter offenses than [what Onesimus] did.”
    And that’s part of why Paul is writing. He knows what Onesimus has done, he knows what the law permits, and he is asking Philemon receive him.
    As I mentioned earlier, the main theme of this letter is reconciliation.
    It shows us how we ought to be willing to restore a repentant brother in Christ who has previously sinned against us.
    Paul is sending back this wayward slave to his owner. But he is not just sending him back as a slave, he is sending him back as one much greater than that. He is sending him back as a brother in Christ.
    Onesimus is not the same as he was when he left Philemon. He is new in Christ. Paul is asking Philemon not to bear a grudge, but instead to receive Onesimus as he would receive Paul. The forgiveness that Philemon has received in Christ, he should also offer to Onesimus.
    The same Jesus who was crucified to offer salvation to Paul and Philemon, has brought salvation to Onesimus as well.
    We were the same as Onesimus. Because of our sinfulness, we are all separated from God. We have sinned against our Creator. Fled from the righteous living that he has called us to. But he sent his Son to take on human flesh to bring us back to him. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, has reconciled us to the Father, through his death and resurrection.
    Paul is giving Philemon the opportunity to extend grace, and reconciliation to Onesimus because he has first received that in Christ.
    The question that I would pose to you here in application is how would you receive someone who came to you in the same circumstance? Consider, someone who wronged you, and then they came back to you and tell you that they have changed, they tell you of their conversion to Christianity. They even have the recommendation of someone you respect. But you remember what they did to you. Do you hold on to that grudge or do you forgive?
    Is the gospel that you believe in big enough to cover other people’s sins, or just yours?
    Paul does not merely ask Philemon to forgive - but to receive him as he would Paul. And that Paul will take on any debt that Onesimus owns.
    And this is yet another illustration of the gospel. As Jesus takes on the punishment for our debt through his death, and cancels our debt by nailing it to the cross - so Paul is offering to do the same for his beloved brother.
    As Philemon receives Onesimus as if it were Paul. So as Christians reconciled back to the Father as Jesus has taken their place.
    Jesus takes the punishment of God’s wrath that we deserved on the cross, and gives us his righteousness.
    We are not only forgiven in Christ. We are washed - we are presented as holy and blameless. We are given the righteousness of Christ. The Father receives us, as he would receive his Son.
    When Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon, he is not just returning Philemon’s runaway slave, but he is returning to him one who is now a brother in Christ. In Christ, Onesimus is not longer just a slave to Philemon. But he is his brother in flesh and in the Lord.
    In Christ we are no longer slaves to sin. We are brought into the family of God. Presented no longer as slaves, but received as sons and daughters of God.
    When we started Colossians, I focused on that hymn that Paul records for us in Col 1:15-22. It’s a hymn that teaches us about the person and work of Jesus. In verse 20, it teaches us of Jesus’ work of reconciliation. Through his blood he is working to reconcile all things to himself. So though Onesimus was reconciled to his master whom he was estranged - because of his faith in Christ, and his relationship with Paul… we through the blood of Jesus, and our relationship with Christ can be reconciled back to our Master. Though our crimes were much worse than the slave in this letter, and our Master much greater than the recipient of this letter… Jesus has through the blood of his cross made peace.
    Colossians 1:15–23 ESV
    15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
    Application:
    How is this letter more than just a personal request concerning a slave?
    What does this letter teach us about forgiveness?
    What does Philemon demonstrate to us about the reconciliation that we receive in Christ?

      • Philemon 1ESV

      • Philemon 2ESV

      • Philemon 4–6ESV

      • Philemon 7ESV

      • Philemon 8–9ESV

      • Philemon 10ESV

      • Philemon 11ESV

      • Philemon 15–16ESV

      • Philemon 17ESV

      • Colossians 1:15–23ESV

  • Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

      • Psalm 101ESV

Maranatha Baptist Church
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