Philemon 1:8-25

⁸Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do,

It seems here that Paul is speaking as one who has been appointed with authority by the Lord to guide those within the church, and as such Paul states that he could ‘order’ Philemon to do what he should do in regards to Onesimus.

⁹yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— ¹⁰I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.

However here in verse 9 Paul chooses to appeal to Philemon’s loving nature by asking a favor in a loving manner rather than an order, which may have stirred up trouble within the heart of Philemon remembering Onesimus running away from him. In verse 10 we read that Onesimus became Paul’s ‘son’ while he was in chains, or rather he became a believer in Christ, and saw Paul as his spiritual father.

¹¹Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

Paul emphasises here that Onesimus was once useless, having run away from Philemon, but now that he is a believer in Christ Jesus, he has been transformed in spirit and is now useful to both Paul and Philemon.

¹²I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. ¹³I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. ¹⁴But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. ¹⁵Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— ¹⁶no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.

Paul gives Philemon a sympathetic explanation for Onesimus’ situation and appeals for him as a loved brother hoping that Philemon would act in similar fashion. Paul names him ‘his very heart’ in hopes that Philemon would welcome Onesimus as if he were Paul himself. In verse 14 Paul also displays an act of humbleness by ensuring Philemon makes the final decision to how he wants to handle his servant Onesimus.

¹⁷So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. ¹⁸If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. ¹⁹I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. ²⁰I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. ²¹Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

Paul’s request here is that if Onesimus has done Philemon any wrongdoing that Philemon would charge it to Paul. We know already that Onesimus had caused trouble for Philemon so for Paul to be saying that he will pay back what he owes on his behalf is almost his way of seeking the mercies of Philemon, knowing that Philemon will do the right thing.

²²And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.²³Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. ²⁴And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.²⁵The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Filed under: Philemon, Apostle Paul, Bible study, final greetings, forgiveness, God, Jesus, New Testament, onesimus, philemon, Scripture, timothy

Philemon 1:1-7

¹Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

Paul here addresses himself as a prisoner of Christ. Although Paul ended up in prison at the end of his missionary journey, when he says here that he is a “prisoner in Christ” he is also talking about his devotion to Jesus and what he gives up in order to see that the will of God is accomplished. He is literally a transformed person doing what Jesus has set him out to do, and no longer goes by his own will.

Timothy was one of Paul’s companions whom traveled with him during his missions and had left Timothy at several churches to take care of leadership issues as well as other unfinished tasks, and false teachings that were rising in those churches.

To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, ²to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home: ³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can see here that Paul’s relationship to Philemon and other members of the church are strong and close, like that of a family. This is also a small church, as indicated by verse 2 where Paul states that they meet in the home. Though this could also be just a group of church members that gathered at his home, while the church could have been bigger elsewhere in Colossae where Philemon was from. Paul gives Archippus the title of soldier, signifying their common tie in “fighting the good fight” of the faith, or possibly outreaching to the gentiles while Paul was on his missions. He also addresses God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is common in many of Paul’s letters.

⁴I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, ⁵because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. ⁶I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. ⁷Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

In these verses Paul testifies to the faith and love that is now in Philemon and his effect on those around him. Paul encourages him to be actively sharing his faith with others, and yet also mentions the encouragement that Philemon has given to Paul for the love that he gives to the brothers and sisters. This is an example of how people who are in the faith and have been for a while, or are in leadership positions still need encouragement from each other. It in effect keeps people pursuing God in love and holiness, or as Paul had said “refreshed the hearts of the saints”.

Filed under: Philemon, apostle, apphia, archippus, Bible study, God, Jesus, New Testament, Paul, thanksgiving, timothy

Intro to Philemon

Philemon one of Paul’s friends and fellow workers was sent a letter from Paul and Timothy in regards to his slave man Onesimus who ran away from him. In this letter Paul writes that Onesimus ended up saved unto grace while with Paul. Paul mentions then that Onesimus will return to Philemon but Paul asks for Philemon to forgive him from his past actions and to accept him as a brother.

This is a short book in the bible but tells us about the effects of sharing the gospel with others, forgiveness, how God views people, and the family of God.

Filed under: Philemon, apostle, Bible study, forgiveness, God, Jesus, New Testament, onesimus, Paul, philemon, slaves, timothy