From our Sunday service on May 5, 2024, the book of Philemon. Watch the full message: A Look at Philemon on YouTube.
A Short Letter with Immense Importance
The book of Philemon is not a book we talk about all too much. It’s short, and it’s one of Paul’s letters, but it’s also a very important one. There’s a lot of context we need when we look at this book, because it deals a lot with the culture of its day. We’re a bit far removed from that Roman culture, so here is some background on the book.
While Paul was incarcerated in Rome in AD 61, he penned a short letter to send a message to a man named Philemon, a member of the church of Colossae. Colossians was written to that same church, so it’s in the same kind of context. Despite the short length of the book, this letter carries immense importance and was truly one of the most culturally explosive letters Paul ever wrote. To grasp its significance, we must understand the context in which it unfolds.
Philemon, the man the book is written to, was a prosperous Roman citizen from Colossae who crossed paths with Paul during Paul’s missionary ministry in Ephesus. Philemon quickly embraced Paul’s teachings about Jesus and emerged as a faithful follower of Christ. When Paul’s ministry coworker Epaphras established a Christian community in Colossae, Philemon began hosting the church gatherings in his Colossian home. Despite his leadership position, Philemon was like any other wealthy Roman. He owned many slaves and bond servants, and among them was a man named Onesimus, whose relationship with Philemon would be the focus of the letter.
Some sort of conflict broke out between Onesimus and Philemon. Onesimus may have stolen something, made a large mistake that cost him money, or created a conflict with other people in the household. Whatever the initial cause, the conflict caused Onesimus to flee to escape the consequences, and it appears that as he fled he may have stolen money from his master. He runs to Rome, and through God’s providence Onesimus winds up in the same jail as the apostle Paul. There he meets Paul and eventually becomes a Christian through Paul’s teaching. Onesimus found not only faith but a cherished role as Paul’s trusted assistant.
During this time, Paul and Onesimus begin to grapple with the delicate intricacies of their new relationship as they write this letter. Paul encourages Philemon not just to forgive Onesimus but to change his entire perspective on the relationship, to embrace Onesimus no longer as a slave but as a brother in the faith, liberated from the shackles of his bondage. In the confines of his imprisonment, Paul writes a letter that transcends time and comes to us today, urging Philemon to embrace a revolutionary paradigm shift in the power of God’s fellowship.
What we want to take away from this passage today is that the love of God should transform our relationships with others.
To Philemon, the Host of the Church
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:
Philemon 1:1–2
Here we have the typical greeting of a letter. Paul’s letters greet certain people and announce who they’re written to. We see a few believers who are in this church, but we’re told a little detail about Philemon himself. It’s to “the church in thy house.” Philemon is not just another member of the church. He is a host for the church. In the early days they didn’t have church buildings like we have today. Rather than build expensive buildings, they would find a member of the church who was wealthy and had a very large home and host the services out of that person’s home. Philemon is the one who hosts the church, the host of the church of Colossae.
Verse 1 also says, “unto Philemon our dearly beloved.” That means a dear loved one. Paul has a very personal relationship with Philemon. Philemon is not just some leader of the church he’s heard about and never met. He is a loved one and a personal friend of Paul. It also says “fellowlabourer,” so Philemon is a coworker in the ministry with Paul. Paul is addressing him as the host of the church, as a coworker in the ministry, and as a dear friend.
A Man of Love and Faith
Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
Philemon 1:3–7
Here Paul is being very personal. First, he says, “Grace to you.” Paul doesn’t write a letter without extending the grace of Christ to anyone who reads it. I think there’s an example for us as Christians too. As we talk to anyone in our lives, we should extend the grace of Christ to those around us.
In verse 4 he says something interesting: “making mention of thee always in my prayers.” Paul is drawing out the character of Philemon. He prays for Philemon regularly. “Philemon, you’re on the top of my prayer list, and I thank God for you.” Why? Because in verse 5, “hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints.” Paul is saying, “Philemon, you’re not just the man who hosts the church of Colossae. You’re a man of God. When I hear about what you’re doing, people say Philemon is a man of love and a man of faith.” And it’s not just toward some. It’s not just the rich or his friends. Verse 5 says it’s toward all saints. “Philemon, you have a great character. Across the board you have the testimony of being a loyal and faithful servant of Jesus Christ. You are known by many to be a loving and patient person. That’s why I pray for you, because I see you as an inspiration and a blessing for the church, and I pray that never changes.”
Why does he pray? Verse 6 says “that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” Paul is saying, “I’m praying that your faith becomes effective at being a testimony of everything good in you because of Jesus Christ. When you show love to others and show your faith to others, you are a testimony of all the good Christ has done for you.” Paul says, “I love that about you, Philemon. I love your ministry.”
In verse 7 he says, “we have great joy and consolation in thy love.” We have a reason to celebrate your love. “The bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.” We don’t think of bowels the same way they did back then. You might have a little familiarity with it from high school, when there was a cute person there and you had butterflies in your stomach. That butterfly feeling is in your bowels. The ancients considered the bowels the seat of emotion, so in modern English we would probably say “heart.” We would say we have encouragement in your love because the hearts of the saints are refreshed by you. “Philemon, your testimony is an encouragement to everyone around you. I’m praying for you that you never mess this up, because you are just showing the love of God to everyone.”
Paul’s Appeal for Onesimus
Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Philemon 1:8–9
We get a bit of a tone shift here. “Philemon, you’re the best. You’re the best testimony I know. I’m praying for you every day.” And then we get “wherefore,” or “for this reason, I’m writing you.” Why are you writing me? Because I’m a good testimony and an encouragement. Okay, Paul, what do you have to say? He says he has confidence in Christ to command what is fitting. “I could order you to do what is right.” Now Paul is feeling that Philemon is going to need to learn a lesson very soon. He says, “I have the authority here to order you in the name of Jesus Christ to do what is right, but through love I’m going to encourage you instead, because I am Paul the aged and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.” He is basically saying, “I am your pastor, and I love you. I don’t want to be hard on you, but I want to make sure that when this situation comes up, you’re ready for it.”
What’s interesting is that if you read in Colossians, it tells us that Onesimus is the one who delivers the letter about himself. Philemon is probably already having a negative reaction. His escaped slave, who stole from him, has just shown up with a letter from Paul, and Philemon is reading it in the church right then.
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
Philemon 1:10–11
“I’m not writing here just to encourage you. I’m writing to admonish you. Look in front of you, Philemon. Who do you see? It’s Onesimus. And who is he? He is my son.” Paul is really appealing to his personal friendship with Philemon. He calls Onesimus his son because Onesimus was led to the Lord by Paul himself. “Spiritually, he is my son. I led this man to the Lord. I begat him in my bonds. I was in prison and God brought him to me. I saw the providence of God. God led him to me, and I led him to the Lord, and he is my son.”
“In times past he was unprofitable to thee.” “I know in the past you’ve had difficulty with Onesimus. I know he’s wronged you. I know he ran away from you. But now he is profitable to thee and to me.” One thing that’s funny here is that Paul is doing a play on words. The name Onesimus actually means “useful,” the same idea as the word translated “unprofitable.” Paul is saying that Onesimus may not have lived up to his name in the past, and Philemon may not have seen him as the useful person he claimed to be, but now he is useful, not just in business like he was before, not just as your laborer or workman, but as a brother in Christ. Onesimus was not useful in earthly things, but now Paul has been using him as his assistant in the ministry, and Onesimus has a work that has eternal value.
Paul says, “Okay, Onesimus may have been a runaway slave. Onesimus may have been a thief. Onesimus may have done the wrong thing by stealing money from you. But Onesimus has been born again. He is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. The Onesimus who stands before you is not the Onesimus you saw before.”
Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
Philemon 1:12
That’s not “bowels” in the sense of guts. It’s “bowels” in the sense of heart: receive him who is my own heart. Paul is explaining why this situation happened. “I love this man. This man who came to me broken, God took him and changed him, and he’s been an assistant to me in the ministry. When I couldn’t leave the prison, he helped me.” Paul says, “I would have retained him. I would have kept him by my side to help me, so that in your place he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel, as I was chained for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I would have kept him here, but there’s some unfinished business.”
Two Laws and an Unfinished Business
We need to go back in time a little to understand the culture and why Paul struggles with this. The Bible has a very clear stance on slavery. The Torah, the Old Testament, had very strict rules, so let’s look at a few of those to understand what’s going on in Paul’s mind as a Jewish man. The Torah provides guidance for the treatment of slaves and their rights within Israelite society.
Before I talk about that, I should mention that slaves and bond servants are kind of a weird topic to talk about in the Bible. In the old days, at least in the Jewish context, most slaves were criminals. They didn’t have a jail. When you wronged someone, you’d be put into bond servitude to pay off a debt. Say you killed someone’s cow and owed them the money, and you can’t pay for it. You go into bond servitude and work for them until you can pay it off. In the Jewish mind, except in the case of prisoners of war, bond servitude was a temporary thing to pay off some kind of debt. This is where Paul comes in. We’re not in the Old Testament now. We’re in Philemon in the New Testament, under Roman law, so Paul is dealing with two different types of law. He has the biblical law on bond servitude and he has the Roman law, and we have to know both.
What the Law of Moses Said
In the Old Testament, Exodus 21:20–21 commands fair treatment of slaves, saying that if a slave owner beats a slave and the slave dies, there will be a big punishment. You cannot hit your slaves or harm your slaves. In Exodus 21:26–27, if you harm them, they’re going to be released. So you have to treat bond servants with respect or you will lose them. In Exodus 21:2 and Deuteronomy 15:12, all Hebrew slaves would be released after six years of service, in the seventh year. If a slave has been working for more than six years, then in the seventh year he gets set free no matter what, whether he’s paid off that debt or not. It’s not a permanent institution.
Slaves also had rights and protections. If a slave thought that his master was unjust, he could run away, and if you found a runaway slave, you were to protect him, take him into your house, care for him, and not return him to his master (Deuteronomy 23:15–16). I don’t know how we got so wrong with this in early American history, but the Bible teaches that if a slave runs away from his master, you do not return him. The only exception was foreign slaves who were prisoners of war, who were allowed to be slaves forever, but they were also not allowed to be subjected to harsh treatment or they would be set free. That’s where the Jewish culture is coming in. This is what Paul was taught as a child.
What Rome Said
The Romans had their own laws. Slavery in the ancient world was not a racial thing but a class thing. It was a lot you were either born into or fell into because of your life choices. There are a few reasons. One was being a captive of war. The Romans would go around conquering nations, take the warriors captive and enslave them, and these people would be forced to work for Romans. Caesar is reported to have shipped off a million slaves from 58 to 51 BC, so there were plenty of slaves. We don’t know which kind of slave Onesimus is, by the way. You could also be a slave if you were a criminal. If you were caught by the Romans committing a crime, you’d be punished by becoming a slave and working for somebody else to pay off your crime. If you were poor, you could sell yourself into slavery to ensure you had food, shelter, and clothing. If you had reached the end of your options, you’d sell yourself into slavery to make sure you could survive. Abandoned children at birth were made slaves. And lastly, you could be made a slave because you were born to slave parents.
This Roman slavery is not as kind as the Hebrew bond servitude where you’re given your freedom. Paul lives in a Roman society where slaves are a class and can’t be freed unless they buy themselves out of it. The Romans say that if you find an escaped slave, you need to send him to his master, because to not do so is to steal that slave from that person. At the same time, Paul has the Jewish tradition, which says that if a slave has escaped from his master, do not return him, but take him in and care for him. On top of the Roman versus the Jewish, Paul also has the fact that his dear loved one Philemon is the master, and this man is supposed to be working for his friend. All of these conflicts come together.
Paul’s Struggle
We see that Paul wrestled for a time with this. He says, “He’s been my assistant. Onesimus has been working for me. I took the Jewish approach and took him in, and I didn’t send him back to you. I didn’t tell you about this. I just said, well, the Bible says not to return him.” Then Paul realizes something over time: there’s something unsettled here. Onesimus is also a Christian. What is a Christian to do? He’s to make things right with others when he sins. Onesimus had stolen from his master and wronged him, and Paul in his heart realized that Onesimus needs to make things right. He can’t just hide him forever. How can Onesimus become this man of God if he’s still struggling with a sin he hasn’t asked forgiveness for? So Paul says, “Onesimus, I’m going to write a letter, and I’m going to send you back to your master. I’m going to hope that he makes the right decision here.” In this, we’re given an example of how we deal with other people and how our relationships with Christians should be transformed.
Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
Philemon 1:13–14
Here Paul talks a little about his conflict. “Finally, let’s be honest. I shouldn’t be doing this without you. I can’t make this decision for you. It doesn’t do any benefit for you if I force you to make the right decision. I don’t want you to free Onesimus by force. I want you to free Onesimus willingly. I want you to do the right thing to him willingly. You have this great testimony, and I know you’re a great man of God, but I’m a little scared that you won’t do it. At the same time, I don’t want to force you to do the right thing.”
For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
Philemon 1:15
He says maybe there’s a reason for this. I’m reminded of the idea of Esther: maybe this was the time you were prepared for. Paul says, “Maybe the providence of God brought him to me so that we could have this moment, where he goes to you and is restored, and he’s not just that wasted, useless man but could be an encouragement to you forever. Maybe God has a greater picture than what you or I could envision, the way we want it.” Paul says, “I want him as my assistant. I want him to minister to me.” The implied thing is, “I want to get my money’s worth out of this debt.” But Paul says maybe God is working through this in a way we don’t see, for something bigger. And if we don’t get this relationship right, if Paul doesn’t surrender to Philemon and Philemon doesn’t surrender to Paul, and Paul to Onesimus and Philemon to Onesimus, then maybe God can’t accomplish everything He wants to accomplish.
Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
Philemon 1:16
Maybe God has a plan for you to receive him not just as a slave, not as a bond servant, but as a loved one, as a brother in Christ, in a new relationship in Christ. “I know he already is this to me. He’s already a dearly beloved brother to me, especially. But if he’s so much an encouragement to me, how much more can he be an encouragement to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord, as your worker and as your brother?”
A New Man in Christ
Paul is calling for Philemon to change his perspective on Onesimus, to no longer see him as a slave but to see him just as God sees him. Colossians 3:10–11 says:
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Colossians 3:10–11
That’s Paul writing, and Paul has already spread this letter around, so Philemon knows it. When you’re saved, you’re transformed to the image of Christ. Any relationship that existed before that doesn’t matter. We’re under new rules now. Between believers we are to have unity and to represent Christ. We are to be unified as the body of Christ, and when different parts of the body disagree, you get terrible diseases. God doesn’t want our church to have these diseases that stop us from being effective in the ministry. If we are to be the effective body of Christ, our relationships with each other must be unified. Paul says Onesimus has been transformed and is now part of this new relationship. There is no longer slave and there is no longer master. There is brother and sister. Christ is in us all, and He is everything.
If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
Philemon 1:17–19
Are you getting that? See what Paul is doing here. This is where we really get to our personal application as Christians. “If you consider me a partner” means, “We’re coworkers in the ministry. If you consider us coministers, if you consider us friends, receive him as you would me.” Paul is a great example for Philemon of what a good Christian relationship looks like. They worked together in the ministry, they were close loved ones, coworkers, and one together in Christ. They both had a great love for each other. “If you consider me a partner, if you want our relationship to be good, then you need to do the right thing to Onesimus. You need to receive him as Christians are to receive each other. Receive him as if he were me.”
Just imagine that letter being handed to you by Onesimus himself, a man who defrauded you and ran away and has been missing for who knows how long. He shows up, probably shaking, with a little letter of Paul’s, all rolled up, a little scroll. He hands it to Philemon, and Philemon just starts reading it. Onesimus is there shaking, and then Philemon gets to this: “If you consider me a friend, if you consider me a coworker in the ministry, receive him as myself.” I can just imagine Philemon looking up at Onesimus, who is shaking there, because under Roman law he can be put to death. He can be beaten and flogged, and Philemon could do all kinds of things to him. The Romans were not friendly toward runaway slaves. Philemon is probably fuming. And then all of a sudden Paul says, “If he has wronged you or owes you anything, put it on my account.” Take that man you could do some horrible things to, which the Romans say you have the right to do, and Paul says, “I wrote that with my own hand.”
They had scribes, so this letter would have had one style of handwriting, and all of a sudden in that line Paul wrote it with his own hand, even though he was struggling to write. “If he wronged you, put it on my account.” Here is a picture of Christ. Paul is being a great example of Christ. What did Christ do for us? He took our sins and put them on His account, and He was nailed to a cross. Paul says, “I’m going to be an example of Christ here. If Onesimus has wronged you, put it on my account.” As Christians we ought to emulate Christ that way. If there’s conflict in the church, and he’s wronged you and you’re my friend, let it go for our relationship’s sake. “I will repay it.”
Then he says, “albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.” Paul is saying, “I can also mention who led you to the Lord.” Philemon probably has a lot on his mind, because now he has to remember who he was before he was saved. If Onesimus was like that before he was saved, now I have to think what I was before I was saved. When Paul saved me, how did that change me? Would I be happy if that opportunity was taken away from me? How God changed me, am I right to take that away from somebody else, to discourage his transformation in Christ, to punish him? Philemon has to look at himself and say, “No. Paul did so much for me by telling me about Jesus Christ. I could not do that to the other person.”
Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord. Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.
Philemon 1:20–21
Remember that Paul said at the beginning how much he takes joy in the Lord for Philemon every day. “Now give me another reason. Refresh my bowels, my heart, in the Lord.” Paul says, “Philemon, you have this test of doing the right thing. Refresh my heart once again and make the right choice. I’m confident of your obedience. I know that what I ask you to do, because of our relationship, you’re going to do it.” What was Paul asking? Just that Philemon receive Onesimus as a brother in Christ. But here Paul says something else: “I know you’ll do more than I say.” Paul is doing a little wink, wink. Philemon, set Onesimus free. Set him free from his servitude. What else can Philemon do for him but set him free? Paul says, “I know it’s not the right choice in a human sense. Why would you just let your employee get away for free? He stole from you. He owes you money. You have every right to punish him.” And Paul says, “I know you’ll go over and above and let that man free.”
Set Them Free
There’s an example there for us, that we ought to set our fellow believers free. How often when people wrong us do we hold on to it for a long time, especially Christians? As Christians we are not to hold on to grudges against each other. We’re to let them go and liberate them. When you have anger against someone, it’s like enslaving them in your mind: “I will not let them have that relationship with me. I will take that away from them.” It’s really a pride thing. It says they don’t deserve me. When you hold that resentment against them, you’re saying, “They don’t deserve a relationship with me. I’m too good for that.” That’s a pride issue. What Christ calls us to is not conflict or distancing ourselves but unity, to become loved ones of each other. Here the example is set. Yes, you can forgive him, but go above and beyond and liberate them. If somebody has wronged you, don’t just say, “I forgive you.” Liberate them from it. Show them how much you love them and care for them. Show them they’re a dear brother in Christ or a dear sister in the Lord.
But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
Philemon 1:22
There’s an interesting two-way talk here. Paul is saying, “I want to be released from prison, and I want to visit you, Philemon, because we’re good friends.” But a little before that, what did he say? “If you consider me a partner, receive him as myself. Receive Onesimus like you would receive me.” And then he says, “But above all these things, prepare me a room to stay with you.” So now Philemon is not just hypothetically supposed to think about how he would treat Paul. He’s supposed to literally think about how he’s going to receive Paul, because Paul says, “I’m coming, so prepare my room.” Philemon has to go out and literally do things for Paul, and everything he does for Paul, he knows he should do for Onesimus as well. As Paul says, “Prepare me a room,” he’s saying, “Prepare Onesimus a room.” As you consider what things you’re going to get for me to eat while I’m here, feed Onesimus. As you think about what we’re going to do together as friends, do the same to Onesimus as you would do to your best friend. Do it to the person who has wronged you.
There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus; Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Philemon 1:23–25
Of course, there’s the ending, where he salutes Epaphras, his fellow prisoner, and Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, and Lucas, his fellow laborers.
Unity in Christ
So here we see a story about unity, a story about restoration, a story about being a new creature in Christ. Paul encourages Philemon not to see Onesimus in the light of his culture, in the light of what people think is right, but to see him in the light of Christ, as Christ sees him, as an image bearer of the Almighty and a brother in the Lord. In Christianity there are no classes of society and no nationalities. There is no servant and master. There is brother and sister, unified in Christ, the body fitly joined together. There’s only one thing with which we must be concerned. Ephesians 4:4–6 says:
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:4–6
For Christians there is one Master, Christ. For Christians there is one class, servant. For Christians there is one calling, to be like Christ. This oneness and unification should transform our relationships with other believers and create unity.
What Happened to Onesimus?
We’ve reached the end of the book, so what’s left to know? Let’s see what happened to Onesimus. Colossians 4:7–9 says:
All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.
Colossians 4:7–9
Here we see an update on Onesimus. He’s no longer bound to the home of his master. Onesimus is traveling, delivering Paul’s letters to the churches and reporting on the needs of the churches and how they can be filled.
What happened after that? Ignatius writes in AD 110, about fifty years after the letter to Philemon, that the pastor of the church of Ephesus was a man named, and I quote, “Onesimus, a man of inexpressible love.” If we assume that the same preacher who was in Ephesus stayed in Ephesus, and that it’s the same Onesimus we know, then Onesimus was liberated by his master. He was seen as a brother in Christ and was given the right to fellowship with the rest of the church. That would make Onesimus the pastor who followed Timothy after he died.
Now imagine for a moment that Onesimus and Philemon were not restored, and their relationship remained strained. Imagine Paul had stayed with his initial instinct: “I’ll just keep him with me and let him minister to me, help me and be my personal assistant.” Or Philemon didn’t liberate him and allow him to do all the things God called him to do. Onesimus would have just been a worker for one person, whether Paul or Philemon. But here the Holy Spirit convicted and led them to choose the right choice. Philemon freed Onesimus, and Onesimus was able to be a servant of God. Eventually he took over the church that Paul started, and he was able to minister for at least fifty years at that church. Who knows how many lives he made an impact on?
How Is Your Relationship with Others?
In our relationships with other Christians, it’s important that we get rid of that bitterness, that anger, that unease. We don’t want to hold back our fellow believers, and who knows what harm we’re doing by holding on to a little bit of resentment toward people we don’t get along with, a grudge we’ve held maybe for years? What benefit does it have? None. But how much harm can it cause? In the case of Onesimus, think how many people were blessed because he was able to become a pastor. Onesimus and Philemon were restored.
So the question today is, how is your relationship with others? Have you restored relationships with those you’ve wronged or been wronged by? It’s a two-way street. “Well, they didn’t apologize to me.” Have you gone to them and given forgiveness anyway? “Well, they won’t forgive me.” There’s no right in that. Paul wasn’t 100% confident Philemon would set him free. He says, “I know you’ll forgive him and take him back in,” but he didn’t know if Philemon would set him free. Paul says, “I’m going to do the right thing anyway, whether it’s easy or not, whether it immediately benefits me or not, because I know that by not forgiving this person, by not letting go of this grudge, I am hindering them from doing all that they can do.”
The love of God should transform our relationships. Will you allow God to transform your relationships today?
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