July 16, 2014
GOSPEL RECONCILIATION: MAKING USELESS RELATIONSHIPS USEFUL
Philemon 1–25
Daniel Polk
Central Truth
In light of the debt we have been forgiven in Christ, the gospel compels us to make amends with those who have wronged us.
Key Verse | Philemon 18
If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. (Philemon 1:18)
Philemon 1–25
Greeting
1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon's Love and Faith
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. 1 1:6 Or for Christ's service 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.
Paul's Plea for Onesimus
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— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, 2 1:10 Onesimus means useful (see verse 11) or beneficial (see verse 20) whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 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 3 1:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse 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.
17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.
Final Greetings
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Dive Deeper | Philemon 1–25
If you know any school teachers, then you know that they have plenty of stories to tell.
One of mine begins with a phone call. "Mr. Polk, this is Jennifer, and I was calling to let you know that I saw Jackie stealing things from your desk." A pause lingered as I collected my thoughts. "Hmmm, thanks, Jennifer. I'll follow up on that tomorrow. Thanks for letting me know." I hung up, and the call ended.
While the call surprised me, the accusation quickly rang true after only brief consideration. After all, I had been noticing things going missing from my desk. Further, I believed Jennifer was telling the truth. So I had a decision to make about Jackie. Should I "go law" or "go grace"?
Philemon was a wealthy believer in whose home the church gathered to meet. Philemon had a slave named Onesimus -- a common name for slaves back then that means "useful." Now Onesimus apparently had stolen money from his master to fund an escape to freedom. In that culture the punishment for slaves who ran away was harsh and could be death. Onesimus fled to Rome where he met an imprisoned Paul, who led him to Christ.
Paul saw Onesimus as a spiritual son and brother in Christ and desired Philemon to see him as a useful brother in Christ rather than just a useless slave in debt. Paul knew this would require Philemon to forgive Onesimus emotionally and financially, so he offered to pay the debt for Onesimus.
I can imagine the scene when Philemon first receives this letter from Paul and begins to read it. It may even have been delivered by Onesimus. Philemon would have found himself reading Paul's plea to reconcile with his runaway slave only to look up and see that person standing right in front of him! That would have been a powerful moment to see.
What a picture of the gospel! We are indebted to God, and Jesus pays the debt for us, so that our relationship with our Master can be restored. Paul's point is profound. The gospel changes our relationships. And because of the grace we have received, we are able to give grace to others.
This truth echoed in my mind as I thought about my decision regarding Jackie. Should I "go law" or "go grace" on her? You can read for yourself which I chose by clicking here. But more importantly, how will you choose to respond to the gospel today?
Discussion Questions
1. Think about the sins from which you have run away. Have you sought forgiveness from the Lord? Have you sought forgiveness from those you wronged?
2. Matthew 18:21-35 is the parable of the unforgiving servant. He was forgiven millions of dollars in debt, but refused to forgive one of his fellow servants who owed him only a few dollars. How does this compare to Paul's message to Philemon?
3. When people wrong you, how do you respond?
4. With whom do you need to reconcile? Whom do you need to forgive?
5. Opportunities to forgive are opportunities for evangelism. What can you do specifically to model the gospel for those whom you identified in answer to question 4 above?