Although they may not admit it, many Christians will, at some time, have wondered what the Letter to Philemon is actually doing in the Bible. Can it really be as Spirit-inspired as Deuteronomy, or the Gospel of John? Is it as significant for teaching as the Apostle’s letters to the Romans or the Hebrews? Is it just a private letter that somehow slipped into the body of manuscripts by accident or oversight? In this little study, I will show that this extraordinary text contains practical teaching so rich that the diligent Christian cannot afford to be without it.

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

INTRODUCTION

If you were in the “Slough of Despond” (John Bunyan’s phrase to describe spiritual despair), to which book of the Bible would you immediately turn for inspiration? Would it be Paul’s letter to Philemon? Would you even know where Philemon was? Let’s face it, most Christians only ever read these few verses during their daily Bible reading programmes — and even then they more than likely breeze through it (once a year?) without really taking it in or understanding what its place is in the word of God. However, this passage of Scripture is not just a personal letter with no outward significance. Writings do not find their way into the Bible just by chance. This is actually an Apostolic letter about a personal matter — but which transcends that with great relevance for all Christians wishing to establish New Testament ethics in their lives.

Traditionally, the letter to Philemon — just 335 Greek words — is considered to have been written with that to the Colossians, around AD 58-60, during an imprisonment in Rome. In this letter, Paul appeals to Philemon, a house-church leader in Colossae, to accept back into service a slave, Onesimus, who had absconded from his master after stealing some money, but had then wound up under Paul’s ministry, through which he was converted. It is a very delicate and diplomatic letter, and quite unlike any other portion of Scripture — with the possible exception of 2 John, where size and the style of letter are the only real similarities.

Because the depth of a written piece of work is generally assessed on the basis of its length, there is a tendency to view Philemon as light and insubstantial when compared with, say, the Letters to the Romans, the Hebrews or even 1 John. But this underestimates the concentrated power of Divine communication, wherein few words can convey vast concepts. (e.g. John 11:35; 13:30b). Furthermore, a cursory read of this mini-missive may induce some to say: “But there’s no doctrine!” However, doctrine by itself — as an abstract concept — is stagnant (in the same way that “faith without works is dead”, James 2:20; “If I have not love, I am nothing”, 1 Corinthians 13:2). But even in his ‘heavy’ epistles, Paul always applied his teaching — he never left it hanging in the air as a bare ideology or philosophy. Otherwise it would have been nothing more than scholasticism. This letter is actually a model of Christian teaching in action. It is a most beautiful jewel, hidden away in the Scriptures, with numerous glinting facets awaiting discovery. The Bible is full of such gems, the fullness of which even a lifetime of superficial study will not reveal. From the many practical teachings in this little epistle I will chose just five which we can apply in our Christian lives. Just to be topical, we can call them “The Five Points of Philemon”. 😊 Here they are.

The first of the ‘Five Points of Philemon’ is…

I. THE ASSURANCE THAT GOD IS ABOVE AND BEHIND ALL HUMAN AFFAIRS

“For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good—no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord” (Philemon 1:15-16).

Some Bible versions (e.g. KJV, ESV) do not translate v.15 correctly. It is the passive form of the verb: “He was separated”, i.e. separated by something other than himself — the clear inference being that God’s hand was intervening in the temporal earthly affairs of His creatures for the benefit of their eternal spiritual welfare. Paul uses this fact to give a cosmic backcloth to his reasoning with Philemon. Here we have Paul the predestinarian giving his teaching a practical application. The man who wrote the jaw-dropping chapter 9 in his letter to the Romans was not merely a detached teacher of ‘doctrine’; he was a pastor, with a real pastor’s heart.

Be a Christian, not a Fatalist

Divine predestination is not a cold, inhuman teaching when treated correctly (i.e. biblically). Rather, it bears witness to the close involvement of God in all human affairs. Although our Lord transcends His creation and is not some pantheistic energy force permeating all matter, He is, nevertheless, in close relationship with His people. So close, in fact, that believers are said to be “partakers in the Divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4 — not under any circumstances to be confused with being a partaker in the Divine essence!). He is a personal God. Divine predestination has a noble purpose: the glory of God and the eternal benefit of the true Church. Paul, as a spiritual man, never loses sight of the hidden agenda which lies behind all mortal concerns.

An external force separated Onesimus from his master, Philemon; Paul sees that behind Onesimus’ departure there lay a Divine reason which would be for the eternal good of all concerned. Onesimus’ running away was certainly wrong from a human standpoint; but in the providence of God, it was serving a higher purpose. Even the most unpleasant things can have a design for good under the sovereignty of God (e.g. 1 Corinthians 11:19). When Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, they “meant it for evil against Joseph. But God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20), so that he could rise to prominence in Egypt and thereby supply Israel’s family with food in a time of famine.

This does not mean that God actually plots out a sinful act through human beings; but that He is the great Orderer and Controller of all human sinful behaviour, which He transforms into events which will be beneficent to the eventual outcome of His cosmic plan. As the epitome of this, it was out of the most vile act that man has ever perpetrated that God brought the greatest possible good (Acts 4:27-28; John 12:32). “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). The reason Onesimus “was separated” as part of the Divine plan was more than likely in order that he should come in contact with the Gospel and thereby be saved under the ministry of the Apostle Paul.

The practical application by the apostle of a doctrine which, in the wrong hands could become a stand-alone scholasticism, is not confined to this particular epistle. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul emphasizes to the brethren there that his imprisonment in Rome had actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel (Philippians 1: 12). Our Lord always ultimately brings good out of evil. No one can really understand and use the forces of good and evil other than God. That was the primary human folly in the Garden of Eden: They thought they could become “like God, understanding good and evil” — having His knowledge (Genesis 3:5 & 22). But the forbidden knowledge which they acquired through their treacherous fall into sin (lawlessness) was both curbed and judged by the One who controls all (Genesis 3:22).

Let us, therefore, rejoice that the Lord is above and behind all human affairs — intimately involved with His creatures, indwelling them with His very Spirit if they are adopted into His family. But observe the little word that Paul uses here at the beginning of v.15: “perhaps”. For this gives us another practical teaching which is woven into Philemon.

Thus, the second of the ‘Five Points of Philemon’ is…

II. THE ESCHEWING OF SPECULATIVE BELIEFS

“For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while…” (v.15).

While a number of believers seem content to live out their lives barely ticking over with a one-or-two-dimensional Christianity, other brethren appear to favour such a multidimensional faith that they hardly know which way to turn. Voices, dreams, intuitions, vague “leadings”, words of knowledge, verses allegedly being “written on the heart” without warning. How often we also indulge in vain and fanciful conjecture from the Scriptures: ‘Endtimes programs’, prophetic timelines, etc. We’ve all done something silly at some time in our seeking after guidance as we desire to know God’s will, no matter how critical we may be of the folly of others. How easily it is that we get carried away with imagining that God is doing all sorts of things in our lives, when we are really allowing rank superstition and a fertile imagination to run riot. It is for this reason that the inclusion here of the word “perhaps” is so very pertinent for the diligent believer.

Be a Christian, not a Mystic

Paul here exercises caution. He doesn’t say that Onesimus was definitely separated from Philemon by God. Unless he had received direct revelation on the matter, that would be presumptuous. He merely suggests it as a strong possibility; and we would all do well to imitate his attitude to any knowledge of divine matters. This is not to say that believers should wander about in an incessant fog of uncertainty, as if the word “perhaps” should be applied to everything. Christians are not generally “perhaps” people. There are a number of radical matters, in connection with his or her own life, of which the Christian need never be in any doubt whatsoever, e.g. the truth (John 8:32; 1 John 2:21), his or her Redeemer (Job 19:25; 2 Timothy 1:12), his or her salvation (John 9:25b), his or her status as a child of God (Romans 8:14-17), and his or her future glory (Romans 8:11 & 30). But Christians should never be presumptuous concerning matters which are outside their sphere of revealed knowledge. As the Psalmist so delicately puts it:

“My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not aspire to great things or matters too lofty for me. Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Psalm 131:1-2).

Let us never forget that “the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

The third of the ‘Five Points of Philemon’ is…

III. THE TWIN FORCE OF FAITH AND LOVE

“I always thank my God, remembering you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ” (vv.4-6).

Paul commends the Colossians for their faith and their love. These two godly responses go together. In support of this, the apostle, John, tells us that it is a commandment of God “to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. and to love one another, as He commanded us” (1 John 3:23). God commands us to believe in Christ (faith). Christ commands us to love one another (love). Faith and Love — the twin mainstays of Christianity — yet so often wrenched apart by either scholasticism (which homes in on head knowledge) or what the puritans called “enthusiasm” (which focuses exclusively on feelings). As I have so often had cause to cry out before: Christianity is about far, far more than adherence to Confessions and Creeds. Paul phrased it beautifully when he said: “All that matters is faith, expressed through love” (Galatians 5:6).

Be a Christian, not an Automaton

This requirement of Christians to ensure that their faith expresses itself through love is a central feature of the New Covenant and it is repeatedly expressed in the New Testament Scriptures. In another letter, Paul exhorts the Philippians to be “standing firm in one spirit, striving together with one mind for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). There is an accent here on the words “striving together” which many brethren who strive for the faith of the gospel may wilfully overlook. In contending for the faith, there must be a loving unity in the Body: Faith expressing itself through love. In similar vein, Paul tells the Ephesian believers that, as those who are no longer deceived by the trickery and false doctrine of men, they should be “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:14-15). In other words, however much we are faithful to healthy teaching (sound doctrine), if it is not empowered by love, our actions will be fruitless. In fact, they will be worse than fruitless. James tells us that “faith without works is dead [Greek, nekros]” (James 2:17, 26). It is clear from the context of the whole chapter in James that by “works” he means love and sensitivity to others around us in the church and in the wider world. As one writer has put it: “One is certainly justified by faith rather than by works — but a justified person works” (J.C. Ryle).

Faith expresses itself through works of love. How often we hear lip-service paid to this vital New Covenant doctrine. But this can never be an abstract ethical concept. For the central purpose of regeneration is not to make us into theologically accurate robots, able, at the drop of a hat, to trot out by rote this or that systematic doctrine. Christianity is not a celebration of the cerebrum; it is a restoration of relationship. The cardinal design of the new birth in Christ is to restore, in a renewed manner, the relationship which was torn asunder by the Fall. That means our relationship with God and with our fellow human beings (Matthew 22:36-40).

This is not to say that Confessions, Creeds or Catechisms are of no value. On the contrary, they are helpful in laying out the truth in the face of the wayward trends of history and various heresies. However, you can adhere to your Confessions, Creeds or Catechisms as rigidly as you like, but if your doctrinal faithfulness does not manifest itself in love for your neighbour, your brethren and even those who persecute you for your faith, then you are more than likely an impostor — a nominal Christian! (1 John 3:14; James 2:14, 19-20). This does not mean that we must never call anyone out for being out of line or contrary. Sometimes we do have to be ‘didactic hitmen’! But even that is simply tough love and it must always ultimately be seasoned with grace.

The fourth of the ‘Five Points of Philemon’ is…

IV. THE COVENANTAL CONTRAST BETWEEN COMPULSION AND PERSUASION

“But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but voluntarily” (v.14).

There is an important principle of New Covenant thinking and relating to others which is wrapped up in this verse. It is the principle of persuasion as opposed to compulsion. And not a mere calculated persuasion — such as one might have in an advertising campaign, but a persuasion based on love. Herein lies a major contrast between the Old Covenant and the New. The Old Covenant found its expression in the rigid death-threatening enforcement of hundreds of regulations. Although God’s ethical requirements of His people have not at all lessened in the New Covenant — indeed, on the “more light, more required” basis (Luke 12:48; John 15:22), they have been greatly intensified — His manner of working with us has changed considerably. For the Scripture tells us that if we are led by the Spirit, then we are not under the compulsion of the Levitical code of Law (Galatians 5:18). “Led!” Herein lies the great contrast. Being led by the Spirit rather than being under the compulsion of the Old Covenant law means that we have moved from mere childhood into full-blown sonship via the Spirit of adoption (Galatians 3:28 – 4:6; Romans 8:15).

Here, in this letter to Philemon, we have a working model of the theological and ethical principle which says that we are not in bondage to a set of regulations which must be obeyed — or else death! — as were our Old Covenant forebears. Instead, it is “the love of Christ [that] constrains us” (that 2 Corinthians 5:14), alongside the New Covenant fact that the law is now “written on our hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33) — a sure reference to the indwelling Holy Spirit, which all the children of Israel did not have, but which is a fruit of being part of the New Covenant people of God.

Understanding this component of Paul’s letter to Philemon is vital to the development of our Christian ethics and sanctification. By way of illustration, think of the manner in which we, as parents, treat our offspring. While they are children, we give them clear rules and regulations, and compel them to obey or bear the appropriate penalty. Do this, do that. Bedtime at such-and-such a time. Lights out so many minutes after. Eat your vegetables or you get no pudding, etc., etc. And this is right for those so much in need of authority and external controls. However, when these babes come of age, we become more flexible, treating them as more mature. If discipline needs to be imposed, we try to use reason and to appeal to them on the basis of our relationship. How wisely those in authority have to use it — both at home and in the Church.

The Christian is a work in progress — a conscious participant in a maturation process — led under the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Now do you see the significance of those verses in Jeremiah 31:31-34? The New Covenant is for believers who are far more mature than those children in Israel of old. The starting point for Christian ethics is love — a love which is directed even towards those who have set themselves up as our enemies and which is prepared, if necessary, to die for others (1 John 3:16). Dealing with one another as we have been dealt with by God in Christ is the foundation of the Christian New Covenant ethic. The New Testament simply oozes with this radical concept.

Be a Christian, not a Procrustean

This is the central moral and practical lesson of the letter to Philemon. Just as we are being gently led by the Holy Spirit of God rather than compelled by rigid, death-threatening rules and regulations, so we should adopt this approach to others, as Paul does here with Philemon. The apostle is giving us a practical demonstration of New Covenant relationship. Consequently, just as the Lord shows His requirement of us on the basis of love, so we must also be imitators of this Divine way of working (John 13:34-35). This is not merely referenced to the personal level, but it also has great significance for the first levels of such areas as Church discipline (cf. Galatians 6:1). It is a “non-compulsion, but-faith-working-through-love”, and it forms a foundational principle of the Christian life.

Paul could easily have pressed an apostolic command on Philemon to accept Onesimus back, as he clearly states: “So although in Christ I am bold enough to order you to do what is proper, I prefer to appeal on the basis of love” (v.8). But, instead, he relied on the dynamic, persuasive power of love. Such discerning renunciation of power and privilege is itself very Christ-like (Philippians 2:3-9). Consider the basis of the tender appeals which Paul makes to Philemon throughout this delicate letter, in his bid to reconcile Onesimus: “Do it for love’s sake” (v.9). “Do an old man a favour” (v.9). “I am a prisoner of Christ” (v.9). “We are partners!” (v.17). “You will give me joy in the Lord and refresh my heart in Christ by doing this” (v.20). “I have absolute confidence that you will go even the second and third miles” (v.2 1). Those are Paul’s appeals to the heart; and we would do well to take a leaf from this letter.

The Christian does not take dominion through authoritarian compulsion, for that would be based on Old Covenant revelation (Numbers 33:50-53). (See my article on Dominion Theology for more detail by going here). It is also heathenish behaviour; for the Gentiles “lord it” over one another, but it is not to be that way among believers in the Gospel Age (Matthew 20:25). Similarly, Peter exhorts elders in churches not to dominate in a despotic fashion but to be servants (1 Peter 5:3). We should, therefore, approach others in love, as a practical demonstration of our faith. It is in our weakness that Christ’s strength is made complete (2 Corinthians 12:9). [For an in-depth article about the difference between the Old and New Covenants, please download my eBook on the subject by clicking here].

The fifth of the ‘Five Points of Philemon’ is…

V. THE DISSOLVING OF OUTWARD DIFFERENCES IN THE KINGDOM

“…that you might have him back for good—no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord” (vv.15b-16).

We see here a practical demonstration that the Lord Jesus Christ has broken down all artificial barriers between those who are “in Christ”. Class differences, national distinctions, master/slave relations, the so-called ‘battle of the sexes’ — all these dissolve in the kingdom of God, in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28; Colossians 3:10-11; Ephesians 2:11-22). Although Onesimus would still continue as a slave to Philemon, if his master accepted him back, their relationship would be indelibly changed — forever! Slavery itself is not specifically being repudiated here; but its death-knell was certainly being sounded.

Be a Christian, not a Chauvinist

This breaking down of barriers is crucial to a right understanding of the reconciliation process in redemption. Where exactly did human barriers originate? The Bible teaches clearly that such barriers were set up in the process of history because of sin, moral failure.

Firstly, the fall of our first parents in Eden brought about barriers between man and woman. In the wake of their disobedience, Adam tried to pass the blame onto his wife when God challenged him, while Eve maintained she was the innocent victim of the serpent’s guiles (Gen.3:12-13). This was the end of a beautiful relationship, and those of all their posterity: For in the just judgement of God, He declared that marital relations would be shot through with sorrow and inequity — a reality against which the feminists of today are still vainly railing (Genesis 3:16). There was now a barrier where there had formerly been none.

Secondly, not only was the harmony in human relationship undone as the result of their sin, but also the relationship between them and their God was rent asunder (Genesis 3:22-24). The Garden of Eden, in which those first human creatures had unfettered communion with God, would no longer be their home. They would be alienated from their Maker, “having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). unless they first come to Christ. They would now be classed as being “afar off” in terms of their relationship with the Lord (Psalm 138:6; Acts 2:39; Ephesians 2:17). There was now a barrier where there had formerly been none.

Thirdly, not only was there a barrier erected between individual human beings and between them and God, but the barriers which now exist between nations originated sometime later on the plain of Shinar (Genesia 11:1-9), when humanity sinfully conceived that it could gain access to heaven in its own collective strength — conglomerating in one concentrated geographical location in disobedience to the Lord’s earlier command to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesia 9:1). The “language barrier” which all of us know today has its roots in this divine judgement. This is why no amount of Esperanto classes will dissolve the problem —although, in the mercy of God, He has enabled us to undergo the process of learning a handful of other languages to assist in the proceeding of world intercommunications.

Here in this letter to Philemon, we see a reversal of the barrier problems thrown up by the sin of man. When one is regenerated in Christ he or she is a new creature. Behold, all things are made new! Included in this is the master/slave relationship, which would never have existed in an unfallen world. The barriers erected through the Fall and sin of man are wiped away. There is a restoration of relationship.

And here we have the truly deep and spiritual aspect of this letter to Philemon: for the entire text provides a lovely illustration of what is involved in becoming a Christian. The real heart of this letter is this: Reconciliation through a mediator of one who is alienated from his master. This letter, although being a factual document rooted in a historical event, has a parabolic meaning which, when understood, is like a flower opening up to reveal a precious gemstone. There are so many Scriptures which God has ordained to illustrate great truths over and above the literal content of the words. The children of Israel taken out of bondage under Pharaoh and led by the Lord through the wilderness into the Promised Land is real history; but it is also a giant parable of how the Lord takes believers out of bondage to Satan and brings them through the wilderness of this world into glory.

Here in this letter, Philemon, the master, stands for God. Paul, as mediator, takes the place of Christ. Onesimus represents every wayward person desiring to return to God through Christ. Notice that Paul even pays the debt owed by Onesimus to Philemon (vv.18-19). In other words, the letter to Philemon shows the gospel in action at a number of levels — redemption, expiation, propitiation, reconciliation and sanctification. It is as if this letter had been prefaced by those enigmatic words, “The kingdom of heaven is like…”.

Now, the extension here is that if God, in drawing us to Himself, has dismantled the barriers which formerly lay between ourselves and Him, it is surely sinful for us to erect barriers between ourselves. Everything artificial that which divides human beings is dissolved in Christ. Therefore, the plethora of sects and denominations which humans have dredged up in the name of religion should have no place in the new order which was prepared before the foundation of the world, which was a mystery until the coming of Christ, and which now finds its expression in His blessed Church (Ephesians 3:1-13; John 17:20-23; Colossians 3:14-15).

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

We have only looked in brief at a handful of the depths and riches of this letter; there is so much more that I could have brought out. Perhaps, now, when we come upon this hidden gem in our readings, we will at last appreciate its theological significance and its unique place in the Word of God. Far from being an insignificant note about a personal matter between a couple of brothers, this letter has been God-breathed to give us a shining example of what New Covenant living and the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about.

The image that some have of Paul is that of a heavy-duty, rigidly doctrinaire, even ‘Protestant’ minister. (It is not only God that men imagine to be in their own image!) To teach the people well is certainly important. But doctrine that never finds its practical outward expression in love and relationship — towards God, our neighbour, our brethren and our persecutors — is the leaven of the Pharisees. Such teaching is one of the most destructive influences in the churches today.

The fact that this letter became enshrined in Holy Scripture may indicate that Philemon forgave Onesimus. It would certainly be odd to imagine that it came into the Word of God without the resolution for which it so cries out. Forgiveness and reconciliation lie at the heart of the Christian message. They flow from Christ to His people, and should flow freely between each one of us. Genuine, saving faith always works though love — or it is dead.

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© Copyright, Alan Morrison, 2023
[The copyright on my works is merely to protect them from any wanton plagiarism which could result in undesirable changes (as has actually happened!). Readers are free to reproduce my work, so long as it is in the same format and with the exact same content and its origin is acknowledged]