Philemon: Freedom and Fellowship in Christ

Introduction

We name the letter for its recipient, Philemon. He was a Christian brother (v.1) and leader in the local church (v.2). Since the church met in his house, he was possibly a pastor of the congregation. Paul also evangelized Philemon to become a Christian (v.19; Philemon owes his life to Paul). Throughout the letter, Paul encourages, respect, and exhorts. We know from the letters of Galatians and Corinthians Paul doesn’t mind calling someone out for sin. So, the absence of any direct rebuke to Philemon tells us he isn’t a bad guy, but a true saint (v.7).

Paul wrote this letter in Rome. During this time, he lived in house arrest awaiting his trial before Cesar. While he waited, an escaped slave, Onesimus, found him. The reason for the letter was Onesimus. He was Philemon’s slave, but either stole from Philemon, escaped from him, or both (v.18; Paul offers reparations for a reason). Now, it could be mere coincidence that Onesimus found Paul, or he actually sought him out for fear of being caught. Since, Rome was not friendly to escaped slaves, Onesimus meeting Paul saved his life. But despite ignorance of the exact circumstances leading to their meeting, God used their meeting to lead Onesimus to salvation.

And after conversion, Onesimus grew in productivity, usefulness, and spiritual discipleship. People grow. Born-again people grow in their new life. Paul makes this point with some word plays. Onesimus’s name means useful even though he was not very useful to Philemon (v. 11). But now, after Jesus saved him, he really lives up to his name. You would expect Paul to use Philemon’s name for the term “useful” in verse 11. Instead, he uses a word, eukrastas, which sounds very similarly to the Greek for “good Christ.” Christlessness means useless. But living well in Christ means useful.  

After seeing the Onesimus’s usefulness, Paul sent him back to Philemon with this letter. Paul wrote his letters to Ephesus and Colossae at the same time so, he sent Onesimus along with Epaphras, to Colossae, where Philemon lived with this letter.

Summary of Text

In the letter, Paul acts like a legal mediator. In Rome, mediators were third parties hired to reconcile disputes. In the spirit of a Roman mediator—but even more so, Christ the mediator—Paul pursues reconciliation between Philemon and Onesimus. Paul blesses Philemon (v.4-7), appeals for Onesimus’s freedom and fellowship (vv. 8-16), promises to pay any debts in Christ (vv. 17-20), and finally prepares for a visit when he’s freed from prison (vv. 21-25). Let’s consider two of the major themes found in this short letter: freedom and fellowship.

Freedom in Christ

As long as there’s sin, there’s slavery. Spiritual slavery results in physical slavery. The young woman addicted pain killers may not have a legal master, but she’s by no means free. Since the first bite of fruit, mankind lived in world of sin. Because we are sinners, we are born slaves.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” John 8:34

Slavery is never good, but not all slavery is the same. Americans tend to import our antebellum history of slavery onto the world history of slavery, and even slavery in the Bible. I could list a number of differences between antebellum slavery and slavery in the Bible. The major difference that makes my point is no one would ever choose to be a slave in the American south, while the Bible expected some to choose servitude if necessary (Leviticus 25:39).

Not all slavery is the same. Modern American slavery still fits many of the markers for slavery. For example, many of our country’s welfare initiatives create slaves. This isn’t just some conservative talking point. Slaves only eat what their masters give them. But Americans hand out food stamps and WIC. In the Bible, any time a slave found freedom, God required his mater to throw him a party and send him off with enough to live freely (Deuteronomy 15:13-15). Today, no welfare recipient would dare seek freedom because once he reaches a certain income level, all his benefits vanish, and he’s taxed for it. Not all slavery is the same.

God uses the institution of slavery for good. Sinful man uses slavery to exploit and embarrass. God regulated the institution of slavery to teach and protect. God’s first command was a charge to freedom. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28)” isn’t a chain around your legs but the wind under your wings. But since man’s fall, God worked in history to free man from slavery. For example, the Ten Commandments begin reminding Israel that God freed them from slavery.

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Exodus 20:2

God says elsewhere that He freed Israel from Egypt to serve Him as His slaves (Leviticus 25:55). God never abolished slavery in the Old Testament, but instead, He used it to teach of the Hebrews the horridness of sin.[1] Paul, in the New Testament, introduces himself as a slave of Christ in his other letters (Romans 1:1).

So, in a sinful world, it’s not whether we will have a master, its who will be our master (Romans 6:16). Since man is born a sinner, all people are born slaves to sin. But if God saves you, you become a slave to righteousness and free from sin. The gospel frees men from sin which leads to the end of other forms of slavery as well.

Slaves of Christ are the freest of all. Many of us wrongly believe the world lives freely while us Christians live under the burden of do-this and don’t-do-that. Don’t let them fool you. The bachelor pick up artist tries to convince you that marriage is a sexless, ball and chain. But once he reaches 40, the girls in the bar finally learn he’s a creep while the married guy enjoys loving his wife. Also, remember slaves of sin can only sin. Think of it this way. A righteous life takes living in the whole world. You work in the mountains, live in the hills, and serve your family on the coast. But slaves of sin live chained to 3-foot leash. And like a barking dog, sinners still chained to sin yell at you like your not free. “Hey, if you were free, you’d come right over here where I am.” It’s true, you could. But why would you?

When Jesus saves a sinner, he breaks the chain and sets us free to live righteously. When we sin, we go to the junk yard we were just freed from. Slaves of God always live freer than everyone else. Paul, in this letter, worked in Philemon and Onesimus to make them slaves of God and free to live good lives. Don’t you see how once Onesimus was free from the slavery of sin, he became useful? Onesimus was not a freeloader, but freely worked for the kingdom (vv. 11,13). And look at how Paul wanted Philemon to free Onesimus out of his own free will (v. 14). He wanted Philemon to experience more freedom in Christ. Just as he moved Onesimus from slave to free, Paul wants Philemon to do the same.

To apply this to our lives, first see sin as slavery.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Porn sites are collars. Slander and gossip are chain links. Yelling at your family is a leash around your neck.

Second, see God’s commands as what free people do. As Christians, we forgive others of when they sin against us, because God forgave our sin against him. Non-Christians can’t really forgive because they’re still guilty. Christians also practice patience. Lost people only have this world so they eventually yell at the server, but since we have forever, we can endure.

Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 1 Peter 2:16

Fellowship in Christ

We don’t know what conflict caused the separation between Philemon and Onesimus. But Paul doesn’t focus on the cause of conflict, but the close of conflict. He desires Philemon to welcome Onesimus not as a slave but as a brother (v. 16). This can only happen because both Philemon and Onesimus and Paul are one in Christ.

The bond of Christ surpasses temporal bonds (master and slave, even husband and wife). When our Lord returns to His kingdom, many of our earthly bonds and relationships will pass away (Matthew 22:30). That’s because He has greater things in store. When Christ rules over your relationships, your relationships now serve the work of Christ. All your relationships are Christian. If you’re the only Christian at your work, you’re still working a Christian job. If you’re the only Christian in your family, you’re a Christian family member.

Whatever conflict Philemon and Onesimus were in, Jesus neutralized it. Elsewhere Paul reminds Jews and Gentiles that when Jesus brought down the barrier between God and man, He also broke the barrier between man and man (Ephesians 2:13-14). He also reminds two women in Philippi to get over their quarrel because Jesus wrote their names next to each other in his role book of eternal life (Philippians 4:2-3). If relational sin is electricity charging waiting to zap someone, then the cross is the lightening rod grounding the charge.[2] The more relational charge a Christian lives with, the less he proves the cross in his life.

Now, consequences do matter. Paul didn’t promise to pay Philemon for nothing. But Christ is the of the ultimate consequence! Because we are slaves of Christ, we live obediently in all areas of our life—especially our relationships.

 Paul eliminated the conflict between Onesimus and Philemon because Jesus gave them all reconciliation through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). Notice, Paul calls Philemon a fellow worker (v.1), his son a fellow soldier (v.2), and the friends with him in Rome as fellow prisoners and fellow workers (vv. 23-24). We eliminate conflict in our relationship by illustrating Jesus and depending on Jesus. We depend on Jesus when we place our sin and the other’s sin on the cross. We illustrate Jesus by doing the hard thing and carrying the cross to our relationships.

So, what relationships have an emotional charge to them? If you are the only Christian in the relationship, then you will spend most of your time carrying the cross and grounding the charge. You will spend most of your time confessing your sins or forgiving the other person’s sins. That’s not a bad thing. God may use that to save the non-Christian. Each time you confess and forgive, you prove you have somewhere for sin to go—namely the cross. But if both you and your enemy are Christians, both of you should practice Romans 12:10 and outdo one another in showing honor, forgiveness, and love. The problem with modern Christians today is no one wants to model Jesus. Paul did. And he encouraged Philemon to as well.

Conclusion

The letter to Philemon shows us that a life submitted to God should look like it. Since Christ has set us free, then we should live lives of freedom that set others free. Since Christ rules over our lives, we should bring the fellowship of Jesus to every area of our life.

[1] First, for the Hebrew slave, his servitude had an expiration date (Exodus 21:2-3) while the Gentile slave served for life (Leviticus 25:44-46). Believers caught in slavery could be free if they learned their lesson while unbelievers could never be free until they believe. If a Gentile slave converted, it follows that the Jubilee laws would apply to him as well. Second, God permitted masters to beat their slaves harshly (Exodus 21:21) but not to death (Exodus 21:20). This proves that slavery was a last resort. Finally, Deuteronomy 15:13-15 shows God intended result of “redeemed” slavery, namely liberty, redemption, blessing, and feasting.

[2] I learned this illustration from Douglas Wilson.