“I Will Repay It!”

The Letter to Philemon – Part 2 –

"So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self." (Philemon 1:17-19 ESV)

Verses 10-21 are some of the most sobering teachings in the New Testament. Now that’s quite a bold thing to say, but I believe it. I’m convinced that Paul is doing much more than just asking one of his “spiritual children”, Philemon, to forgive someone who has wronged him, Onesimus. Paul does that all through his letters, not just those he has written while under house arrest in Rome, but it is a common theme throughout his letters to these struggling first-century churches. Paul is giving a real-life example of what Christ has done for us, how grace works, and how that changes our lives.

The escaped slave’s name was “Onesimus,” which means “Useful” in Greek. This was a fairly common name for a slave at the time, for most slaves were indeed “useful” to their masters. Talking about Onesimus (Useful), in verse 11, Paul says, “who formerly was useless to you”. Paul uses wordplay that the casual reader may miss. Paul says this slave had been a pain in Philemon’s side, and instead of living up to his name, Onesimus was useless and probably more trouble than he was worth. That is until now. Some may say it was a coincidence that Onesimus would travel for several weeks, some 1,300 miles from his hometown of Colossae to Rome, where Paul was being held under house arrest. He just happened to come in contact with the one person on all the earth that would have some sway over his master Philemon. I call it providence.

All too often, we see events in our lives and just chalk them up to luck, good, or bad timing. I’m not sure we should discount God’s providence in our lives so quickly. The car in front of you gets sideswiped by a speeding motorist. Could that have been you? You stop to check to see if you have your keys before stepping off the sidewalk right in front of a bus, or you actually have that flat tire, and the person who stops to help you has never heard the gospel before, and God gives you the privilege to share His grace with them. Good luck, I honestly don’t think so. I believe God is more involved in our lives than we ever imagine. Just like I’m convinced that it was God’s providence that led Onesimus to Paul, so that Paul could have the privilege to participate in this slave becoming a spiritually free man, and once again “Useful” to his master.

Paul states in verse 10, “I appeal to you for my child whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, Onesimus.”Paul was on the lookout for individuals who needed to hear of the saving grace of Jesus. Remember back in Ephesians 6:19 when he asked them to pray for him while he was imprisoned, “and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make the mystery of the gospel known with boldness,”. Paul expected them to pray for him and he believed that God would answer that prayer, and indeed God did. Onesimus, who was “useless” to Philemon as a slave, became very useful to Paul in his ministry in Rome. God has a way of doing that, doesn’t He? I love this concrete example of God honoring the prayers of His people, God brought Onesimus to Paul so that Onesimus could become useful to God and have the privilege to participate with Paul in God’s ministry there at Rome, but not only at Rome but throughout the ages to all the world wherever this precious Scripture is read.

I can’t help but see myself in this picture of Onesimus. Before I came to faith in Jesus, I also wasn’t much use to God, my owner. I didn’t consider Him as very interested in my life. I lived as if I were all that mattered; I was trying to break free from God and wanted to be on my own. Does that sound familiar? God's providence led me to a little Church in Berryville, Virginia, one spring day in 1969, where I understood for the first time that I had wronged God, my owner, and I had run away from Him and His love. Then over the next several weeks, a visiting minister shared how I could come to know the grace of God and how I, through no effort of my own, could be forgiven. I could become “useful” to God and trust His finished work on the cross. Now here is the verse in Philemon that really speaks to my heart, verse 18, “But if he (Onesimus) has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge it to my account;” You see that’s what Jesus did for me, he pleaded my case before His heavenly Father, and said ‘Father, Jerry has wronged you and he owes you his very life, but Father charge it to my account”. You see, Jesus paid the price that I could never pay; He assumed the debt that I owed. Jesus paid it all.

That is the picture that I see painted here for Philemon. Paul reminds Philemon that he was also, once upon a time, “useless” to God. Philemon once upon a time had wronged his owner, his God. Once upon a time, Philemon owed a debt that he, on his own, could not pay. Paul reminds Philemon that Jesus took that debt on Himself, and God forgave Philemon and made him a “Useful” man to God. Paul asks Philemon if he has any affection for Paul, which he obviously does, if Paul has done anything for Philemon, which he obviously has, to please put Onesimus' wrongs on Paul’s account, Paul will assume the debt, the wrongs carried out by Onesimus. Paul, in this beautiful letter of only 25 verses, shows us exactly what Jesus has done for us.

Forgiveness is now in our DNA because Jesus has put it there. I hope this brief study of Philemon will change the way you read this letter forever. I know I will never read it the same again. What a beautiful way to demonstrate God's forgiveness. Thank you, our Lord and Savior!

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"