Eld Chew Chong Kiat

This epistle was written to Philemon by Paul from prison. Philemon was saved through the ministry of Paul (v19) and was a prominent leader in the church at Colosse that met at his house (v1-2, c.f. Col 4:7-9). He was probably quite wealthy to own a house large enough for the saints to gather, and had at least one slave, Onesimus who stole from him (v18) and ran away to Rome. There in Rome, Onesimus met Paul and was converted, and proved profitable to Paul (v10-13).

Although Paul wanted to keep Onesimus by his side, he thought it necessary to send him back to Colosse to be reconciled with his master Philemon whom he had offended. What Onesimus did was worthy of imprisonment and even death under the Roman law. So, when Paul sent Tychicus back with Onesimus to Colosse with the Epistle to the Colossians (Col 4:7-9), he sent along a personal letter to Philemon, urging him to forgive Onesimus and receive him as a beloved brother and fellow servant of the gospel (v15-17). This touching epistle written with great entreaty from Paul the aged, a prisoner for Christ and a great benefactor to Philemon, teaches us many pertinent lessons on biblical forgiveness.

1. An empathetic greeting (v1-3)

Paul did not address himself as an Apostle of Jesus Christ (e.g. Col 1:1, Tit 1:1, Gal 1:1 etc.) but as a prisoner of Jesus Christ (v1, 9). He was in prison not for any crime that he had done but for the preaching of the gospel, through which Philemon was a benefactor and now a fellow labourer (v1). By addressing himself so, Paul appealed to the bowels of mercies in Philemon as a brother, who carried the same yoke. When Philemon considered how Paul his mentor bore so much hardship for their Lord, how could he not do anything to refresh him in his bonds by forgiving Onesimus? (v20)

Paul greeted not just Philemon but also his household, in particular Apphia and Archippus who likely were his wife and son who were also in the ministry, and to the church that was in his house. This implies that the letter though personal was to be read to the church.

The salutation of ‘grace’ and ‘peace’ (v3), which are the means and result of salvation respectively, kindled the readers with bowels of mercies and kindness through the remembrance of their debt to God the Father and Saviour Jesus Christ. If you have trouble forgiving another, recall the great debt you owe to God paid in full by Christ’s blood, so that the love of God will so refresh your heart and mind to enable you to forgive others for their trespasses against you.

2. What is one who forgives like? (v4-7)   

Philemon was a model of one who forgives. Paul gave thanks to God for Philemon’s love and faith (v4-5), which was testified by many saints (v7). By this acknowledgement Paul absolved him of any guilt of ill-treating Onesimus as a cause for his running away. He commended him and prayed “that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” (v6) The word “communication”, also translated as fellowship, means to share your life with the body of believers because of the common bond in Christ, as members in the household of faith. When Philemon obeyed Paul’s instruction, he provoked fellow saints at Colosse to do likewise.

3. What is it to forgive? (v8-19)

Paul expressed the purpose of his writing when he beseeched (v9) Philemon, instead of enjoining (v8) or commanding him to the Christian’s duty to forgive. He would that Philemon did so constrained by love and not unwillingly (v14). He pleaded on behalf of Onesimus who was born again through Paul’s preaching when he was in prison (v10). He described Onesimus, whose name means “useful”, as having become useful or profitable to the work of the gospel, although he was unprofitable to Philemon when he ran away (v11). Paul believed that Onesimus would be profitable for the gospel work, just like Philemon was, and thought to retain him (v13). But Paul would not do so without the consent of Onesimus’s master (v14). He urged Philemon to receive Onesimus with tender love (v12), forever (v15).

What does it mean to forgive? It is to receive a person into your life again, not to accept for just a season, but forever! To do so, you cannot hold a grudge or anger against him, but you are to take him into friendship and companionship, and to love him as Christ loves you. In fact, Paul would have Onesimus to be received not as a servant or slave, but into the fellowship of the saints, as a beloved brother (v16), a partner and partaker of the gospel (v17).

To forgive also means to regard the debt as paid. Paul asked for the debt that Onesimus owed to Philemon to be charged to him. He also reminded Philemon of the debt of love that he owed to him (Paul). This is the case for all believers. If anyone owes us a debt, we forgive because far greater is the debt we owe to Christ. Christ could very well use the words of Paul to each of us concerning the trespasses against us, “If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; …I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.” (v18-19)

4. Why do we forgive? (v19-25)

The motive to forgive is because we have been forgiven of a far greater debt. (v19) Why then do we hold a trespass against others and refuse to forgive? “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” (Ps 130:3-4).

The second motive to forgive is that it produces joy in the fellowship of the saints (v20). Paul, the prisoner, would be refreshed just as the saints in Colosse by the charity of Philemon would be (v7). When there is a ready and public expression of forgiveness in the fellowship, it multiplies joy all around. It brings remembrance of the sweetness of forgiveness of our sins which we enjoyed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and it provokes us to continue to forgive others their trespasses against us. 

Paul was confident that Philemon would obey and forgive Onesimus and receive him into the fellowship of the church in his house (v21). Paul wished that he could be there to witness it and therefore instructed Philemon to prepare lodging for him (v22).

Although Onesimus running away was wrong, God overruled this event for good towards Philemon and the church (v15). Onesimus’s departing for a season led to his salvation, and he became profitable for the gospel work. And thereafter it became an occasion for the church to see love in action in the example of forgiveness by Philemon that would provoke many unto love and to good works. Philemon should be a constant reminder to us to forgive because we have been forgiven by God in Christ.