There is one book in the Bible that especially impressed me; it is the shortest book. As a matter of fact, it is called a letter, not a book. “THE LETTER OF PAUL TO PHILEMON.” It only has one chapter and there are only 25 verses. There is one more letter in the Bible with only 25 verses, “THE LETTER OF JUDE.” But, the verses are longer, so if you count the words, the Letter of Paul to Philemon is the shortest.
However, I find there are some very good lessons, also for us today. Philemon verse 6 says in the New Living Translation, “And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.” The Apostle Paul is here talking about generosity and faith, and he says they go hand in hand. Faith must have action; otherwise, it is only dead faith.
According to James 2:17–20, ”Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”
Let me give you an example: you are sitting in your living room and someone comes in and shouts, “The house is on fire!” You just sit there and do not move. With your action, you show that you do not believe that the house is on fire.
The Apostle James also says in James 2:14–16, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and hath not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
Generosity means to be willing to do something for others that you are not obligated to do. If you owe someone one hundred dollars and now you say, “I will be very generous and pay him back the hundred dollars,” that is not generosity. To be generous is to give something that you are not obligated to give. In the letter to Philemon, the Apostle Paul is trying to soften this man’s heart, and to influence him to do something that he is not required to do, according to the existing law.
Sometimes we are impressed to do something that we are not obligated to do; and, if you think about it, those are the times that you feel like life is really worth living. Those are the bright moments in life when you do something good for someone or when someone surprises you with something that you did not expect.
The next two words that we come across in Philemon verse 6 are “understand” and “experience.” These are both positive words. It can be very frustrating when there is something which we cannot comprehend. These can be mathematical questions or mechanical problems. Suddenly the light goes on and you understand what the problem is, and you can correct what is not right. For example, someone may tell you that it is not good to eat just before you go to bed, but how much better it is when you experience for yourself how well you feel in the morning, when you wake up full of energy and are ready to handle the tasks of the day.
The last point in this verse is to understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. The experience the Apostle had with Jesus, he could never forget. In Acts chapter 22 and chapter 26, we see how the experience he had with Jesus was something that he had to share with all—the Jews, the Greeks, the Romans, the rich and the poor.
Back to the letter to Philemon. Verse 1 tells us of the wonderful relationship between the Apostle Paul and Philemon, “Dearly beloved and fellowlabourer.” It must have been someone that the Apostle Paul knew very well, and that they both had a common goal—to witness for the Lord. Verse 2 tells us that the believers met for worship in his house. That reminds me of when I was a boy; we had no church building. Whoever had the biggest house invited the other families to come for Sabbath School and Service in their home.
In verse 5 we read that Philemon had love towards Jesus and all the saints. What a wonderful testimony. In verse 7, it tells us that Philemon was a generous brother who was always ready to help where help was needed. In verse 8 and 9, the Apostle Paul comes to his point and he says, ”I could demand, but I do not want to do that.” Sometimes we feel that we are right and that we can command because we are so certain that we see it the right way, so no discussion is necessary, “Just do as I say.” But, this way is not always the best approach. The Apostle Paul chose another way: I do not want to demand, but please think about what I have to say. How often would we benefit from taking this approach to try, in a nice and polite way, to get others to share our opinion?
In verse 10, the apostle Paul is using straight language: In referring to Onesimus as my son. “I know he was a bad boy when he was at your place but he has changed.” In The Acts of Apostles, page 456 it reads “Among those who gave their hearts to God through the labours of Paul in Rome was Onesimus, a pagan slave who had wronged his master, Philemon, a Christian believer in Colosse, and had escaped to Rome. In the kindness of his heart, Paul sought to relieve the poverty and distress of the wretched fugitive and then endeavored to shed the light of truth into his darkened mind. Onesimus listened to the words of life, confessed his sins, and was converted to the faith of Christ.” There is only one more place where Onesimus is mentioned in the Bible besides in the letter to Philemon. In Colossians 4:9, he is mentioned as a faithful and beloved brother.
Onesimus was not the only one who ran away. The Bible is full of individuals who ran away, even right back to our first parents, Adam and Eve. We have many examples of people who ran away: Jacob, Elijah, Jonah, the disciples, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, and in the parable of the lost sheep. It is probably something we all have been tempted to do when life gets really tough.
There is a place in Toronto called Covenant House. They invite young people who have run away from home and are in need of help. The organization tries to re-build the young people’s self-esteem and get them back on their feet again. The Bible does not tell us how or where Onesimus and Paul met, but we know that the Apostle Paul was a prisoner in Rome at the time. People who run away often go to the big cities where they can disappear in the crowds and find friends who are in the same situation. Somehow, God brought Paul and Onesimus together.
You would think that Onesimus could have learned about Christ from Philemon, who was his boss and also a believer; and, according to what we have read, he also tried to bring souls to Christ. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way. We do not know what kind of life Onesimus had since he ran away from Philemon. Maybe he had time to think; maybe he would have changed his mind and wanted to go back if he could. I am sure that some of the young people that run away from home in our days regret doing so and wish they would have stayed at home, when they find out what the real world is like.
What we do know is that the Apostle Paul and Onesimus, through Christ, established a wonderful relationship. “Onesimus endeared himself to Paul by his piety and sincerity, no less than by his tender care for the Apostle’s comfort, and his zeal in promoting the work of the gospel. Paul saw in him traits of character that would render him a useful helper in missionary labor.”–The Acts of Apostles, p. 457. Onesimus was helping the Apostle Paul in whatever way he could and Paul appreciated this very much.
Our Christian duty is to make things right with whatever has happened in the past. Paul could have said, what
happened so long ago between you and Philemon, that was before you were converted, God will forgive; but no, Onesimus had to travel the long way to meet his former boss and confess what he had done wrong.
Paul sent a letter along with Onesimus and in it he wrote to Philemon; remember he is a brother in Christ, not your slave. This is a lesson for us. We cannot just push things under the rug and forget what happened in the past. If there is a problem between us and our fellow man, let us straighten it out, confess and forgive, just like all the other overcomers in the Bible. The Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. We have all run away, but we also all have the invitation to come back. Come home, we all have a place prepared for us. Will we accept this invitation? The Apostle Paul did not just say, go back and straighten things out; but, in his letter he wrote, he is my son. When you see him, imagine that you see me. Please receive him as you would receive me. If he owes you something, I will pay it. Put it on my account.
You may ask: How could the Apostle pay the debt while he was in prison? There is one important thought in Philemon verse 19 (The New Translation). “And I want to mention that you owe me your very own soul.” In other words, “I told you about Jesus, the hope of salvation, about the Creator and about the love of God. If I would not have done this, you would be lost.” After reading this, how could he not forgive? The Apostle continues, “I am confident you will do even more than I ask of you.”
From this letter written by the Apostle Paul, let us learn to make things right, not coldly and formally, not with anger and hard words, but in the spirit of Christ. Paul closes with the wish to see Philemon again. “Please have a room when by the grace of God I have the opportunity to visit you again.”
I wish I could tell you the end of this story so we could experience the meeting between Philemon and Onesimus and know whether the Apostle Paul was able to make another visit. The Bible does not tell us. The Spirit of Prophecy does not tell us. There is only one way to find out. If you and I are faithful and are able to meet the Apostle in the kingdom of God, he will be able to tell us what happened. I am confident this story has a good ending, and I cannot wait to hear it.
Evald Pedersen