As Paul was under house arrest in Rome at the end of his ministry, he met a man named Onesimus. He was like most Paul encountered in his journeys. He was lost, broken, and seeking purpose in life. In the days ahead, Paul grew close to Onesimus. As Onesimus grew in Christ, he spent much time and effort helping Paul with his ministry work as Paul was imprisoned in his home. However, Paul was troubled one day when he learned that Onesimus was a runaway slave of Philemon, whom Paul converted to Christianity in Ephesus and was currently leading a house church in Colossae (1000 miles from Rome!). In response, Paul wrote a letter to Philemon and gave the letter to Onesimus to hand deliver to Philemon, which we learned he did from Colossians 4.

We learn, from verses 4-7, that Philemon was well-known for his love for fellow believers. Paul wrote, “For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother” (7). Paul starts the letter by complimenting Philemon…..yet, that did not last long. Right after appealing to Philemon’s character, he goes on in verse 8, “For this reason, although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right, I appeal to you, instead on the basis of love” (8). And who is he appealing for? Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave whom Paul referred with great fondness in his letter as “his son” (10) and “his very own heart” (12).
Slavery in Rome was not like slavery in the States. Slavery was not racially motivated. Slaves in the Roman Empire were obtained through conquest, war, judicial punishment, piracy, and the international slave trade. Parents often sold their children into slavery to pay off their debts. There were 16 million slaves in the Roman Empire, which was 20% of their total population! They were considered living tools. Often, slaves ran
away. They were considered fugitivus, which is the Latin word where the word ‘fugitive’ was derived from. When caught, the runaway slave’s forehead would be forged with the letter “F” so everyone who saw them would know of their crime. On top of that, the owner of the slave would be allowed to treat the slave anyway he wanted as punishment. Philemon had a choice to make: to forgive Onesimus or punish him for his sins. Paul did not want to force forgiveness but rather he wanted Philemon’s love to be authentic and not coerced. Paul wanted Philemon to not welcome Onesimus back as a slave but rather as a “loved brother” (16).
Paul goes on in verse 18, “And if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything [implying that theft or inappropriate use of Philemon’s funds occurred], charge that to my account.” He then in verse 19 writes with his very own hand that he would repay it all, which made the letter to Philemon a legal document that Philemon could use to bring Paul to court if he did not repay the debt. On top of that, Roman Law required that whoever gave hospitality to a runaway slave was liable to the slave’s master for the value of each day’s work lost. Paul was intentionally putting himself in financial jeopardy by defending Onesimus. Paul, who was innocent of Onesimus’s crimes, took upon himself all the liability of Onesimus. And that, my friends, is what
God has done for you through Jesus Christ. Jesus came, suffered, and died on the cross, and in doing so, imputed our sin upon Himself and imputed His righteousness upon us! For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). He paid the price! God joyfully received us into his family, just as He would welcome his own Son.
The letter to Philemon at the surface level is a letter between Paul and Philemon’s direct and church family. However, when you look deeper, you are confronted with three Gospel Bridges, three ways you can live out the Gospel of Jesus: The first Gospel Bridge is to forgive those who have wronged you as Philemon needed to do with Onesimus. It is not about what they deserve; it is about reflecting God’s grace through Jesus in our forgiveness of the fugitives in our lives. And in doing so, proclaiming, “I want to be like Christ, my Lord, my Savior.” The second Gospel Bridge is to seek forgiveness as Onesimus did. Reconcile relationships by seeing the runaway within yourself. Onesimus could have lived life without making it right with Philemon. He was free. Yet, he knew that living out the Gospel meant for him to take ownership of his mistakes and to reconcile with Philemon. The third Gospel Bridge is to become agents of reconciliation as Paul was. Paul showed us in this passage how to live out the Gospel message. Paul stepped forward, became a mediator between Philemon and Onesimus, and took on the liability of Onesimus. Why? Because Jesus did the same thing for us! God joyfully received us into His family, just as He would welcome His own Son because of Jesus’ sacrifice. As you move forward, I encourage you to build these important Gospel bridges. LIVE the Gospel of Jesus. by Adam Hofer
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