"So if you consider me a partner, accept him as you would me. And if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it -- not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self. Yes, brother, may I have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ."
- Philemon 17-20
In Philemon, we have Paul in a unique situation where he is the spiritual father of both a man, Philemon, and Philemon's slave, Onesimus. Through a series of events, Onesimus escaped slavehood, made contact with Paul and became a Christian as well, and therefore a brother to both Paul and Philemon. Onesimus fears returning to Philemon even though he knew it was the right thing to do. He was afraid of his punishment -- however, we see here that Paul, out of love for his brother, not only made an appeal on Onesimus' behalf, but even credited the punishment due to Onesimus from Philemon to Paul Himself! Then, in the midst of taking the "IOU" of punishment upon himself, he reminded Philemon of the debt to which he had to Paul for leading him to salvation in Christ. There is so much going on here as you think about substitution, forgiveness of sins, reconciliation, selflessness, and encouragement in the message of the Gospel. Though we do not know, we can assume that Philemon forgives Onesimus who is permitted to do ministry as a faithful servant of Christ, a brother of both Paul and Philemon, to God's glory!
I don't want to try to explain everything going on simply because of my inability to fully convey everything you might learn from reading the text yourself.
I encourage you to read Philemon today. Pay attention to these themes, and think about your own life -- where these might apply. Where debt is owed that forgiveness might be paid in it's place, and where you can make an appeal on behalf of others whose life has put them in a place that is viewed as less fortunate by the world.
Blessings!
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