THE COMMUNICATION OF YOUR FAITH

The letter of Paul the Apostle to Philemon is one of the two shortest books in the New Testament.  At just 25 verses, it ties with Jude as the least lengthy.  What it lacks in length, however, it more than makes up for in content.

 

The letter reveals the story of Onesimus, a runaway servant who had served Philemon, but had grown unhappy with his servitude and had left his master without being released by him.  Many of the particulars of the story are unknown to us, such as, exactly why Onesimus left, did he steal any of his master’s goods to help him on his journey when he left, and was he the only servant in Philemon's household?  The things that we do know and can reasonably deduce from the information that we have, however, is enough to give us an inspiring story of repentance, faith, obedience, and restitution.

 

At the time that this letter was written, likely between 60-63 A.D, Paul had been imprisoned for the first time in Rome.  Paul had some hope that he would eventually be released, which we know did happen.  He would eventually be imprisoned again by the Emperor Nero and martyred sometime during or before 68 A.D. 

 

It would have been easy for Paul to have lost hope and become discouraged during his years of imprisonment.  He was used to being very active in his ministry and he took the oversight of the churches that he had planted very seriously.  He labored faithfully in the Word and in prayer, and he felt every challenge and hardship that they faced as a father would feel for his children.  It was different now, though.  He could no longer visit the believers that were scattered throughout Asia Minor to see firsthand how they were doing and whether or not they were standing fast in the Lord.  He could no longer be active like he was used to, but was confined to the place assigned to him by the Roman authorities.  Yes, Paul could have felt quite helpless and useless locked up like he was, but his faith sustained him, and he found new purpose in his bonds.  He embraced the title of "prisoner of the Lord" and accepted it as part of his calling for Christ.

 

Sometime during Paul's imprisonment in Rome, the runaway servant Onesimus sought him out, and Paul had the privilege of leading him to the Lord.  "...my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds." (Philemon 10).  Onesimus was from Colossae (Colossians 4:9), and it was there that he had served his master Philemon.  It is evident that Philemon was converted through Paul's ministry when he preached to the Colossians during an earlier mission ("I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides." (Philemon 19).  It was during this time when Paul would have met Onesimus.  Paul mentions that Philemon hosted the church in his home (vs.2), so there would have been much coming and going there, and Paul would have ministered there many times.  Consequently, Onesimus had plenty of opportunities to hear Paul preach the gospel.  This undoubtedly had everything to do with why this man sought Paul out in Rome.  We don't know how long Onesimus may have wandered after leaving Philemon before he decided to repent of his actions.  He may have been like the prodigal whose life became very hard because of the choices he made before he "came to his senses."  At any rate, he did eventually have a change of heart and that's when he thought of Paul and believed that the apostle could help him.

 

This amazing story culminates with Onesimus' conversion and decision to return to Philemon (it seems apparent that Paul had something to do with encouraging that decision), Paul's beseeching Philemon to forgive his servant, put any debt that Onesimus owed him on Paul's account, and receive him as a brother in Christ. 

 

The one verse in this story that really spoke to me, however, was verse 6: "That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." (Philemon 6).  I'm sure that Philemon must have struggled with his reaction to what Onesimus had done.  He must have had mixed feelings about how to respond to his servant's betrayal.  Being caught between what to do as a householder to keep order in his home, and what to do as a Christian leader in his city, must have been a dilemma for him.

 

As I think of the dilemmas that I have faced as a Christian, it is easy for me to relate to what Philemon was experiencing.  My spirit is often willing to do the right thing, but it is my flesh with all of its emotions and reasoning that I find difficult to overcome.  It is then that the Lord reminds me that it is He Who is working in me, not only to make me willing to do His will, but to give me the power and ability to do His will (Philippians 2:13).  He tells me that I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me against my own natural leanings.

 

This is what Paul is telling Philemon in verse 6.  In order for Philemon to communicate and share the faith that he had in Christ in an effective way, he had to learn to acknowledge that all good things already reside in Him in Christ.  Because the Lord had filled him with His own Spirit, and made His abode in him, he could walk the walk of faith before others and have his actions and reactions reflect his relationship with the Lord through Christ's transformative power.  Through Christ, Philemon could receive his wayward servant as his brother in the Lord.  Through Christ, he could freely forgive Onesimus, realizing that the Lord had also forgiven his own waywardness from his heavenly Master. 

 

Verse 6 is not just a statement that Paul made to Philemon, it was part of Paul's prayer for Philemon.  Paul told Philemon, "I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." (vs. 4-6).  Paul was encouraged by all that he heard about Philemon's love and faith, and believed that he would do the right thing and receive his servant again in mercy as a brother in Christ and joint-heir of eternal life. 

 

This story is full of important principles and lessons that we can apply to the everyday struggles of our lives.  It teaches us that no matter how badly we mess up, and how far we try to run from our responsibilities, God's mercy is always waiting for us when we turn toward Him and acknowledge our wrong.  It teaches us that when we have wronged someone else, and it is in our power to make it right, we must face the one we wronged and ask forgiveness.  It teaches us that while it may often be just to punish a wrong doer, it is not always righteous.  Most importantly, it also teaches us that the power to be holy before the Lord already lies within each Christian.  When we become willing to lose our life day by day for Christ's sake, and learn to follow the Master, then He breathes His divine life into our mortal flesh so that we can walk even as He walked.