How do we hope to change the world?
These one-chapter books of the Bible are easily overlooked. This one seems very domestic – a small, private matter that the apostle Paul is trying to sort out. Would you notice, if this letter weren’t even in your Bible? What would be missing? For those who pause here awhile, there’s instruction about living in the kingdom of God in a way that can change the world!
Here you remember how God has welcomed you, and how you are to live for him every day.
These notes accompany a sermon on YouTube. You can find other sermons in our Sermon Index.
Philemon who?
We can see from Philemon 1:1-2 that this is from Paul (and Timothy) to Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus. Who are they, and why was he writing to them? Our story actually starts in another letter: Colossians. The letter to the church in Colossae.
- In Col 4:9, Paul wrote, I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people.
- A few verses on (Col 4:17), he wrote, say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.”
Philemon, Appia, and Archippus, are at Colossae. The letter to the Colossians was taken to them by a couple of men, one of whom was Onesimus. That was scandalous! When Onesimus walked in Colossae, the church would have been buzzing with news! “You’ll never guess who’s back?!”
Because Onesimus was Philemon’s slave. And he’d run away.
In fact, he was a pretty useless slave all round. Philemon 1:11 Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past – not much of an assessment! And Onesimus had done a terrible thing – he’d absconded, run away: Philemon 1:12 I am sending him back to you. Even worse, it seems like that he’d actually stolen from Philemon when he left. Philemon 1:18 If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything…
One man left, a different man returned
Somehow, Onesimus had ended up with Paul. Paul was in prison but still very active in speaking about Jesus! And Onesimus was saved – he became a Christian. He actually became a useful co-worker to Paul – not so useless anymore.
So, the letter to the Colossians was carried by a number of men, one of whom was a returning slave. There could be trouble ahead! And that’s where this letter comes in. Paul is writing separately to Philemon, the missing slave’s master. It’s a delicate matter, but Paul knows he has to sort it.
A Christian is to “do righteousness.” Do right; put right.
Be Consistent
Paul’s intention is that Philemon sees the returning Onesimus not so much as a returning slave, but as a Christian brother. Paul calls on Philemon to be consistent in at least 3 ways:
- Forgive as you have been forgiven
- Welcome as you have been welcomed
- Be at home the person you’re said to be outside
Forgive
Read Philemon 1:18-19. It’s quite a thing for Paul to say, but it reminds you of what forgiveness actually involves.
- Assuming Onesimus did steal, then Philemon has been robbed of something.
- To forgive always involves absorbing cost, or offence, or hurt.
- Forgiveness is much more than saying something doesn’t matter; it says that it does matter but you’re going to absorb the cost.
You know that being a Christian isn’t about good things you do. If you’re a Christian it’s because you’ve asked God to forgive you the wrong things you have done.
- God forgives everyone who comes to him: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
- But to do that, he has to absorb the cost of your sin.
- The wages of sin is death; God sent his Son to collect your wages – Jesus died so that you could be forgiven and God also be just in punishing your sin.
When Jesus taught you to pray, he included the lines Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Which means his costly forgiveness is to flow to you and through you to others. He has shown you what forgiveness looks like.
There will be people you say you’ve forgiven, but you haven’t really. You’ve not absorbed any cost, and you still hold it against them. As Philemon needed consistency to forgive as he’d been forgiven, so do you.
Only then can you do the next: Welcome as you have been welcomed.
Welcome
Read Philemon 1:17. Paul! You ask so much! Forgiveness absorbs the cost of offence, but now we’re going one step further. It’s easy to imagine Philemon welcoming Paul. An esteemed guest! Give him the best guest room and prepare an excellent meal. Make sure he’s secure and comfortable.
And Paul says, do that for the incompetent slave who stole from you and ran away, but is now a Christian returning to you. When he was leaving his disciples, on the night he was betrayed by Judas, Jesus said, I go to prepare a place for you.
- Servants’ quarters? A cheap bunk bed somewhere?
- No. A place fit for a child of God is prepared for you.
You have been welcomed into God’s family. Sinners, rebels, failures, cheats, murderers… sins covered by the blood of the lamb, sinners welcomed by him into Paradise.
- Be welcoming as you have been welcomed – with the arms of Christ wide open for you.
- Of foreigners, strangers, and – hardest of all – people who have wronged you.
At home as in public
Philemon is to be consistent in forgiveness and welcoming, and he’s to do that at home as much as anywhere.
- In verses 4-7 Paul speaks of how Philemon’s fellowship, love and faith refresh the hearts of God’s people whenever they hear of it.
- You know Christians who have a good reputation for their knowledge, or grace, or helpfulness, or prayers.
- You might be a person like that.
- Paul says, in effect, do that at home too.
- In verses 17-20 he picks up on words that describe Philemon’s reputation, and applies them to this domestic issue: If Philemon considers fellowship with Paul to be worth anything, he should refresh Paul’s heart too.
- He will do that if he forgives and welcomes the returning Onesimus, seeing him not as a useless runaway slave but as a dearly-loved Christian brother.
But there’s something curious going on here. Why doesn’t Paul say, “Slavery is bad! You must release Onesimus from this bondage?” Why isn’t slavery anywhere openly denounced in the NT?
Thinking this through is the key to how to change the world!
Change the world
When we think of slavery and people trafficking it’s patently bad. In the ancient world, slavery varied greatly.
- Often it was brutal, especially when defeated countries were put into slavery by their victors.
- But it was often an option for the very poor; you’d go into service for someone and receive a bed and food. Some slaves even had slaves of their own.
- But, in the end, it’s always exploitative and demeaning.
- Paul doesn’t condemn it outright in his letters – but he completely subverts it, undermines it, and that is how you change the world.
If you take on a societal norm, a culturally accepted practice, all you’ll get is a fight. But here, Paul calls Philemon to a godliness of life that is supremely richer and better than the culture of his day.
And you and I are called to the same.
Pro-life
Christians are usually pro-life, being against abortion-for-convenience.
- Often, in response, Christians are then accused of not caring about unwanted babies or for their mothers.
- But in truth, Christians are actually much more likely to be foster carers and adoptive parents than non-Christians.
- In saying we’re pro-life, we mean the unborn child, the born child, and the parents.
- Jesus is the very giver of life, and it’s natural that we want to preserve and protect it wherever it is.
In June, the Wirral Gospel Partnership will hold an event promoting awareness of fostering and adoption and the role churches and individuals can have. We can subvert the norm of abortion by showing how to cherish life.
Pro-marriage
The Bible doesn’t say much about same-sex relationships but it does always condemn them. Our culture disagrees, obviously.
- We could make a big noise about that, and quickly get completely cut off from everyone. Not very winsome.
- More effective is to show how rich life is for those who follow Jesus.
- We celebrate marriage. Rejoice that celibacy in single people exalts marriage.
- Make it clear that that’s only important because it describes Christ’s love for his church.
- And where people aren’t married for whatever reason, it’s your place to provide the family intimacy we all need as humans.
- Subvert the cultural ethics of our society by living a better life in Christ.
Pro-compassion
The topic of euthanasia keeps cropping up in the news. More and more countries are opting for it – with terrible results.
- Christ cares for the weak, the vulnerable, the widow.
- We subvert plans for euthanasia by showing loving care and kindness to the weak, the elderly, and the terminally ill
- Raise money for Claire House, visit care homes, love one another.
Pro-family wellbeing
Even something like Sunday trading – almost completely normalised, despite the damage to families who have one or both parents working.
- Where you can, make a point of putting church first.
- Family get-togethers? Not if they clash with church.
- Liverpool v Man City? Not if it clashes with church.
- Why? Because Christ meets with his people here.
- Enjoy your Sunday. Take charge of that yourself. And speak about it. Your Sunday is better than anyone else’s.
Paul called Philemon to subvert slavery by welcoming his former slave back as a Christian brother – forgiven and welcomed.
Pro-Christ
You can subvert the world’s values by showing the life in Christ is better than anything out there.
- Christ has brought you to life. He said, “I have come so that they might have life – life to the full.”
- His way is life-giving, life-affirming.
- He gives the life-giving, overflowing, unending water of life. He’s not the fun police.
To embrace this little letter is to open up a path for you to change the world, bringing the kingdom of God to the earth.
To do that:
- You must do as Paul did and face tricky, delicate situations head on. Move towards the pain.
- You must be ready to absorb the cost of putting things right and of forgiving. Christ is your example.
- Christ’s grace flows to you and through you
- So be consistent in public and at home in him.
- And, in him, change the world for him.