No Longer Slaves

September 29, 2021·Kristin Gentry

“I appeal to you to show kindness to my son, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison. Onesimus hasn’t been much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.”
— Philemon 10-12

When reading this, initially, we don’t understand the significance of this one person, Onesimus — whose name literally means “USEFUL.” But in this text, we discover that Onesimus was more than “not useful.” We find that Onesimus was a slave in Philemon’s household, who had stolen from him and then fled. We could say that Onesimus was in BIG TROUBLE!

Have you ever been in a situation where you did something so bad that you knew you could never pay for the things you did wrong? Does even the memory of such a thing make you cringe, as much as it makes me? Ughhh! I’ve got more than one bad memory. How about you?

But Paul, the author of this letter, has some crucial information to share with Philemon. Onesimus has been transformed by the Holy Spirit! Once he was useless, a burden, troublesome… BUT, he has been transformed and now “he is no longer like a slave… he is a beloved brother… now he will be much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord” (Philemon 16).

Paul, in prison himself for the sake of the Gospel, goes on to say that whatever debt is owed to Philemon, Paul himself will pay.

Can we pause here a moment and consider what is unfolding and what it implies to us as believers, even thousands of years after this small letter was written?

Onesimus committed a crime that could have cost him his life.
Paul, on behalf of Onesimus, will pay all his debt so that he can live a life serving God in community with other believers.
Philemon is left with an opportunity to take back what is rightfully his OR to accept Paul’s plea.

Friends, doesn’t this all sound familiar?

We ALL have committed crimes against God — “For all have sinned…” (Romans 3:23).
We all have a debt we cannot repay — “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23).

BUT…

Jesus paid our debt — “While we were still sinners, Christ died FOR us” (Romans 5:8).

Note the emphasis here. I think a lot of people emphasize the fact that Christ DIED for us — which is a big deal, (THE deal), I know. But when we place the emphasis on the word “FOR” us, it implies something different. It suggests that Christ has traded places with us. Where I deserve to die… Christ took my place. It implies that now I have a responsibility to live FOR Christ.

Now, let’s look back at Paul’s letter to Philemon.

I’m pretty sure, by the end of Paul’s plea, Philemon is understanding this concept. He knew that legally, he would have the right to hold Onesimus’ transgression against him.

But Jesus literally changes everything.

The Scriptures don’t tell us if Philemon has Paul pay him back at the end of all of this, but I’m guessing, because of his relationship with Paul and understanding his own grace displayed on the cross, that he doesn’t allow Paul to pay him back.

This is the POWER of Christ.

He has the power to transform individuals completely. AND, He has the power to transform relationships-no matter what has been done.

Did you catch that? Jesus can transform you today. He can transform your relationships. He can transform your situation.

Church, there is a lot happening in our world right now. May I encourage you or challenge you with this today? We all stand in the same shadow of God’s grace. Let us be quick to extend love, grace, and forgiveness, even when we feel we are rightfully owed something. Let us be the catalysts to show this world what TRUE love is. That love has the power to change everything.

“By this, all people will know you are my disciples — by your love for one another” (John 13:35).

Pastor Kristin Gentry