Comments on Philemon 1-16

This post, I’m going to be walking through the first half of Philemon.

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints. I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel. But without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will. For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

Philemon was written at the same time as Colossians. From what we can tell, the church at Colossae met in Philemon’s house, and both letters were written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Interestingly, the authorship of Philemon has never been disputed, and it’s been included in the canon since at least 170 AD.

While the second half of this letter focuses on Onesimus, today I want to focus on Paul’s introduction and how he speaks to Philemon. Though this letter came from Paul’s heart, he includes Timothy in the greeting to emphasize fellowship. Paul begins not with his authority as an apostle, but as “a prisoner of Christ Jesus,” a humble posture that sets the tone for this personal appeal. By contrast, his letter to the Colossians opens with a strong statement of apostolic authority.

This letter is addressed not just to Philemon but also likely to his wife, their son, and the church that met in their house. Though personal in nature, the letter was also intended to be shared. Including the wider church community served to keep Philemon accountable in how he responded to Paul’s request, and it also gave the congregation the opportunity to learn from Paul’s teaching on forgiveness.

Paul’s greeting: “grace and peace,” is something we see at the start of all thirteen of his letters. Because we read it so often, we might be tempted to skim past it, but there’s a lot packed into those words. Grace is the means of our salvation, and peace is the result. These words also reflect common greetings in the Gentile and Jewish worlds, respectively. Paul roots both in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, recognizing both as divine—an essential truth for our faith.

In verse four, Paul expresses thankfulness for Philemon and mentions that he regularly prays for him. What a gift it is to have Christian friends who pray for us, and how important it is to thank God for them. Philemon had a good reputation with Paul, he was known for his love and faith, not in a vague or general sense, but specifically in his love for Jesus and for God’s people. To quote Ironside, “Faith works (or, is manifested) by love. Philemon was one to whom the Lord Jesus was precious, and so his heart went out in affection toward all who were in Christ.”

Paul goes on to pray that Philemon’s sharing, or fellowship, in the faith would be effective. The Greek word used here is energes, from which we get the word “energy.” It carries the idea of being powerful or active, like the way it’s used in Hebrews 4:12. Our faith becomes powerful when we remember the good things that are in us because of Christ. We’ve been given so much, and that knowledge can energize our walk with the Lord.

Paul and other believers were blessed by Philemon’s ministry. The word “refreshed” in verse seven is the same one Jesus uses in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Philemon provided this kind of rest to others through his love, a love that Paul calls a source of joy and comfort.

When Paul begins his appeal, he reminds Philemon that he could simply command him as an apostle and spiritual father, but instead, he chooses to appeal to him in love. This kind of appeal mirrors the intercession that Christ makes on our behalf. Paul refers to himself again as a prisoner and also as “the aged.” He was probably around 60 years old at this time, not particularly old by today’s standards, but given the suffering he had endured for the gospel, it’s no wonder he described himself this way.

Onesimus had done wrong. Paul knew that. But he also knew Philemon’s love, for Paul, and for Christ. He hoped that Philemon might choose to forgive the debt and welcome Onesimus back, not just as a slave, but as a brother. Paul had apparently led Philemon to the Lord as well, so he and Onesimus were not only brothers in Christ, they had the same spiritual father. Wiersbe pointed out that Onesimus’s conversion didn’t erase his legal standing or the debt he owed under Roman law, but spiritually, he now stood on equal ground with Philemon.

In verse eleven, Paul makes a pun based on Onesimus’s name, which means “useful” or “profitable.” He says that Onesimus was once useless to Philemon, but now has become useful again, both to Philemon and to Paul. It’s a beautiful picture of redemption, and it’s hard not to see the subtle encouragement for Philemon, whose name means “affectionate” or “loving one,” to live up to his own name in this situation.

Paul’s affection for Onesimus is clear. He calls him “my very heart.” He wanted to keep Onesimus with him, something that might not have been strictly illegal under Roman law, but he knew that wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Onesimus had wronged Philemon and needed to take responsibility. And Paul, rather than exercising his authority, chose to send Onesimus back, allowing Philemon to decide freely what to do.

Paul does, however, make it clear that he valued the help Onesimus provided during his imprisonment and even credited that service to Philemon. But he wanted the act of forgiveness to be a willing one. He didn’t want to presume upon their friendship. Since communication was slow and uncertain, Paul sent Onesimus back with this letter, trusting that Philemon would make the right decision.

Paul also raises the possibility that perhaps God was at work in all of this. He doesn’t presume to know God’s plan but suggests that maybe Onesimus’s flight led to his conversion so that he could return not just as a servant, but as a brother in Christ. In God’s hands, even wrong turns and painful events can be used for good. If that’s the case, then Philemon wasn’t just getting back a runaway slave, he was gaining a partner in the gospel.

This kind of relationship between master and slave was unheard of in the Roman Empire. How could a slave be on equal footing with his master? Only in Christ. Both Philemon and Onesimus now served the same Lord and could work together for His glory.

In all of this, we see Paul’s deep love for both men and his confidence in Philemon’s character. He trusted that Philemon would do the right thing, not out of obligation, but out of love. And Paul entrusted this important letter to Onesimus himself, along with Aristarchus, as they returned to Colossae.

Would that we could all be known by the same love, faith, and fellowship that marked Philemon’s life. Praise be to God for His incredible love toward us.