PHILEMON (FIRST READING)
[p. 337] PHILEMON (FIRST READING)
Ques What is the principal feature in this letter?
CAC It is a very precious illustration of the kind of links that marked the brethren in the early days. You see Paul bringing motives to bear which were exemplified in himself. It is a good specimen of a letter of commendation. A letter of commendation often reveals the character of the person who commends as well as the one commended. This shows the spirit in which a true letter of commendation should be written. It thoroughly identifies the writer of the letter with the person who is commended; that, in principle, is what marks a true letter of commendation. The one who writes it identifies himself with the one who bears it. In this case Paul takes pains to clothe Onesimus with all his own worth. Whatever value was attaching to Paul in the mind of Philemon, Paul wraps it round this poor runaway slave; it is very beautiful. Paul does not take anything for granted, he brings the most tender motives to bear on Philemon. He does not assume anything until he gets near the end of his epistle; he says everything he can to invest Onesimus with the worth that attached to himself.
Ques What was his object?
CAC That Onesimus might be received with the most unstinted love; he was not merely to be pardoned for his past delinquencies but received with an overflowing welcome as if he were Paul.
There is an assembly character impressed on this letter as there is on every letter of commendation.
[p. 338] Rem I was struck with Paul saying, “Once unserviceable to thee, but now serviceable to thee and to me”. Onesimus was now serviceable to the testimony.
CAC He was valuable to Paul; the great vessel of the testimony had found value in Onesimus that he would have fain retained but he would not keep him; he would not write and say that he was serviceable to him and so he would keep him! There was a delicacy of spiritual refinement about it all. This is the way in which the brethren are to move together in mutual respect and regard. If you do not respect the brethren you do not love them. There was great respect on the part of Paul to Philemon and touches of delicate affection in the way he appeals to him. Philemon’s house was a place where the assembly was housed; the assembly was in his house. In principle that should be so with us all. The principles that belong to the assembly should be found in our households.
Then what a brother is in the flesh is still retained; we all have a value in the flesh as well as in the Lord. Onesimus had a value in the flesh, whatever it was he did, possibly caring for the horses; he did it in the flesh, and that had its value. He was helpful to Paul as a prisoner. Paul was glad to have those about him who could help in various ways. We should recognise what is of Christ in one another and give full place to it. Paul refers to that in verse 6, “in such sort that thy participation in the faith should become operative in the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in us towards Christ Jesus”. That is how faith becomes operative. The bowels of the saints were refreshed (verse 7); Paul looked for that in verse 20. It is wonderful to be among the saints in such wise that we refresh them inwardly. We might not have thought it necessary in the case of Philemon to go out of the way to serve out so many motives, but loves goes beyond what is necessary. Paul could have said, ‘I am sending back Onesimus, receive him in the Lord’, and that would have served, but Paul goes beyond that, he knows that Philemon will do more than he says; it is an epistle of excess. We find in Scripture the great simplicity with which the spiritual qualifications of the brethren are spoken of; there is no kind of reserve. Paul does not say anything much about Onesimus except that he had begotten him in his bonds and that he was now serviceable, which I understand is a play on his name.
Rem Our assembly exercises must be carried out in the spirit of a brother.
CAC Yes. Onesimus was to go back to Colosse to be an asset. The spirit of a brother would enter into every menial duty he had to perform as a bondman; it would acquire thus a beauty it never had before.
I think the great point is to see how the love of the writer invests Onesimus with great value. What he was to Paul is stressed, the place he had won in Paul’s affections, so that to receive him was to receive Paul.
Ques Has the last verse a bearing on that — “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit”?
CAC That is a very beautiful touch. It is in our spirits that we get away from the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be inwardly with our thoughts and feeling and spirits; this would bring a peaceful condition of soul. It would bring quietness and calmness and we should be unperturbed by influences around.
Ques Is it the thought of possessing it for ever?
CAC I think so, because it is the divine nature and that is eternal. This thought of partnership comes in, “Receive him as me”. Onesimus stands on the same line as the apostle; Paul would clothe him with that in sending him back. It is very much what the Lord has done in His grace. The Lord has done this for every poor sinner that [p. 340] He has begotten; He undertakes his liabilities. The gospel is often preached from this epistle; it is the very essence of the gospel. Onesimus’ liabilities to Philemon were not cancelled by his conversion, and Paul does not tell Philemon that he ought to cancel them, but he says, ‘Put it down to my account’. It is very beautiful. There is nothing we so easily get moved away from as this which is the spirit of the dispensation. On the other hand there is this activity of love which is so refreshing, a going beyond all that is righteously due. When you see a brother or sister doing something in grace that goes beyond what is strictly necessary it is very refreshing. It is the excess that refreshes the bowels of Paul. He says, ‘I want to get something out of you, Philemon; I want you to show an excess of love so that you may refresh my bowels’. It is wonderful if we can do that, if we can refresh the brethren by the way we handle everyday matters. It has in view that those assembly conditions that were found in the house of Philemon were to be enhanced by the return of Onesimus. What an impression of Paul they would get! The saints at Colosse had never seen Paul, but here is a man, warm from the embrace of Paul, come as Paul’s representative. Onesimus stands in the same category as Timothy who was sent to Corinth to put them in mind of Paul’s ways in Christ. He was Paul’s child and in a short time he had acquired the traits of his spiritual father and he is sent to Colosse to put them in mind of Paul. How they would gather round him! He would bring Paul personally into their very midst almost! Letters of commendation sometimes make you wonder whether the person commended is worthy of what is said, but this letter is not like that. If Onesimus brought the spirit of Paul into that assembly at Colosse, that was a great service.
Ques What about verse 19, “that I say not to thee that thou owest even thine own self also to me”?
CAC Philemon was another child of Paul. Paul takes every precaution that there is not a loop-hole for Philemon to get out! That is the thoughtfulness and delicacy of love. This is the only principle on which brethren can walk together — the principle of love and confidence. The root of confidence is that the Lord is carrying on the same work in the brethren that He is doing with you. You know what the Lord is doing in you in spite of the obstacles that you raise, and the Lord is doing the same in the brethren. That gives you confidence. Paul could say even to the Galatians, “I have confidence as to you in the Lord” Galatians 5: 10.
Ques What produces this confidence?
CAC The work of God in our souls enables us to be confident of His work in the brethren. Paul did not move on the line of requirement but of entreaty; that is how things are secured among the brethren, on the line of entreaty. “I... entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ”, and “do ye judge what I say”. He writes in a deferential way. I think that this epistle is very helpful in indicating the way that things should be done. It is not enough to do right things, but to obtain the full value of it things must be done in the right way. Love is the motive. I can see in looking back over my history that I have done right things without having done them in the right way; there is not much satisfaction in that. This particular circumstance in Paul’s history is a sample of what Paul was going on with every day. Paul did not do one thing one day and something else the next. This is a sample of how Paul carried himself amongst the brethren.