Philemon-Philemon 1-3-Paul's Greeting
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday March 10, 2013
Philemon: Philemon 1-3-Paul’s Greeting
Lesson # 4
Please turn in your Bibles to Philemon 1.
This morning we will continue with our study of Paul’s epistle to Philemon by noting the greeting of this letter which appears in verses 1-3.
Philemon 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker. (NASB95)
Philemon 1 From Paul, a prisoner owned by Christ, who is Jesus, along with Timothy, our spiritual brother, to Philemon, who is our dear friend and co-worker. (My translation)
“Paul” is the nominative masculine singular form of the proper name Paulos (Παῦλος), which means, “little.”
The apostle employs this name when writing to Philemon and the church which met in his home rather than Saul since the latter was his Jewish name he used among the Jews whereas Paulos was his name among the Gentiles.
He uses this name since the Lord Jesus Christ authorized him to be the apostle to the Gentiles and the church in Colossae where Philemon lived, was primarily Gentile in race (See Acts 9:15; 22:21; Romans 11:13; 15:16; Galatians 1:15-16; 2:2, 7-9).
“Prisoner of Christ Jesus” refers to Paul’s first Roman imprisonment because of the gospel and Acts 28 indicates that Paul was under house arrest during his first Roman imprisonment while awaiting his appeal before Caesar.
Paul had two Roman imprisonments: (1) A.D. 60-62: Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon (2) A.D. 68: 2 Timothy, Hebrews.
He wrote Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon during his first Roman imprisonment while he was awaiting his appeal before Caesar and he was actually permitted to have his own rented quarters in Rome with a Roman soldier guarding him (See Acts 28).
When Paul states that he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus he is acknowledging the fact that he has been redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ from the slave market of sin and delivered from Satan’s power and authority and is now possessed by Him.
“And Timothy our brother” expresses the fact that Timothy in addition to Paul is sending his greetings to Philemon and the Christians who met in his home indicating that Paul is identifying Timothy as a fellow believer.
“To Philemon” refers to the Christian slave owner and friend of the apostle Paul whose runaway slave Onesimus is the reason for Paul writing this epistle.
“Our beloved brother” expresses the close personal relationship that existed between Paul, Timothy and Philemon and describes Paul and Timothy’s personal love and affection for Philemon indicating that he was a dear friend of these two.
“And fellow worker” describes Philemon as a joint-partner with Paul and Timothy in the advancement of the communication of the Word of God throughout the Roman Empire (cf. Phlp. 1:7).
It denotes that he contributed his time, talent, treasure and truth for the advancement of the communication of the Word of God and for the care of the body of Christ which met in his home.
Just as the Colossians who met in Philemon’s home were to be eyewitnesses of the effects of Paul’s letter since they could testify to Onesimus’ worth, so Timothy was serving as a witness to all that Paul writes and Philemon will do.
Philemon 1 is the only place in Paul’s writings, where he uses this expression “a prisoner owned by Christ, who is Jesus” to describe himself in the salutation of one of his letters, which indicates he was suffering undeservedly for the Lord.
Paul was in bondage to the Roman government as a prisoner of Caesar whereas Onesimus was in bondage to Philemon, and thus is reminding Philemon that he is addressing him as a person in bondage.
Paul employs this expression to remind Philemon that the Lord Jesus Christ is responsible for his imprisonment and that he is a slave to the Lord.
Thus, he is reminding Philemon that like Onesimus who is a slave to him, he, Paul is a slave to the Lord.
Philemon 2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. (NASB95)
Philemon 2 as well as to Apphia, our spiritual sister and in addition, Archippus, our fellow-soldier, also, the church, which is in your private home. (My translation)
“And to Apphia our sister” indicates that in addition to Philemon, Paul is also addressing Apphia as the recipient of this letter who was more than likely Philemon’s wife, though we can’t be sure since Paul does not give us anymore information about her.
However, she did have a close relation to Philemon otherwise Paul would have listed her name after Archippus rather than right after the name Philemon.
If she was Philemon’s wife, then she would have a big part in this situation with Onesimus since according to the custom of the day, the wife had the day-to-day responsibility for the slaves serving in the home and so she would have a great interest in this letter from the apostle Paul.
“And Archippus our fellow soldier” indicates that in addition to Philemon and Apphia, Paul is also addressing this letter to Archippus.
This individual could have been the son of Philemon and Apphia and is more than likely the same individual who Paul mentions in Colossians 4:17 since both Philemon and Colossians were sent to the same location as we noted in our introduction.
If this is the case, then he appears to be the pastor who taught in the home of Philemon since in Colossians 4:17 Paul writes to Archippus to “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” (NASB95)
Paul’s description of Archippus in Philemon 2 as a “fellow soldier” is a further indication that Archippus was a pastor who taught in the home of Philemon since the only other time that sustratiōtēs, “fellow-soldier” appears in the New Testament it is used to describe a pastor.
The word occurs in Philippians 2:25 to describe Epaphroditus who was one of the pastors in Philippi.
“Our fellow soldier” describes Archippus as a soldier of Jesus Christ who fought alongside the apostle Paul, Timothy, Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke during spiritual combat with the kingdom of darkness and thus have endured undeserved suffering and hardship with him as a result as pastors.
“And to the church in your house” indicates that in addition to Philemon, Apphia and Archippus, Paul is also addressing the entire church which met in the home of Philemon, which also makes clear that this epistle was not simply a private letter to Philemon but a public one as well.
Paul addresses the church which met in Philemon’s home along with the pastor of this church in order to encourage this church to participate in Philemon’s decision.
This church was to be an eyewitness of the effects of Paul’s letter since they could testify to Onesimus’ worth.
By addressing all of them together and not just Philemon alone, they are witnesses to all that Paul writes and Philemon will do.
Philemon’s decision and the congregation’s are to be harmony with one another.
There were no church buildings until the third century (cf. Acts 2:40; 5:42; 20:20; Rom. 16:5; I Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15).
The fact that a church met in Philemon’s home not only indicates that he was quite well off financially but also very hospitable and practiced Christian hospitality, which is commanded of every Christian without exception (Romans 12:13).
Philemon 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (NASB95)
Philemon 3 Grace to all of you as well as peace from God our Father as well as the Lord, who is Jesus, who is the Christ. (My translation)
“Grace” refers to the means by which grace might be received, namely through the mind and thinking of Christ, the Word of God, which is inspired by the Spirit of God.
It refers to the Holy Spirit speaking through the communication of the Word of God to the believer’s human spirit or new Christ nature regarding the will of the Father.
In Philemon 3, with this word charis, we have a figure of speech here called metonymy meaning the effect is put for the cause or in other words, the thing effected for the instrument which effects it.
Here grace is put for the Word of God which effects grace.
Therefore, the Spirit of God speaking through the communication of the Word of God to the believer’s human spirit regarding the will of the Father is the means by which grace is received by the believer.
The greeting is more than just that, but rather it is in fact, a Spirit inspired desire that Philemon would respond to his teaching in this epistle regarding the will of the Father for him.
The apostle Paul under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit is appealing to Philemon and the church in his home to respond to his doctrinal teaching in this epistle, which originates from the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Peace” refers to the peace of God that is produced by the Spirit in and among believers when believers obey the commands and prohibitions that He guides Paul in issuing them in this epistle.
“To all of you” refers to all the individuals mentioned in verse 2, which would include Philemon, Apphia, Archippus and the entire church which met in the home of Philemon.
“From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” expresses the fact that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are the source of this grace and peace that are expressed through the instructions in this epistle and appropriated by faith in these instructions resulting in obedience.
Philemon 3 contains not only Paul and Timothy’s greeting to Philemon, Apphia, Archippus and the church which met in the home of Philemon but also it expresses a Spirit inspired desire that Philemon would respond to the contents of this epistle regarding the will of the Father for Philemon and the church in his home.
Notice the word order, “grace” precedes “peace,” which is significant since the sinner cannot experience peace until they have faith in Jesus Christ and appropriate God’s grace that is extended to every believer through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The believer appropriates the grace of God by being obedient to the revelation of the Father’s will that is made known by the Holy Spirit to the believer through the communication of the Word of God by the believer’s divinely ordained pastor-teacher.
The believer’s obedience to the revelation of the Father’s will by the Holy Spirit through the communication of the Word of God will result in the believer experiencing the peace of God in his life.
When Paul uses the expression “grace as well as peace,” he is referring to the fact that what he is writing to Philemon and the church which met in his home in this letter under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit is a revelation of the Father’s will and desire with regards to Philemon and Onesimus.
If this revelation of the Father’s will and desire is obeyed, it will impart blessing to all of them and produce peace in their souls and among them and will also reconcile Philemon to Onesimus.
This letter written by the apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which expresses the Father and the Son’s desire, will reconcile slave and slave master, if Philemon responds to it in obedience.
The Holy Spirit is not mentioned by name in this greeting since He is the one who inspired Paul to write this epistle according to the will of the Father and this was made possible by Paul’s union and identification with Jesus Christ.
This greeting recorded in Philemon 3 is in effect an invasion of the Father and the Son as well as the Spirit into the lives of Philemon and the church which met in his home.
It reveals the immanency of God meaning that God concerns Himself with and intervenes in the lives of men especially those who are Christians.
God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as well as the Holy Spirit are communicating their desire to the recipients of this epistle through the apostle Paul regarding Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus.