Philemon-Philemon 12-14-Paul's Motivation for Sending Onesimus Back to Philemon
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday April 7, 2013
Philemon: Philemon 12-14-Paul’s Motivation for Sending Onesimus Back to Philemon
Lesson # 7
Please turn in your Bibles to Philemon 1.
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 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. 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. 4 I continue making it a habit of giving thanks to my God always as I myself continue to make it a habit of remembering you during my prayers 5 because I continue to regularly hear about your divine-love as well as your faithfulness, which you continue to regularly demonstrate toward the Lord who is Jesus, which is for the benefit of each and every one of the saints. 6 I make it a habit to pray that the fellowship produced by your faith would cause itself to be manifested as effective because of an experiential knowledge, which produces every type of divine good of intrinsic quality and character, which is in all of us on behalf of Christ. 7 Indeed, I have experienced much joy as well as encouragement because of your divine-love in the sense that the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, spiritual brother. 8 Therefore, even though I possess great confidence because of my authority from Christ to command what is appropriate and obligatory for you, 9 I rather appeal to you on the basis of this divine-love, even though I am the one who is identified as Paul, an elder as well as now in fact, a prisoner, owned by the Christ, who is Jesus. 10 I appeal to you on behalf of my spiritual child whom I became the spiritual father of during my imprisonment Onesimus. 11 The one who was formerly characterized as useless, of no benefit to you but now for your benefit and especially for my benefit, is characterized as useful. (My translation)
Philemon 12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart. (NASB95)
In Philemon 12, the apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of “asyndeton” because He wants Philemon to dwell or meditate upon this statement that Onesimus means a lot to Paul and regards him very highly.
“My very heart” is composed of the following: (1) nominative neuter plural form of the adjective emos (ἐμός), “my very” (2) articular nominative neuter plural form of the noun splagchnon (σπλάγχνον), “heart.”
The noun splagchnon means “affections” referring to the affection for members of the body of Christ and here it refers to Paul’s affection for Onesimus.
This affection is produced by the Holy Spirit in the believer who obeys the command to love his fellow believer as Christ loved Him (John 13:34), thus, it is the direct result of the believer operating in the agape, “divine-love” of God and is an expression of it.
Philemon 12 whom I have sent back to you himself, that is, my very own affections. (My translation)
Paul announces his intention to send Onesimus directly back to Philemon and describes Onesimus as his very own affections, which expresses his deep personal love and affection for Philemon’s runaway slave.
This description would serve to further soften the blow of coming into contact with Onesimus and serve to bring about a reconciliation between the two and assuage any anger Philemon might have towards his slave (Romans 12:10).
Affection is a tender attachment to someone or a fondness for someone.
Outward affection between believers is a badge of discipleship as well since it demonstrates that they are obeying the Lord’s command in John 13:34 to love one another as He has loved them and is a mark and characteristic of Christian fellowship.
When believers outwardly express affection for one another it demonstrates to the world that they belong to Christ.
By Paul telling Philemon that he has a personal love and affection for his runaway slave would make clear to Philemon that it was a difficult decision for Paul to send Onesimus back to him.
It was also painful for Paul to send Onesimus back to his master because Onesimus was rendering valuable service for Paul while he was under house arrest in Rome awaiting his appeal before Caesar as verse 13 indicates.
True to form, Paul puts Philemon’s interests ahead of his own personal interests and comfort, which is an excellent lesson for pastors to follow and all Christians when dealing with each other (Philippians 2:2-4).
Philemon 13 whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel. (NASB95)
This verse indicates Paul did not carry out his desire to keep Onesimus with him but instead merely contemplated this action.
“So that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel” presents the purpose of Paul’s desire to keep Onesimus with him in Rome indicating that he desired to keep Onesimus in Rome with him in order that he could function as Philemon’s substitute or representative.
Philemon 13 whom I myself in contrast to this desire, could almost wish for my own benefit keep with myself in order that on your behalf, he could render service to me during my imprisonment with reference to the proclamation of the gospel. (My translation)
Paul’s statement here in verse 13 makes clear that he deliberated for quite some time as to whether or not he should send Onesimus back to Philemon in the sense that he weighed the consequences of not sending Onesimus back and keeping him and decided to send him back.
The apostle Paul makes clear why he hesitated in sending Onesimus back to Philemon, namely he had great affection for Onesimus since he was the slave’s spiritual father who since his conversion was of great use for him in Rome.
If Philemon was in Rome with Paul he would have rendered helpful service to him but since he could not be in Rome, Paul viewed Onesimus as taking his place or serving Philemon in his place.
Thus, tactfully, the apostle viewed Onesimus’ service as on behalf of Philemon, which would also serve to soften the blow when Onesimus returned to Philemon since Onesimus was doing something productive that would have been pleasing to him.
Paul mentions his circumstances once again to Philemon in order to emphasize with him that his desire to keep Onesimus in Rome with him was not selfish but one that fulfilled a need of his.
He was not living a life of luxury but was suffering undeservedly for the gospel and in fact he was chained to a Roman soldier.
He did not mention these circumstances to “guilt” Philemon into letting Onesimus stay with him but to emphasize it was for a good and noble purpose that he wanted Onesimus with him and fulfilled a great need and was not a selfish desire.
Philemon 14 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. (NASB95)
“Your goodness” is the adjective agathos (ἀγαθός), “goodness” and the personal pronoun su (σύ), “your” and together they mean “your good deed.”
They describe Philemon accepting Onesimus by forgiving him and welcoming him and giving him his freedom to serve Paul in Rome, which is indicated by verse 17, which records Paul telling Philemon that if he considers him a partner, then he should accept Onesimus as he would him.
That this adjective also refers to Philemon giving Onesimus his freedom to serve Paul in Rome is implied here in verses 13-14 since Paul says he wanted to keep Onesimus in Rome with him but did not want to do so without his consent.
Thus he is implying that he would keep Onesimus with him in Rome once he received Philemon’s consent.
Further indicating that agathos refers to Philemon giving Onesimus his freedom to serve Paul in Rome is Paul’s statement in verse 21, in which he expresses his confidence that Philemon will do even more than he has said he should do in this epistle.
The contents of Paul’s statements in verses 12-14 would indicate that this statement in verse 21 is a veiled request for Philemon to release Onesimus to serve him in Rome.
The fact that he said he wouldn’t keep Onesimus in Rome with him unless he first received Philemon’s consent makes clear what Paul wants Philemon to do making his statement in verse 21 a veiled or implied request that Philemon give Onesimus his freedom to serve Paul in Rome.
“By compulsion” is composed of the preposition kata (κατά), “by” and the noun anagkē (ἀνάγκη), “compulsion.”
Together they indicate that Paul chose not to keep Onesimus with him in Rome but instead preferred to do absolutely nothing without Philemon’s consent in order that his good deed would be not as characterized “on the basis of” compulsion.
“Of your own free will” is the adjective hekousios (ἑκούσιος), which means “self-determination” since it refers to free choice of one’s own acts without external compulsion and denotes what is done without compulsion or voluntarily because of the function of one’s own volition.
Thus, Paul wanted Philemon to perform the good deed of welcoming and freeing Onesimus to serve him in Rome on the basis of his own free choice as motivated by the Holy Spirit’s teaching in the Word of God.
Philemon 14 However, I prefer to do absolutely nothing without your consent in order that your good deed would not be as characterized on the basis of compulsion but rather on the basis self-determination. (My translation)
Paul tells Philemon why he is sending Onesimus back to him rather than keep him in Rome with himself.
He wants Philemon to welcome and forgive Onesimus and give him his freedom to serve Paul in Rome on the basis of self-determination rather than ordering him to do so.
Paul wants this good deed to be based upon Philemon’s response to God’s love for him which was demonstrated at the cross of Calvary.
The apostle wants him to perform this good in response to God the Father forgiving him and freeing him from the bondage of sin and Satan through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
If God, because of His love for Philemon, had forgiven him and welcomed him into His family, freeing him from bondage to sin and Satan in order to serve Him, Philemon, because of God’s love, was obligated to forgive Onesimus and welcome him into the fellowship of the church in his home and free him to serve Paul in Rome who was a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Because of God’s love for him, Philemon should respond to God’s love for Him and reflect that love toward Onesimus.
He should willingly forgive and welcome him and give him his freedom to serve Paul in Rome because of what God had done for him out of love through His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Philemon manifested this love in the past to Christians as Paul acknowledged in verses 4-7 and now his Spirit inspired desire is that he would exercise this same love toward his runaway slave, Onesimus.
Thus, if Philemon performs this good deed toward Onesimus it would be divine good of intrinsic quality and character or in other words it would be an action that is divine in quality and character because it is produced by the Holy Spirit.
It would be divine good because it would be in accordance with the Father’s will because it is the result of being influenced by the Spirit.
The Christian is filled with or influenced by the Spirit when they bring their thoughts into obedience to the teaching of the Spirit, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God.
Therefore, these actions are divine in quality and character because the teaching of the Spirit as recorded in the Word is the basis for these actions.
So we can see that in Philemon 14 the Holy Spirit makes clear through the apostle Paul that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and He wants Christian service and love to be voluntary in response to God’s love for them and rather than based upon compulsion.
When this takes place, the good performed by believers towards their fellow Christian and the unsaved becomes divine good of intrinsic quality and character.