Philemon-Philemon 15-16-Paul Tells Philemon that God's Purpose for Separating Him from Onesimus was to Make Them Spiritual Brothers
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday April 14, 2013
Philemon: Philemon 15-16-Paul Tells Philemon that God’s Purpose for Separating Him from Onesimus was to Make Them Spiritual Brothers
Lesson # 8
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, 12 whom I have sent back to you himself, that is, my very own affections, 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. 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)
Philemon 15 For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever. (NASB95)
“For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while” is emphatic in the sense that it is intensifying and advancing upon Paul’s previous statements in verses 8-14.
Therefore, the intensification and advancement is that Paul goes from telling Philemon his personal reason for sending Onesimus back to him to a more important reason, namely he didn’t want to hinder the will of God.
“Perhaps” is the adverb tacha (τάχα), which is used in relation to Philemon receiving Onesimus back as a spiritual brother.
The word expresses Paul’s respect for Philemon in the sense that he wants Philemon to make this decision for himself to receive his runaway slave back as a spiritual brother.
He is saying with this word that it is up to Philemon if he will receive Onesimus back as a spiritual brother, which in reality he now was.
“For this reason” refers to the immediate following statement which says Philemon could have Onesimus back as a spiritual brother.
Therefore, this indicates that because God sovereignly decided to temporarily allow Onesimus and Philemon to be separated, Philemon could have Onesimus back as his spiritual brother.
“Separated” is the third person singular aorist passive indicative form of the verb chōrizō (χωρίζω), which means “to take away” referring to God taking Onesimus away from Philemon in the sense of sovereignly deciding to permit Onesimus to run away.
“That you would have him back forever” presents God’s purpose in separating Onesimus and Philemon from each other.
“You would have him back” is the verb apechomai (ἀπέχομαι), which means “to receive back” referring to Philemon welcoming Onesimus back to his home as a spiritual brother.
“Forever” is the adjective aiōnios (αἰώνιος), which indicates that Philemon and Onesimus are spiritual brothers forever as a result of the latter becoming a Christian in Rome like the former.
Philemon 15 Indeed, perhaps because of this he was taken away for a brief period of time in order that you would receive him back in person forever. (My translation)
Onesimus’ decision to run away from Philemon and his going to Rome and coming into contact with Paul as well as his decision to exercise faith in Jesus Christ as Savior was in accordance with the divine decree in eternity past.
The “divine decree” refers to the fact that God has rendered certain all the events of the universe, including both angelic and human history-past, present and future.
Therefore, God rendered certain to take place all the circumstances that every human including Onesimus would face in life and thus figured these various circumstances into His plan.
The “providence” of God is the divine outworking of the divine decree, the object being the final manifestation of God’s glory and expresses the fact that the world and our lives are not ruled by chance or fate but by God.
Therefore, all the circumstances that every human being including Onesimus would experience during the course of their lifetime do not happen by chance or fate but because God ordained for them to take place in order to fulfill His plan for their lives and to bring glory to Himself.
God decreed each and every positive and negative decision with respect to His will that Onesimus would make during the course of his lifetime on earth would all take place in time and even those circumstances and decisions, which were contrary to His desires such as running away from Philemon.
The function of Onesimus’ volition and the sovereign will of God co-exist per God’s decree in eternity past.
The relationship between human volition and the sovereign will and purpose of God can be viewed from different perspectives, namely, “permissive” and “directive” will of God.
In relation to eternal salvation, the “directive” will of God refers to what God directly requires of an individual and desires for them, which is to be saved.
His “permissive” will refers to Him “permitting” His creatures to act contrary to what He desires.
Therefore, God permits people to reject His Son even though He desires that they accept Him by faith as their Savior.
With regards to Onesimus, God’s directive will was that Onesimus obey Philemon.
His permissive will permitted Onesimus to run away.
His overruling will was manifested by overruling Onesimus’ bad decision to run by leading him to a place geographically and spiritually where he would see his need and accept Jesus Christ as Savior.
Philemon 16 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. (NASB95)
“No longer as a slave” indicates that since Onesimus has become a Christian, Philemon must never again view him as simply his slave but rather his spiritual brother since they share the same faith in Jesus Christ who is the Lord of both.
“But more than a slave, a beloved brother” presents an emphatic contrast between Philemon viewing Onesimus as merely his slave with his viewing him as more than a slave, namely a beloved spiritual brother.
“Beloved brother” indicates the eternal spiritual relationship that now exists between Onesimus and Philemon as a result of Onesimus exercising faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior.
It indicates that Paul wants Philemon to receive Onesimus no longer as his slave but rather to receive him back with personal love and affection as one would a dear friend.
“Especially to me” indicates that Paul is singling himself out in the sense that he is the spiritual father of Onesimus and Onesimus his spiritual son who has served him during his imprisonment on behalf of the gospel.
“But how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord” is marking a contrast with Paul’s relationship with Onesimus with that of Philemon’s relationship to him now that his slave has become a Christian.
This adversative clause contains the logical argument of a fortiori, which has two parts: (1) The greater (2) The lesser.
What requires a greater degree of effort is used as the basis for showing what requires less effort.
It is a conclusion compared with some other conclusion or recognized fact, as inferred to be even more certain or inescapable than the two conclusions it combines.
A fortiori uses an inferential conclusion as being more conclusive than another reasoned conclusion and is a system of argumentation or debate which takes an accepted fact and by a comparison produces an inescapable fact and confident conclusion.
The logical argument of a fortiori in Philemon 16 argues that if Onesimus is a beloved spiritual brother to Paul who is not Paul’s slave, then he is certainly more than that to Philemon since Onesimus is his slave according to the flesh.
Paul never knew Onesimus as a slave but as a Christian whereas Philemon knew him according to the flesh as his slave.
However, now that Onesimus has become a believer, Philemon’s relationship with his slave has fundamentally changed.
“Both in the flesh and in the Lord” shows the “correlation” and “close connection” between Onesimus’ relationship to Philemon in the human realm as slave and slave master and their new eternal spiritual relationship that they share through faith in Jesus Christ.
It is emphasizing that Philemon possesses a relationship in the human realm and spiritual realm with Onesimus whereas Paul possessed only the latter with Onesimus
“In the flesh” refers to Philemon sharing a human relationship with Onesimus in the sense that the latter was his slave.
“In the Lord” indicates that through faith in Jesus Christ, Philemon and Onesimus now shared a common eternal spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon 16 No longer as a slave but rather, more than a slave, namely a divinely loved spiritual brother, especially for my benefit but how much more, for your benefit, both a human relationship and a relationship with the Lord. (My translation)
Here in verse 16, Paul is reminding Philemon and not informing him (since Philemon and all believers were taught this by Paul; see Galatians 3:22-26) that his relationship to Onesimus has fundamentally changed.
No longer is he to consider Onesimus his slave but more than that, he is to consider him a beloved spiritual brother, which is in fact a reality.
Paul wants Philemon to view his runaway in light of that reality.
Both Philemon and Onesimus are sons of God through faith in the Christ who is Jesus.
They were both the recipients of the baptism of the Spirit which identified them both with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session.
There are now longer any social distinctions between the two because of their shared faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26-28; Colossians 3:9-11).
The fact that Paul writes to Philemon that he should no longer receive Onesimus back as a slave but rather, more than a slave, namely a divinely loved spiritual brother makes clear that the apostle was not telling Philemon to free Onesimus.
Rather, he is affirming this human relationship of slave and slave master but reminding Philemon of this new spiritual relationship that he and his slave now share through faith in Christ.
The apostle is instructing him to view Onesimus from the perspective of this new shared relationship that they now possess with each other as a result of Onesimus becoming a Christian and not merely from the human perspective as his slave.
So in effect Paul is teaching Philemon and the church which met in his home that this new spiritual relationship transcends human relationships whether between a slave and slave owner or man and woman or Jew and Gentile.
There are no racial, social and gender distinctions in the body of Christ since all were saved based upon the merits of the object of their faith, Jesus Christ.
Paul does not attack the institution of slavery by ordering Philemon to free Onesimus.
He never orders Christian masters to free their slaves but treat them justly and fairly.
However, he does infuse a new dynamic into human relationships, namely the identification and union with Jesus Christ that each sinner possesses eternally through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
Also, this union and identification with Christ requires that each believer operate in the love of God toward each other.
Thus, Paul is infusing Christian love into this human relationship between Onesimus and Philemon.
This union and identification with Christ and the function of Christian love will transform this human relationship.
It transformed the master-slave relationship in the Roman Empire in the first century and led to the eventual abolition of this legal institution.
The gospel worked in the conscience of the slave master in the Roman Empire and destroyed the institution of slavery.
