Philemon 1:8 - Meaning and Application

Here Paul gets to the main reason for the letter. He is pleading with Philemon to receive Onesimus and be reconciled to him. Paul then gives several reasons for this appeal in Philemon 1:8-21.

His first reason comes from what he has already said. Since so much good had been reported about Philemon, especially his love for all the saints, Paul asks him to show that love again in this new situation. He wants Philemon to refresh Onesimus’s heart, and his own as well, by forgiving and receiving him. A person who already has a habit of doing good should be ready to keep doing it as new needs arise. We should not grow tired of doing good, but go on as new opportunities come.

Paul’s second reason comes from his own authority as an apostle. He says he could be very bold in Christ and command Philemon to do what was right. The apostles had real authority under Christ in the church, for the good of the whole body. Still, Paul chooses not to use command here. Ministers should use wisdom in how they exercise authority. They should not press their power in a harsh or untimely way, but use it with godly judgment.

That leads to a third reason, Paul’s choice to appeal from love rather than command by authority. He says, “For love’s sake I rather ask you.” It is no shame for a person with authority to be gentle and to ask humbly when the matter allows it. Paul does this even though he is an apostle. Love often has more power to persuade than bare authority.

A fourth reason is tied to Paul’s own condition. He describes himself as “Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.” Older people should be shown respect, and the requests of an aged servant of Christ should be heard carefully. Paul is, in effect, saying that if Philemon will comfort an old prisoner and make his chains lighter, he should grant this request. Honoring such a servant of Christ is, in a real sense, honoring Christ himself.

Paul then gives a fifth reason from the new spiritual bond between him and Onesimus. He calls Onesimus “my son, whom I have begotten in my bonds.” In civil terms Onesimus was still Philemon’s servant, but in a spiritual sense he was now Paul’s son because Paul had been the tool God used to bring him to faith. God often comforts his suffering servants in this way. While they suffer, he uses them to bring good to others, even new conversions.

Paul stresses this by saying, “my son, whom I have begotten in my bonds.” Onesimus was dear to Paul, and Paul hoped he would be dear to Philemon too. Prison blessings are sweet blessings. God’s servants may be bound, but his word and Spirit are not bound. Even in prison, spiritual children can be born.

A sixth reason comes from Philemon’s own interest. Paul says that Onesimus once was useless to Philemon, but now he is useful both to him and to Paul. Unsaved people are, in the deepest sense, unprofitable. They do not meet the great purpose of their lives and relations. Grace changes that. Onesimus had once been unprofitable, but now he was fitted to be useful, and would be useful to Philemon if he were received back. Paul even seems to echo the meaning of Onesimus’s name, which means “useful” or “profitable.” Now his life would match his name.

Paul also speaks very tenderly about Onesimus’s past. Onesimus had wronged his master and run away, but Paul does not rub that sin in. Just as God forgives repentant sinners and does not keep throwing their sins back at them, so people should act with mercy too. Paul is not saying Onesimus’s sin was small. He is saying that Onesimus had been humbled for it, and Paul does not want to crush him further. So he speaks gently while asking Philemon to forgive him.

Conversion brings a blessed change. It turns what was harmful into something useful. Religious servants are a real treasure in a household. They become careful with their time and faithful with what is entrusted to them, and they work for the good of those they serve. So Paul’s point is clear, it will now be to Philemon’s advantage to receive Onesimus, because he has been changed and can now be a faithful servant.

Paul’s seventh reason is his deep affection for Onesimus. He says, “Receive him, that is, my own heart.” Paul loved Onesimus so much that sending him back was painful, but he did it so Philemon would receive him. He asks Philemon to receive Onesimus for Paul’s sake, as one so dear to him. Even good people sometimes need strong urging to lay aside anger and forgive those who have hurt them. Paul’s many pleas show how much he wanted Philemon to move toward mercy and reconciliation.

Paul’s eighth argument comes from his own self-denial in sending Onesimus back. Paul could have kept him longer, because Onesimus was useful to him in prison, but he would not do it without Philemon’s consent (Philemon 1:13-14). Paul needed help while he was in prison, and Onesimus was fit and willing to serve him. Still, Paul chose to send him back so that any kindness from Philemon would be given freely, not under pressure.

This shows that good deeds are most pleasing to God and people when they are done willingly. It also shows that Paul, even as an apostle, respected civil rights. Christianity does not cancel ordinary rights and duties, it confirms and strengthens them. Onesimus was Philemon’s servant, so Paul would not keep him without his master’s permission. Onesimus had once wronged his master by running away, but now that he had repented, he was willing to return to his duty, and Paul would not stop that.

Paul then adds a ninth argument, namely that Onesimus had changed so much that Philemon need not fear losing him again or being harmed by him again. Paul says, “Perhaps he departed for a season so that you might receive him forever” (Philemon 1:15). Some people are so harmful that, if you help them, you may have to help them again and again (Proverbs 19:19). But Paul hopes Onesimus is different now, and that his change is real and lasting. He speaks carefully here so no one would use this as an excuse to try the same thing in hope of a happy outcome.

We should notice two things. First, ministers must speak carefully about things that could be twisted into an excuse for sin. God’s kindness to sinners must never be used to weaken hatred for sin. Second, Paul speaks tenderly about Onesimus’s past. He calls it a departure for a season instead of using harsher words. He does not lessen the evil of the act itself, but he speaks of the repentant man as God now covers him.

Paul’s point is that Onesimus can now return as a faithful servant for the rest of his life. The old pattern of folly is not what grace produces in true repentance. God can bring a good ending out of a very wicked beginning. He can turn a poor, lowly slave, one who had done wrong and run from a godly home and the means of grace, into a man who is saved and useful. Onesimus had fled from the church in Philemon’s house, yet now he had found the way of salvation. What riches there are in God’s grace. No one is so low, so unworthy, or so bad that we should give up on them.

Paul says this change means Onesimus should be received in a new way, which is his tenth argument (Philemon 1:16). “No longer as a servant,” he says, “but more than a servant, a beloved brother.” Philemon should own him as a brother in Christ and love him as such. Because of this holy change, Onesimus would now be more useful, and in a better way. He would care for the good of Philemon’s house, help the church in his home, and serve from a better heart.

There is a spiritual brotherhood among all true believers, even when they differ in social rank or outward standing. They are all children of the same heavenly Father and share the same spiritual gifts and privileges. So they must love one another and do good to one another as brothers. Yet Christianity does not erase civil duties or confuse different callings. It makes those duties stronger and helps people do them rightly.

Religious servants are more than ordinary servants, because they have grace in their hearts and have found favor with God. David said, “My eyes are on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. The one who walks in a blameless way will serve me” (Psalm 101:6). So Philemon should receive Onesimus as one who shares the same faith, a brother beloved, especially to Paul, who had been used in Onesimus’s conversion. Good ministers care less about what believers give them outwardly than about the spiritual good they help them receive.

Paul calls Onesimus his own heart and speaks of other converts as his joy and crown. He says Onesimus is a beloved brother, especially to him, but even more so to Philemon, both in human terms and in the Lord. That gives Philemon a double reason to receive him gladly, because Onesimus is both his servant and his brother in Christ. He belongs to God and to Philemon, and there are now more ties than ever holding him to faithful service.

This leads to Paul’s eleventh argument, from the fellowship of believers. “If you count me as a partner,” he says, “receive him as you would receive me” (Philemon 1:17). There is a true fellowship among saints. They belong to one another in Christ, and they should act that way in love and kindness.

“Now show your love to me, and the place I have in your heart, by loving and receiving one who is so dear to me, even as you would receive me myself. Treat him as you would treat me, with the same ready and genuine affection, even if it may not be equal in degree.”

But why does Paul show such concern and earnestness for a servant, a slave, and one who had behaved badly? The answer is that Onesimus, now repentant, needed encouragement. Paul wanted to steady him against the fear of going back to a master he had wronged, keep him from sinking into despair, and strengthen him for his duty. Wise and faithful ministers will care deeply for new converts, encouraging them in every way they can to do what is right.

An objection might be raised: Onesimus had not only offended Philemon, he had also wronged him and taken from him. Paul answers that too, and this makes a twelfth argument, a promise of payment to Philemon: “If he has wronged you, or owes you anything” (Philemon 1:18-19). This is not a doubtful “if,” but one of agreement, as if to say, since he has wronged you and become indebted to you. True repentant people will honestly own their faults, as Onesimus had surely done to Paul when he was awakened and brought to repentance. This is especially necessary when the wrong was done to another person.

Paul also promises to make things right: “Put that on my account. I, Paul, have written it with my own hand. I will repay it.” This shows that Christian fellowship does not erase ordinary rights of ownership. Onesimus, though now converted and a beloved brother, was still Philemon’s servant, and he still owed for the harm he had done. That debt could be canceled only by free forgiveness or by repair made by himself, or by someone else acting for him, and Paul is willing to take that part if needed.

Suretyship, or taking responsibility for another person’s debt, is not wrong in every case. In some cases it is a good and merciful thing. But a person must know both the person and the situation. Do not become surety for a stranger (Proverbs 11:15), and do not go beyond what you can bear. You may help a friend as far as justice and wisdom allow. How thankful we should be that Christ became the surety of a better covenant, the one who took responsibility for us (Hebrews 7:22), and was made sin for us though he knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Paul’s promise was also written down. Formal written security, as well as spoken promise, may be required and given. People die, and words can be forgotten or misunderstood. Writing better preserves both rights and peace, and godly people have used it in every age (Jeremiah 32:9; Luke 16:5-7). It was a great act of love for Paul, who lived on gifts from others, to promise to make up all the loss caused by a bad servant. By this he showed his deep love for Onesimus and his full confidence in the sincerity of his conversion. He may also have hoped that, even after this generous offer, Philemon would not insist on payment, but would freely forgive everything.

Paul also gives a third reason, one based on the bond between them: “I do not even need to remind you that you owe me your very self.” Modesty in praising oneself is true praise. Paul gently points to the benefits he had given Philemon. In effect, he says, “Whatever grace you have with God, and whatever comfort you now enjoy, under God you owe to my ministry. I was the instrument God used to do spiritual good to you. How much you owe me for that, I leave you to consider.” To forgive a money debt to a poor repentant man for Paul’s sake, especially since Paul now takes the debt upon himself, is not so great a thing when compared with that larger debt.

See how strong the affection can be between ministers and those whose conversion or growth God has blessed through their efforts. Paul said to the Galatians that, if it had been possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to him (Galatians 4:15). He also called them his children, for whom he was again in labor until Christ was formed in them, meaning until Christ’s likeness was more fully shown in them. In the same way, he says in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, “We were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”

By way of comparison, this can help us understand Christ’s work for us. We had turned away from God, and by sin we had wronged him. But Christ undertook to make satisfaction, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. “If the sinner owes you anything, put it on my account, and I will pay the debt. Let his guilt be laid on me, and I will bear the punishment.”

Paul adds a thirteenth argument from the joy and comfort he himself would receive from Philemon’s obedience, as well as from Onesimus’s restoration, in this fitting fruit of Philemon’s faith. “Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord” (Philemon 1:20). Philemon was Paul’s son in the faith, yet Paul pleads with him as a brother. Onesimus was a poor slave, yet Paul pleads for him as though he were asking for something great for himself.

How moving Paul is here. “Yes, brother,” or “O my brother,” is a word of desire. “Let me have joy from you in the Lord. You know I am now a prisoner for the Lord, suffering for his sake, and I need all the comfort and support my friends in Christ can give me. This will bring me joy. I will have joy from you in the Lord, as I see a true sign of your Christian faith and love, and as Onesimus is relieved and encouraged.”

Christians should do what brings joy to one another, both people and ministers toward each other. From the world they expect trouble, so where else should they look for comfort and joy but in one another? The fruit of faith and obedience in believers is a minister’s greatest joy, especially when it shows love to Christ and to his people, forgiving wrongs, showing mercy, and being kind as their heavenly Father is kind. “Refresh my heart in the Lord” means, “Let me have this comfort for Christ’s honor, not for any selfish reason.” The Lord’s honor and service should be a Christian’s chief aim in everything. And it is food and drink to a good minister to see people eager to do what is good, especially in acts of generosity and mercy, such as forgiving injuries and giving up some of what is rightly theirs.

Paul’s last argument rests on the good hope he has for Philemon. He says, “Having confidence in your obedience, I wrote to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say” (Philemon 1:21). Good thoughts about people often move them more strongly to do what is asked of them. Paul knew Philemon was a good man, so he believed he would be ready to do good, and do it generously, not grudgingly.

That is the mark of a truly good person, they are ready for good works and rich in them. Isaiah says, “The noble man plans noble things” (Isaiah 32:8). The Macedonians first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to the apostles by God’s will, ready to use what they had for good as opportunities came. So Paul brings the main body of the letter to a close.

He then turns to the conclusion and expresses hope of release through prayer, with the expectation that he may soon see them. He asks Philemon to make room for him: “Prepare a guest room for me, because I trust that through your prayers I will be given to you” (Philemon 1:22). By saying this, he may also be encouraging Philemon, as if to say that he hoped to come and see the result of his letter.

The request is simple: prepare a lodging, which includes all the needs of a guest. Paul expects to stay with Philemon as a welcome visitor. Hospitality is a great Christian duty, especially among ministers and toward ministers, such as Paul, who had suffered so much for Christ and the gospel. It is an honorable thing to care for such a person. Paul uses the same kind of honor for Gaius, calling him “my host” and “host of the whole church” (Romans 16:23). He also remembered Onesiphorus warmly because he often refreshed him and was not ashamed of his chains (2 Timothy 1:16, 2 Timothy 1:18).

Paul gives the ground for his request: “I trust that through your prayers I will be given to you” (Philemon 1:22). He did not know how God would deal with him, but he had often seen the value of prayer and hoped for the same help again. Our life, freedom, and ability to serve depend on God, and everything comes by his will. When we are lacking these blessings, or any others, our hope must stay in God while the matter is still unsettled.

At the same time, hope must use means, especially prayer, even if no other help is available. Prayer has opened heaven and prison doors. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” People should pray for ministers, especially when they are in danger or distress. Ministers need those prayers and ask for them. Paul, though an apostle, often asked for prayer, as in Romans 15:30, 2 Corinthians 1:11, Ephesians 6:18, Ephesians 6:19, and 1 Thessalonians 5:25.

Prayer does obtain blessings, but it does not earn them. What comes is still God’s gift and Christ’s purchase. Paul says, in effect, “I will be freely given to you” through your prayers. God still wants his gifts to be sought, so that mercy is valued more, its source is known, and he receives the praise. Ministers’ lives and work are for the good of the people. God gave gifts to men, including apostles, pastors, and teachers, for the church’s benefit (Ephesians 4:8, Ephesians 4:11, Ephesians 4:12). All things are theirs in Christ, even Apollos and Cephas (1 Corinthians 3:21, 1 Corinthians 3:22).

When people pray for faithful ministers, they are really praying for themselves. Paul means, “I trust I will be given to you for your service, comfort, and growth in Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:15). His humility is also clear, because he speaks of his possible release as coming through their prayers. He does this partly because he thinks highly of the prayers of many and of God’s care for praying people.

Paul then sends greetings from one fellow prisoner and four fellow workers (Philemon 1:23, Philemon 1:24). Greetings are a wish for health and peace. Christianity is no enemy to courtesy, but rather teaches it (1 Peter 3:8). Such greetings are simple signs of love and respect, and they help keep love alive.

“Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus,” sends greetings. Epaphras was from Colosse, so he was likely a neighbor and fellow citizen of Philemon. He seems to have been an evangelist who worked among the Colossians, perhaps even the first to bring them the gospel. Paul had called him “our dear fellow servant” and “a faithful minister of Christ” for them (Colossians 1:7). He also described him as one who always labored for them in prayer (Colossians 4:12, Colossians 4:13).

Epaphras was a very worthy man. He was at Rome, perhaps with Paul, sharing in the same work of preaching the gospel, and he was also shut up in the same prison for the same cause. They were both prisoners in Christ Jesus, meaning their suffering came not from any crime, but from faith in Christ and service to him. It is an honor to suffer shame for Christ’s name.

Paul mentions Epaphras as both a glory to him and a comfort to himself. His imprisonment was painful, because it limited his work. Yet God’s providence had ordered matters so they suffered together, which gave them the comfort of shared prayers and perhaps mutual help in some things. In this way, God sometimes lessens the sufferings of his servants through the fellowship of believers. They often find their deepest comfort in each other when they suffer for God. Paul and Silas found this too, when their feet were fast in the stocks, yet their tongues were free and their hearts rose in praise to God.

Then Paul names Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, his fellow workers. Mentioning them also strengthens the request in a quiet way. It would look poor to refuse such a request when so many worthy names are tied to it, at least most of them. Marcus was Barnabas’s cousin and the son of Mary, who was hospitable to the saints in Jerusalem and whose house was a meeting place for prayer and worship (Colossians 4:10, Acts 12:12).

Though Paul may have found some fault in Mark when they first parted, Mark later went on with Barnabas and stayed faithful in the work. Here, Paul and Mark are clearly reconciled, and their old differences are forgotten (2 Timothy 4:11). Paul asks for Mark to be brought to him, because he is useful to me for the ministry, meaning the work of an evangelist, someone who proclaims the gospel.

Aristarchus is mentioned with Mark (Colossians 4:10), and there Paul calls him his fellow prisoner. Paul also says there that Mark, Barnabas’s sister’s son, had already received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him. That shows Paul himself had accepted Mark again and made peace with him. Next is Demas, who so far seems to have shown no fault, though Paul later says he deserted him because he loved this present world (2 Timothy 4:10). But Scripture does not say how complete that desertion was, whether he left his work and faith entirely or only in part, or whether he later repented and returned. No shame is attached to him here, and he is joined with others who were faithful, as he is also in Colossians 4:14.

Luke is the last one named, that beloved physician and evangelist, who came to Rome and stayed with Paul as a companion (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11). He was Paul’s close partner in his greatest dangers and his fellow worker. The ministry is not about comfort or pleasure, but about hard work, and anyone idle in it does not answer his calling. Christ tells his disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers, not loafers, into his harvest (Matthew 9:38). And the people are told to know those who labor among them and lead them in the Lord, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).

“My fellow workers,” says the apostle. Ministers must work together for the truth. They serve the same Lord, in the same holy task and office, and they look for the same glorious reward. For that reason, they should help one another in advancing the interest of their great and common Master. Thus the salutations end, and then comes the apostle’s closing prayer and blessing (Philemon 1:25).

Notice what he asks for, grace, the free favor and love of God, along with the good fruit and effects that come from it, for soul and body, for time and eternity. Grace is the best wish we can pray for ourselves and others. Paul begins and ends with it. Notice also from whom it comes, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, Lord by natural right, through whom and for whom all things were created (Colossians 1:16; John 1:1-3), and who is heir of all things. As God and man, and as Mediator, the one who brings God and people together, he bought us and was given to us by the Father.

Jesus means Savior (Matthew 1:21). We were lost and ruined, and he restores us and repairs the damage. He saves by merit, by earning pardon and life for us, and by power, by rescuing us from sin, Satan, and hell, renewing us to be like God, and bringing us to enjoy him. So he is Jesus. And he is Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, set apart and fitted to be king, priest, and prophet for his church. Under the law, those offices were marked by anointing with oil, and the Savior was spiritually anointed with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). In him alone are all these offices joined in full measure. He was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows (Psalm 45:7).

This Lord Jesus Christ is ours by our original claim to him, by the gospel’s offer and gift, by his purchase of us, and by our own receiving of him, giving ourselves to him, and being united to him in a living way. “Our Lord Jesus Christ.” All grace comes to us from Christ. He bought it, and he gives it. From his fullness we all receive, grace upon grace (John 1:16). He fills everything in every way (Ephesians 1:23).

Notice also to whom this blessing is directed: your spirit, meaning not Philemon only, but all who were named in the greeting. “With your spirit” means with you, since the soul or spirit is the first place where grace works, and from there it affects the whole person and shows itself in holy actions. All those saluted in the household are included in the closing blessing, to remind and stir them all to seek the purpose of the letter.

Amen is added, not only as a strong and heartfelt way of ending the prayer, meaning, “so let it be,” but also as an act of faith that it will be heard, meaning, “so it shall be.” What more do we need to make us happy than this?