The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Philemon 1:4-11, “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,
5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;
6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.
7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,
9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you– since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus–
10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment,
11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.”

One of the chief principles of the Christian faith is the act of forgiveness. Onesimus was the legal slave of Philemon, a wealthy man of serious faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. Onesimus had broken away from his master, and through the providence of God, had come himself to faith in Christ by way of contact with the Apostle Paul. By Roman Law, however, Onesimus was still legally bound to Philemon; thus, Paul writes to Philemon, skillfully apealing to him to treat Onesimus with Christian grace rather than by Roman law.

Not wanting Onesimus to confront Philemon alone, Paul sends him back in the company of Tychicus. At the same time, Paul quite skillfully appeals to Philemon by letter to forgive Onesimus, and adds the thought that Paul himself was planning to viist in the days ahead. The strategy the apostle uses could work well anywhere, and would serve as an excellent formula for any phychology class.

Paul never excuses Onesimus’ running away. Rather, he emphasizes the escapee’s conversion to faith in Jesus Christ, and that Philemon should treat him as a brother. In a basic sense, this short, but pungent epistle, skillfully avoids human law and emphasies heavenly grace – something that should attract all of us.

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be;
Let Thy love, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee!

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above!
(Robert Robinson)

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom