Jesus in Philemon

 

 

The Epistle to Philemon along with Colossians, Ephesians, and Philippians are known as the Prison Epistles. This is because they were written by Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, during his first Roman imprisonment (see Acts 28:16-31). It was written sometime between A. D. 60-62. The Epistle to Philemon is described by author Ernest Renan as: "A true little masterpiece in the art of letter-writing." However, Martin Luther, the reformer saw it as a perfect illustration of the doctrine of "imputation." He wrote: "Here we see how St. Paul lays himself out for the poor Onesimus, and with all his means pleads his cause with his master: and so sets himself as if he were Onesimus, and had himself down wrong to Philemon. Even as Christ did for us with God the Father, thus also St. Paul does for Onesimus with Philemon....We are all His Onesimi, to my thinking."  

The epistle is a personal letter from the heart of apostle Paul to a personal friend, Philemon, in Colossae. The primary purpose of this letter is to reveal Christ's love for believers in what He did for us in pleading our case before God as illustrated by Paul's intercession in behalf of Onesimus. One of the most powerful teachings preserved in this letter is the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  The title "Lord" appears five times in the letter. Most of them (if not all of them) points directly to Jesus Christ. As you study Philemon, you will be confronted with the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You would need to ask yourself: "Am I submitting every area of my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Is Jesus really in control of my heart, my will, my emotion, and my intellect?" The Letter also affirms the Deity of Jesus Christ. He is presented as being equal with God the Father in bestowing divine grace and peace on all believers. 

Commentator William Macdonald wrote: "It would be blasphemy to give such honor to Christ if He were not truly and fully God." Philemon shows that Jesus works through like-minded believers in the building of His Church. Also the epistle presents Jesus Christ as the believer's true object of love and faith. It is therefore important for us to see Jesus as He is revealed in Philemon, Lord, truly and fully God, Intercessor, the Builder of the Church, and the believer's true object of love and faith. "Open our eyes, O Gracious Father, we want to see Jesus as Lord, truly and fully God. May we know Him better, and make Him known," is our prayer!

 

Jesus in Philemon

  1. Jesus Christ and His cause are worthy of suffering for (1:1) [Paul counted himself worthy of suffering for Christ and His gospel. He was therefore not ashamed to describe himself as "a prisoner of Christ Jesus.") 
  2. Jesus is the Christ, that is, "the Anointed One, or Messiah" (1:1).
  3. Jesus Christ's will for His chosen servant includes sharing in His sufferings  (1:1).
  4. Jesus Christ works through like-minded believers in building His Church (1:1-2).
  5. Jesus Christ is therefore the Builder of the Church (1:1-2).
  6. Jesus Christ is Lord indeed (1:3).
  7. Jesus Christ is equal with God the Father in bestowing divine grace [i.e. unmerited or undeserved favor] believers (1:3).
  8. Jesus Christ is equal with God the Father in bestowing divine peace on believers (1:3).
  9. Jesus Christ is truly and fully God (1:3).
  10. Jesus Christ is the believer's true object of love (1:5).
  11. Jesus Christ is the believer's true object of faith (1:5).
  12. Jesus' desire for every single believer is his effective sharing or participation in the faith (1:6a).
  13. Jesus' desire is that the sharing of the believer's faith will lead many to acknowledge that all good deeds come from Him and Him alone (1:6b).
  14. Christ's love working through a believer not only brings joy and comfort, but also refreshes the hearts of other believers (1:7).
  15. Jesus' true followers are called saints [Greek: hagious; literally "holy ones." A genuine born-again believer in Jesus Christ does not have to wait till after his death to be declared a "saint" by a special committee here on earth] (1:7).
  16. Jesus Christ is the One in Whom the believer's confidence is rooted (1:8)
  17. Jesus Christ is worthy to give one's life to, even to the point of becoming "His prisoner" ( 1:9).
  18. Jesus Christ is the One Who can change a "useless" life into a "useful" life (1:10-13).
  19. Jesus Christ is the Lord (1:16, 20).
  20. Jesus Christ is the One in Whom the believer's heart is refreshed or revived [Greek: anapauo; give rest, revive, or cheer] (1:20).
  21. Jesus' true follower is characterized by obedience (1:21).
  22. Jesus' true servant is characterized by earnest anticipation of receiving God's answer to his prayers (1:22).
  23. Jesus is worthy of suffering imprisonment for in the cause of advancing His gospel (1:23).
  24. Jesus Christ the Lord is believers' source of grace (1:25).
 

 

Jesus Christ is the central figure in the Bible. He is the focus of all Scripture. To study the Bible without seeing Jesus as He is revealed in the Word of God and knowing Him in a deeper and more intimate way, is a failure of the purpose of true biblical study. We do not merely study the Bible just to get answers or facts. We study the Bible in order to grow in the grace and true, intimate, real, full knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18). As you study the Word, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the Person of Jesus Christ to you. He will be so delighted to do that. This is because His chief work is to glorify Jesus (John 16:14). And what better way to glorify Christ our Lord than to reveal Him to us in our hearts!

 

 

 

 

 

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