The Contribution Of Philemon
THE CONTRIBUTION OF PHILEMON
This little letter does not expound major doctrinal themes, but it has something important to say in the realm of personal relationships. In the first century slavery was an accepted part of the order of life. No one thought of abolishing it. And a slave could be considered a living tool, not a person. But when Paul urges Philemon to receive Onesimus "no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother” and goes on to speak of him "both as a man and as a brother in the Lord” (Phlm. 16), he makes slavery meaningless. Paul does not appeal to Philemon to take action on such grounds as compassion or private concern (important as these undoubtedly are), but on the basis of love (Phlm. 9), the outworking of the gospel. Paul could say that each person should "retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him,” that the slave is "the Lord’s freedman” (1 Cor. 7:17, 22), and that in Christ there is "neither...slave nor free” (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11). In Philemon we see what that meant in practice. 4 Paul is saying something of permanent significance about the way Christians live in the society of which they are members. 5 This little letter also sheds light on the character of Paul. The apostle has received criticism in some quarters: he is seen as a hard-liner, intolerant of those who differed from him and rigorous in enforcing conformity to his arbitrary standards. It is good to have this glimpse of a compassionate man, pleading for a runaway slave and ready to pay the cost. It tells us something of his attitude to Philemon, too, and the manner in which he could open up the way for his friend to be magnanimous.