Gospel Implications from Philemon by Christina Fox for Core Christianity
I shy away from awkward and difficult conversations. Whether it’s dealing with conflict, having to admit my own sin, or even just standing up for something that’s true and right, I’d rather do anything else. I prefer to pretend there’s no problem—to ignore it and move on.
Let’s be honest, I prefer life to be comfortable and conflict free.
But life in a fallen world isn’t comfortable, is it? It’s complicated and messy, filled with awkward situations and difficult circumstances. The path of life is not smooth, but filled with potholes, bumps, and obstacles. This is especially so because we don’t live on isolated islands. We were created to live life with other people. But because we’re all sinners, our sin intersects with other people’s sin and sparks fly. We want to be right and have the last say. We let each other down. We hurt one another in the things we say or do. Indeed, it’s a wonder we’ve made it this far in history!
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We would all be a hopeless mess if it weren’t for the gospel.
Philemon is a little book, one easily overlooked when flipping through the pages of the Bible. Yet, while small—one chapter containing twenty-five verses—it’s profoundly practical, filled with gospel implications for the Christian life. Philemon helps us see how the gospel remakes us, how it transforms all of life, and then how it shapes our interactions and relationships with others.
In Philemon, the apostle Paul handles a complicated situation through the lens of the gospel. The letter concerns a young man named Onesimus, a slave who has run away from his master, Philemon. At some point, Onesimus met Paul, heard the gospel, and came to faith in Christ. Paul intervenes on his behalf by writing a letter to Philemon, asking him to accept Onesimus back—not as a slave, but as a brother.
I think we can observe three gospel implications in Philemon:
1. The gospel changes our identity.
What’s interesting about Paul’s letter to Philemon is how he refers to Onesimus’s name in verse 11: “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.” The name Onesimus in Greek means “useful” or “beneficial.” F.F. Bruce points out that it was common to give slaves a name like this in the hopes that they might perform up to that name.[1]
Paul makes a play on words. Before Onesimus came to faith in Christ, he was useless. How so? From Philemon’s perspective, Onesimus wasn’t trustworthy. He was a thief and a runaway, and according to Roman law, Philemon could punish him for this theft.
