10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I
have begotten in my bonds:
11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
12 Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels...
18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;
19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I
do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
Paul writes a letter to Philemon, urging him to take the runaway slave,
Onesimus, back. In those days, a runaway slave could be lawfully killed by his master.
Onesimus ran away and ended up in Rome, where he met up with Paul and was
converted. Previously he was a useless slave, but now being a new creation in Christ, he
became useful to Paul. That is what the Gospel can do: it changes a person completely and
he is a new creation.
It could be that Paul said to Onesimus that he must go back to his own master,
Philemon, but he was afraid, knowing that the death penalty could await him. But Paul knew
Onesimus won't have peace as long as this matter is not sorted out. This barrier had to be
broken down. Likewise, no sin must be left unsettled. Running away from your problems will
not solve your problems. One day before the jugdement seat you will still have to face
those unsettled sins.
Paul especially writes the letter with his own hand, telling Philemon that
Onesimus is no longer just a slave, but he must be accepted as a brother in Christ. The
barriers that previously existed between them, are now broken down and removed. The Gospel
breaks down all barriers, between Jew and Greek, between man and woman, slave and free,
rich and poor, black and white. In Christ there is no difference anymore, we are all one
in Christ.
Col 3:5-11
5 ¶ Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 ¶ But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of
him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian,
Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
The barriers between us and God must also be removed, and we must kill the
members which are upon the earth. We must put off the old man and put on the new man. If a
man buys a piece of land and plans a building, he first breaks the old building down,
before building a new high rise building. He doesn't build the new building on the old
foundations. He paid for the land and owns it. Likewise, we have been purchased by Christ
and all the old things must be removed, all sin and earthly members killed, and He makes
us completely new.
