Author: Charlie Garrett

Friday, 13 July 2018

Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, Philemon 1:8

The word “Therefore” is based on what Paul has said in verses 4-7. He has reminded Philemon about his conduct before the Lord, and he has used it as a point of leverage for what he personally desires from Philemon going forward from here. The words of this verse and onward constitute the heart of what is on Paul’s mind, and thus the main subject of the letter. There will be a request made of Philemon, but it could be otherwise. This is seen in Paul’s next words, beginning with, “though I might be very bold.”

Paul has been gracious with his words concerning Philemon thus far. He will be humble in his request going forward also. However, he could be bold instead, meaning more direct and forceful. And further, he would be in his right to do so because his boldness would be “in Christ.”

He and Philemon are brothers in Christ (verse 7), and there is a matter of extreme importance to Paul which Philemon would be unbrotherly to refuse. This is so much so that Paul could be so bold toward Philemon, as he says, “to command you what is fitting.”

What he means is that what he will merely ask for, and that in humility, is something that he could rightfully direct Philemon to do because it is what is right and proper. When an employer has a job to be done, he doesn’t need to ask his employees to do it. Rather, he could simply direct it to be accomplished. However, some employers use a more subtle and gracious tone with their employees. Though they have a right to command, they instead use words which are less forceful. This is what Paul is doing here.

Paul has carefully and methodically built up his case for requesting this great thing of Philemon. He has then shown that he could simply tell him to do it and, as a brother in Christ, he would not be acting according to Christian values to turn Paul down. From here, Paul will lay out his request, anticipating Philemon will do what is right based on the request, without being forced to accomplish the thing he is being asked to do.

Life application: If you go to a fellow Christian, a minister, or a pastor, and you ask what path you should take, be ready to do what they say if it is what is proper in Christ. It is wholly inappropriate to ask for godly counsel, and then reject that counsel when it doesn’t suit your desires. This is what the people of Israel did. They went to Jeremiah and asked for the word of the Lord, saying they would obey whatever word came back to them. However, when the Lord directed them according to their request, they rejected His word. The Lord’s response was, “For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ ²¹ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, or anything which He has sent you by me” (Jeremiah 42:20, 21). To reject what is right in Christ is to reject the word of the Lord. The people of Israel were judged and punished for their unfaithful stand in this regard.

Heavenly Father, help us to stand on Your word, and to not reject what it says when it is inconvenient or doesn’t suit our personal desires. What You have spoken is not left for us to pick and choose whether we will obey or not. It is given for the guidance of our lives in Your presence. May we keep it in context and, if that context directs us, may we act accordingly – to Your glory. Amen.

Thursday, 12 July 2018

For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. Philemon 1:7

Here we continue with the parallelistic structure which started in verse 4. It was noted in the previous verse that verse 4 was connected to verse 6. The same is true with verse 5 being connected to verse 7. Thus, there is an a/b/a/b pattern evident –

a. 4. I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,
b. 6. that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

a. 5. hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,
b. 7. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Seeing this pattern, the word “For” which begins verse 7 becomes apparent. It is based on the “hearing of your love…” Paul acknowledges that now by saying that it is the reason “we have great joy and consolation in your love.” It should be noted that some manuscripts say “I” instead of “we.” This would make sense based on the “I” which began verse 4, but there is also no reason to assume that the singular in verse 4 is not now converted to the plural here to include Timothy. Either way, nothing is lost in doctrine.

The important thing is that the love which Philemon displayed is what has stirred up the “great joy and consolation.” This is, again, Paul’s way of continuing to lead Philemon in making a favorable decision when presented with Paul’s request. If there is such great joy and consolation at what he has already done, how much more joy and consolation there will be when he follows through with Paul’s request!

Next, he says, “because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you.” This then is tied to where Philemon’s love was directed in verse 5. It was toward “all the saints.” Philemon’s love toward the saints in turn refreshed those same saints. The word “refresh” signifies “rest after the needed task is complete; to pause (rest) ‘after precious toil and care’” (HELPS Word Studies). Thus, Philemon’s love was directed to saints whose hearts were burdened in their labors in Christ, and Philemon was able to provide them with rest from their labors.

Paul will use this same word again in verse 20 concerning a need for the same rest in his own weary heart in regards to Philemon. Again, it is Paul’s masterful way of making it impossible for Philemon to turned down his request. Philemon had become well known for refreshing the hearts of the saints, and Paul – whom Philemon was indebted to – would ask the same for himself. How could Philemon turn him down!

Paul then finishes with, “brother.” Its placement at the end adds in an emphasis. No more touching word could have been added in to soften the heart of Philemon. Its placement is an immense act of persuasion for that which is forthcoming. Philemon is indebted to Paul (see verse 19), something which would place Paul in the stronger position in his discourse, and yet the use of the term “brother” brings them to equality once again. Paul’s words are so carefully woven together that Philemon would be a heartless soul indeed to not fully comply with what will be requested of him.

Life application: We may be over another Christian in employment, they may owe us money, there may be a great age difference between one another, etc., however, in Christ we are all on the same level when it comes to our position in Him. It would be good for us to remember this, and to never lord our earthly status over another believer. Humility is a trait that is sought out for by the Lord when He evaluates the hearts of His people.

Lord God, help us to be humble before our fellow believers, not exalting ourselves over them because of our position, wealth, age, or whatever other worldly status we may possess. Rather, help us to serve, just as Christ came to serve. Help us to act in humility and with respect to those who are our spiritual brothers in Christ. To Your glory we pray for softened hearts, willing to exalt others. Amen.

Wednesday, 11 July 2018

…that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. Philemon 1:6

Paul’s words here are tied into what he said in verse 4. He said he was “making mention of you always in my prayers.” This was so “that the sharing of your faith may become effective.” The word he uses, which is translated as “sharing,” is koinónia. It signifies participation, communion, and fellowship. It is “what is shared in common as the basis of fellowship” (HELPS Word Studies). As his words are tied into verse 4, and as the next verse will be tied in with verse 5, there is a parallelistic structure to these verses. This will be seen when we arrive at verse 7.

For now, Paul is praying for an outward display of the fruits of Philemon’s faith, thus he will have demonstrated an effective (an active and energetic) faith. Understanding this, Paul is praying about what he hopes will be the character of Philemon concerning his actions as they are directed towards what Paul hopes he will do in regards to the issue that lies ahead in the epistle. One can see that the issue ahead is something important to Paul, and he is therefore praying that a positive response will be forthcoming from Philemon.

Paul then says that this demonstration of the fruits of his faith will be “by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” The words, “by the acknowledgment,” are an indication of the actual existence of his faith. He has faith; in sharing that faith, he is showing that his faith is genuine.

The words “every good thing which is in you,” speak of an outwardly revealing of his faith. It is an expression of the faith that he possesses, and which acknowledges that he possesses it, and is now demonstrating it.

And finally, “in Christ Jesus” signifies that the faith is not a misdirected faith, but one which is based on the foundation of the faith, Jesus Christ. He is the basis for the faith; and therefore, Paul is praying that Philemon will exhibit an outward display of his faith, thus acknowledging that his faith is genuine, developed, and willing to go to the lengths necessary to meet the request that lays ahead in Paul’s letter.

Obviously, if Paul is writing this, and Philemon were not to follow through with the request Paul then makes, it would be an indication that his faith had not met the standard which Paul speaks of here. Paul is delicately leading Philemon to the point where he can hardly say “No” to the request which Paul will make.

Life application: Paul is directing his words in a very careful manner in order to elicit the desired outcome from Philemon. He is not manipulating him, because everything he says is in accord with what one would expect from a Christian. But he is making it exceedingly hard for Philemon to turn down the request that is forthcoming. One should never challenge another’s faith in an inappropriate manner, but it is acceptable to ask for a demonstration of faith from those we fellowship with.

Lord God, help us to not just have saving faith, but to live out that faith in proper demonstrations of having it. When we are given a chance to exhibit our faith in meeting the real-life requests and needs of others, help us to do so. May our faith and deeds work together to demonstrate to the world that we are not only Christians in word, but also in deed. This we pray, that You will be glorified through the things we do. Amen.

Tuesday, 10 July 2018

…hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, Philemon 1:5

This verse is very similar to Colossians 1:4 –

“…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;”

The difference often puzzles scholars though, especially the idea of “faith” being directed “toward all the saints.” But this isn’t the intent. In what occurs numerous times in Scripture, Paul’s mind is transferring two separate thoughts to the letter in what is known as a chiasm. He is associating “love” with “toward the saints,” and “faith” with “toward the Lord Jesus.” Laid out in order we see the following:

a. hearing of your love
b. and faith which you have
b. toward the Lord Jesus
a. and toward all the saints

This is somewhat similar to what Luke does in Acts 2:38 concerning baptism –

a. Repent [second person plural]
b. be baptized [third person singular]
b. each [singular] of you
a. for the remission of your [second person plural] sins.

These subtle nuances are intended to direct our attention to what is being said, but we often will miss them, especially in translations, and even more especially when rules of grammar change between languages. Having it laid out clears up the confusion. Philemon’s faith is not being directed toward “all the saints,” but only toward the Lord Jesus. At the same time, his love is being directed “toward all the saints.”

This will be seen worked out in the coming verses as Paul will speak of faith in connection with Christ Jesus in verse 6, and then he will connect love with the saints in verse 7. For now, Paul’s prayers (verse 5) are in thanks to God because of the faith and love which is found in Philemon.

Life application: There are often perceived difficulties in Scripture which can be cleared up by referring to similar thoughts found elsewhere in Scripture, or by laying out verses in the various types of patterns which the Bible uses, such as parallelism, chiasm, etc. In learning these various patterns, and then evaluating verses based on them, the lights often come on as to what the true intent of a passage is.

Lord God, thank You for the wonders which are found in Your word. It is an endless stream of delight, if we will simply open it up and study it. In the end, it always reveals wisdom right from Your mind. What more splendid thing could we pursue than that! Thank You for this beautiful gift. And thank You for Jesus who is the Subject of it all. Praises to You for what You have done in Him, and how He is revealed in Your word. Amen.

Monday, 9 July 2018

I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, Philemon 1:4

The words of this verse are rather similar in content to Romans 1:9, Ephesians 1:16, Philippians 1:3,4, Colossians 1:3, 4 & 1 Thessalonians 1:2. In other words, it is a greeting which, even if slightly amended for the occasion, is common to Paul’s letters. In some letters, the stress is on the thanks, in others it is on the prayers. For example, it is rather close to the words of Colossians 1:3 –

“We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,”

However, when he wrote his letter to the Colossians, he noticeably mentions “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here in Philemon, he has already carefully placed Christ Jesus within the Godhead in the previous verse, and so the thanks are obviously to Him as much as they are to the Father. Therefore, Paul combines the two into the simpler term “God.”

Here he notes that he is “making mention of you always in my prayers.” Paul’s idea of “praying without ceasing,” which he states in 1 Thessalonians 5, is evident in words such as these. Whenever the thought of one of his beloved brethren or churches came to mind, he would utter forth a prayer to God on their behalf. To him, praying was certainly a normal extension of his regular life and conversation with others.

Life application: God already knows the end from the beginning. His plan is also complete in His mind. Despite this, we should not have a fatalistic view of life where we ignore prayers. Instead, God figures our prayers into the plan, just as our free-will calling on Jesus is figured into the plan. If we don’t receive Jesus, we will not be saved. Likewise, prayers that are not uttered are not heard. God’s foreknowledge of all things outside of time factors in our actions within the stream of time. Pray!

Heavenly Father, You have granted to us is the opportunity and honor to pray. When we open our hearts to You, You hear and respond according to Your great wisdom. With Jesus as our Mediator between us, we can know that those prayers which are offered through Him are acceptable to You. We have no need to worry if what our lips have prayed out to You are heard or not. They are! Thank You for our Mediator! Our prayers are heard because of Him. Amen.