Daily Writing

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.

Sunday, 8 July 2018

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philemon 1:3

After identifying himself, and Timothy who was accompanying him, Paul then identified who he was writing to, and then extended other specific and general greetings. Now, he gives a greeting which is very similar to that found in many of his epistles, “Grace to you and peace.” The words are in the second person, plural. Thus, they are to all who are being addressed, not just Philemon.

Grace is unmerited favor which cannot be earned. This is the common greeting among the Greek people. Peace, however, is the common greeting among the Hebrew people. In their language, the word is shalom. This is more than a greeting for calm or quiet, but is a state of wholeness and completion in all ways. Paul unites the two terms just as the church is being united between Jew and Gentile during his time. This grace precedes the peace because only after receiving the grace of God can a person experience the peace of God.

Paul extends this wonderful blessing to them “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” It is a greeting from the eternal God – both the unseen Father and His Son who reveals the Father to us. Rather than being an argument against the divinity of Jesus Christ, it is an argument for it. He is tying the two in as one – Jesus being a member of the Godhead. He is not making some type of great division, but a harmonious blending of the two.

Throughout Paul’s letters, as with the entire Bible, the deity of Jesus Christ is a concept and a precept which simply can’t be missed. It is the very heart of what God has done for the reconciliation of the people of the world.

Life application: Outside of God’s creation, which reveals Him in a general way, we cannot comprehend Him except through His special revelation. One way we receive special revelation is through the mouths of His prophets. But these prophets all testified to the same thing – the coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ (see John 5:39). The most magnificent special revelation of God that we have received is the incarnation of Jesus. But for us, even this isn’t sight, it is found in the testimony of those who have recorded what they knew into the New Testament. So, in order to understand God, one must know Jesus Christ, and one cannot understand Jesus Christ unless he knows the Bible. Know your Bible!

Heavenly Father, how grateful we are that we can fellowship with You personally. We have Your word and so we know who You are. We can have personal talks with you as we pray in solitude, or even in a mall bustling with activity around us. We can feel Your presence in church as we fellowship with others, praising You and giving thanks for Your wonderful care of us. Thank You for allowing us to fellowship with You, O God. Amen.