Philemon: Fixing Fellowship pt 5
The Gospel is about reconciliation. God being reconciled to humanity through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But how often do we think about how this ‘Gospel reconciliation’ impacts our relationships with each other? The apostle Paul challenged his dear friend Philemon to be reconciled to his former slave, Onesimus, who ran away from him. In Paul’s encouragement to Philemon to forgive his former slave, we see an amazing picture of how the Gospel transforms our relationships — especially with those who have wronged us.
Paul’s Plea for Onesimus
8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.
Reflection: When we are in the midst of difficult situations and find ourselves longing for a resolution, we can make all sorts of appeals. We can appeal to reason. We can appeal to our character. We can appeal to a process. But there is an even better way. We appeal on the basis of love. There is nothing more powerful that can melt a hard heart than the love shown by a fellow brother or sister who is appealing on the basis of the love that they have been shown by Christ. It is his grace and mercy that meets us in these moments, and it is his love that enables us to work towards a resolution. That is the power for the gospel.
Question: What situation are you facing where you too must appeal on the basis of love?
Prayer: Father God, you have loved me more than I could ever know and have rescued me from my slavery to sin. May the love that you have shown me be the basis of all that I say and do.
Angus is one of the pastors at Orange Presbyterian Church. He and Steph have three children, a puppy and a veggie garden.
This devotion first appeared in the Bible Society’s Daily Bible Devotions, February 2023
More Reflections.
Often, we build something up so much in our minds, that the experience we want becomes almost unattainable. We romanticise what we think it will be like and we think “If I can just do this one thing or tick this one experience off my bucket list, then I will be able to feel a sense of fulfilment that I wouldn’t necessarily have had otherwise”.