A Godly debt

 Phm 1:8  Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, 

Phm 1:9  Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. 

Phm 1:10  I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: 

Phm 1:11  Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

In this book a 1 chapter letter of a highly personal nature we get an insight into Paul. We know he is aged, he is in prison and he is tired. In his bonds he came across a wounded soul, Onesimus, and led him to Christ. Then ,as is just and right, Paul or Onesimus in due course determine that he must go back and face the music. 

Do you know what strikes me as odd here? Paul a world renowned minister, an Apostle of Christ, a man called to serve and dedicated wholly to Christ. A man specifically called by Christ, angels have attended him, and he was taken up into the third heaven and shown the mysteries to come. This man does not demand.

He humbly bows and begs for a man to listen to him.

He has every right to demand that this fellow Philemon fall in step and accept what he says and do what he tells him, but Paul, begs for him to listen out of love. Begs for this man to consider discharging the penalty of another through Christ and not the law of man.

Why is he begging? What is the purpose of such a request?

Onesimus is a slave, one who was not a good slave to Philemon, whether he stole from Philemon, or was just a terror to Philemon, we are not fully aware, but we do know Onesimus was not a good guy.

Yet Paul led him to Christ and at some point Onesimus told Paul of his past and the warrants on his head and the fate that surely awaits him if sent back to Philemon.

Paul knows Philemon, apparently he led Philemon to the Lord, so Paul out of Love for Onesimus, intercedes for him. Paul, knowing the cost that must be paid, the sentence to come for Onesimus, the judgment to come, intercedes as a brother in Christ, as a fellow servant. He stands, not on the power of the office of an Apostle, He does not bluster and demand, he begs, he implores him in a manner of a lesser man. He speaks as if he (Paul) has absolutely no hope of being heard.

What kind of humility this shows.

How much more should we do? We are far less than the Apostle Paul, yet how many times do we demand that we get our way? That we get pre-eminence? That we are listened to for we are of God? Surely we know what's best therefore you should listen to me!

Paul who truly could lean on his authority, does not. Instead he asks of a brother in Christ that the love and mercy Christ showed us be applied to this situation.

So much could be done, saved, altered if we followed this simple act ourselves. A brother and sister in Christ, that is all the standing any of us have. There is no authority, there is nothing we personally have to stand on it is all in Christ. His Love, His Mercy, His Grace, His Sacrifice.

If we the people of God learned to deal like this, understanding we have nothing, we have no standing other than Christ, what kind of church would we have? What kind of power and authority would the Body of Christ have, if we truly left ourselves, our pride, our interests at the Cross?

There is a lesson or 2 here.

The intercession.

The humility.

The understanding that we are all unworthy except for Christ and His Love.

The forgiveness we ought to show, for the simple sake of the profound forgiveness we received.