Philemon Day 4 Ties That Bind: Digging Deeper
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Philemon 1:3-5
The Original Intent
1) Why does Paul wish grace and peace to Philemon? (verse 3)
Paul opened his letter to his friend and convert to Christianity, Philemon, with greetings of grace and peace. (verse 3) Paul frequently used this greeting in his writing like a trademark and example for believers to follow in greetings. (Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2)
These words signified more than just pleasantries or common greetings, they were keynotes that marked Paul’s God-given mission to share the Gospel with both Jews and Gentiles. (1 Corinthians 9:20-22) Paul addressed his readers with sentiments that appealed to both Hebrews and Gentiles. In Paul’s letters, according to James Burton Coffman, “Paul wishes, desires and prays that those greeted may possess that spiritual state ‘which is the result of a right relationship between God and man.’ The bringing of such a state of tranquility was viewed by the Jews as being one of the main functions of the Messiah.” (Luke 2:14)
To appeal to Jewish readers, Paul greeted them with the Hebrew term for peace, shalom. He combined this with the Greek term charis, or grace, appealing to His non-Jewish readers, to express “the essence of Judaism and Christianity.” (Expositor’s Greek Testament)
Paul’s salutation invited Jews and Gentiles to follow Christ together as one Body. Casey Shutt explains, “Paul’s classic greeting is a declaration of hope: stating in the most succinct way where creation is heading (not to disarray but peace), how it will get there (by grace), and how we ought to live in the meantime (living from grace, which brings peace).”
All those who love Christ can live in His grace and exemplify His peace in their daily lives.
The Everyday Application
1) Why does Paul wish grace and peace to Philemon? (verse 3)
When Paul wrote his letter to Philemon, his opening line was “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philemon 3) Though Paul did not use a verb here, author John Piper argues that Paul undoubtedly meant may God multiply to you grace and peace: “The word to you implies movement. Grace and peace are on the way. More is coming.”
If a package arrived on my doorstep today offering me grace and peace, I would rejoice, because so much of what comes at me on the daily through the news, social media and cultural chaos is completely lacking grace and peace. Paul greets his friend with these virtues because they are part of the amazing gift of trusting in Jesus, something Paul wrote about, preached, and shared from villages to cities, from ships to jail cells.
Paul spent the rest of his life after his conversion sharing the Good News about the grace offered by Jesus (Acts 20:24) and the peace He brings. Paul taught that Jesus justifies sinners by His grace, redeeming them by His sacrifice on the cross. (Romans 3:24) This faith in Jesus brings us peace. (Romans 5:1)
The Good News Paul offered in his letter to Philemon is just as true today as the day Paul wrote it. Having a relationship with Jesus brings us grace and peace in our lives, too. In a world rocked by hate, war, and wickedness, having the grace of God in our lives can bring us peace in any circumstance. (2 Thessalonians 3:16)
The Original Intent
2) What is the significance of Paul praying for Philemon? (verse 4)
In writing to Philemon, Paul declared, “I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers.” Chuck Swindoll explains that Paul met and converted Philemon, who lived in Colossae, when Paul was preaching in nearby Ephesus. Paul wrote to Philemon while he was under house arrest in Rome a few years after they worked together.
Paul did not forget his disciples when he moved on to a new city or when he was imprisoned. He wrote to Philemon and other friends, giving them advice and counsel, and he supported them by praying for them. (Romans 1:8-9)
For Paul, prayer was a vital part of the Christian life. He taught that God’s will was for Christ’s followers to pray constantly about everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Paul was a man given to prayer. E.M. Bounds suggests that Paul’s praying “fitted him to teach others what prayer was and what prayer could do. And for this reason he was competent to urge upon the people that they must not neglect prayer. Too much depended upon it.” John Gill suggests “The apostle was a man much in prayer, frequent at the throne of grace; and he prayed not for himself only, but for all the saints, for all the churches and ministers of the Gospel; whom he not only bore upon his mind and heart, but made mention of them.”
Paul knew God wanted to strengthen and mature Christians like Philemon, so he prayed God would give them spiritual power (Ephesians 3:16), love for others (Philippians 1:9), and a fruitful walk (Colossians 1:10). Through prayer, Paul called on the Lord to minister to the needs of the growing Church.
The Everyday Application
2) What is the significance of Paul praying for Philemon? (verse 4)
When I ask a friend how things are going and they respond by sharing their troubles or sorrows, I often reply with, “You will be in my prayers.” Or when scrolling through social media I see someone’s post about a difficult situation, many responses consist of “thoughts and prayers”.
This can annoy some folks, even when accompanied by cute hearts and prayer-hands emojis, or maybe especially when accompanied by them. Some feel like the phrase is a cop-out. They want action and change, not kind but ineffectual words.
But those who know the actual power of prayer realize that having someone keep you in their prayers is sustaining and impactful. (James 5:16) When we add those comments and actually pray, we fulfill Paul’s admonition to pray for others so that we might “lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity”. (1 Timothy 2:1)
Paul knew this when writing to Philemon when he stated, “I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers.” (Philemon 4) Paul believed that praying for people brought them the strength and help they needed because it led them to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit and his work in their lives. (Ephesians 1:16-19)
Mentioning his friends and converts before the Lord in prayer was a regular practice for Paul, as was seeking prayer from his friends in his own dire circumstances. (2 Corinthians 1:11, Romans 15:30) Paul even encouraged believers that when they didn’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit Himself was interceding for them. (Romans 8:26)
When a praying person commits to pray for you, you can expect to be touched by the Lord in some way because of God’s power and grace. When someone asks you for prayer, be a friend like Paul, who prayed everywhere in all circumstances for God’s will to be done and His power to be revealed.
The Original Intent
3) Why is Paul grateful for Philemon’s love for the saints and faith in Jesus? (verse 5)
Paul told Philemon he thanked God for him “because I hear of your love for all the saints and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus.” (Philemon 5) It was important for Paul to have mature, dependable leaders like Philemon in the churches he planted. Paul needed to travel to spread the Good News of Jesus and to seek personal safety when his message upset local leaders. In addition, he was frequently imprisoned for his teachings. Paul relied heavily on the converts and disciples he left behind to grow the church and spread the Gospel. Having a good and faithful partner like Philemon to lead others in The Way was invaluable to Paul. This made him very thankful for Philemon’s love for the people and faith in Jesus.
Jennie Allen reminds us, “God made sure to include a clear call to thankfulness in Scripture because He knows that only when we’re planted in the soil of gratitude will we learn and grow and thrive: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Paul was deeply grateful that Philemon was leading others to advance the cause of Christ and to minister to his own needs; his prayers and letters evidenced his gratitude for God’s provision.
The Everyday Application
3) Why is Paul grateful for Philemon’s love for the saints and faith in Jesus? (verse 5)
Part of the blessing of working with teenagers is you get to watch them grow, change, and mature into the men and women God has called them to be. Part of the challenge of working with teenagers is their growing, maturing, and changing can be a painful and messy process. I was reminded of this truth recently while working with teen volunteers during a church VBS.
Most of the young volunteers were fun, friendly, God-loving kids who were rock-stars in the eyes of the little kids because of their kindness and enthusiasm, but some were more reliable than others. The dependable helpers saw a need and stepped in to lend a hand, helping kids feel welcome and safe. (Colossians 3:23) The less reliable volunteers struggled to stay on task and focus on the kids, requiring more hands-on involvement from adult mentors.
That is an expected part of working with teens, but I was very grateful for the young people who spread joy and excitement while being responsible, respectful, Christ-like examples to the kiddos they were serving. When Paul wrote to Philemon, he expressed this kind of gratitude for his friend’s spiritual maturity when he thanked God for his “love for all the saints and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus.” (Philemon 5)
After my week at VBS, I realized Paul was not just padding his letter with filler statements before he got to the crux of his communication with Philemon. The gratitude was an honest, heartfelt, crucial part of Paul’s message to Philemon. Paul was grateful God answered his prayers and blessed him with a faithful, trustworthy leader who cared for God’s church in the same loving way Paul would.
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