Appeal on Behalf of Onesimus - Philemon 1:8-21
8-21 Appeal on Behalf of Onesimus. In the main body of his letter, Paul appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus back into his household, “no longer as a slave, but as a dear brother” (v16). Paul provides at least four reasons why Philemon should grant his request, two with reference to himself and two with reference to Philemon: First, Onesimus had become useful and dear to Paul (10-12). Second, whatever debts Onesimus may have created in relation to Philemon, Paul was willing to pay himself (18-19). Third, Paul honored Philemon’s right to decide how to deal with Onesimus’ debts (8-9, 14). However, fourth, Paul asked Philemon to address Onesimus’ debts to him in the light of his own debts to Paul (17, 19-20).
Apostolic authority - Philemon 1:8
8 Though Paul had apostolic authority over Philemon, Onesimus and the church in Colossae (see note on Col. 1:1), he appealed to Philemon on a more foundational basis—God’s love in the gospel and the love it fosters between fellow believers.
Paul's long service of love - Philemon 1:9
9 an old man . . . a prisoner. Paul appeals to Philemon also on the basis of his long service of love to God’s people, even to the point of imprisonment (v1, 9).
Related Resources
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
International License.
