Free Bible Commentary
“Philemon 1:8-9”
Categories: Philemon“Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”
---End of Scripture verses---
As a hand-picked ambassador of Jesus Christ, Paul had the apostolic authority to command Philemon to accept Onesimus back as a brother in Christ and without any repercussions for fleeing from his proper place. Instead Paul lovingly and compassionately appealed to him to have a forgiving heart as that which the Lord Jesus Christ possessed, and to do the “proper” thing by embracing his runaway slave when he returned, and pardoning him for his infractions, and receiving him as a fellow-member in the family of God. Paul appealed to Philemon to do the right thing as an “aged” and experienced brother and as a “prisoner of Christ Jesus” who had endured much wrong at the hands of others, and did so without the demand or desire for justice or retribution.
Friends, even though God has the right as the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe to demand that we do everything that He wills us to do, we should comply with His every command simply because they are the right things to do. We should embrace the Lord’s will for us because we love Him so much for all the wonderful things that He has done for us and given to us in our lives, and for the great and precious eternal blessings that He has promised to us if we are faithful. The astonishing fact that God came to this earth in the form of human flesh in the person of Christ Jesus, for no other reason than to save us because of his immeasurable love for us, should humble us to the greatest degree and provide the only motivation we need to live our lives to please Him in all respects.
Please read Philemon 1:10-16 for tomorrow.
Have a wonderful day!
- Louie Taylor
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