CHARGE THAT TO MY ACCOUNT
(Philemon 17-19)
INTRODUCITON:
Many of you have asked why I left my last church. I thought I would take some time this morning to briefly explain those circumstances…
I was not getting along with our worship leader. And our issues with one another were beginning to spill over into the worship service.
One week I was teaching on commitment, and how we should dedicate to service // I Shall Not be Moved
The next Sunday I preached on giving and how we should be giving our money to the work of the Lord // Jesus Paid it All
Next Sunday, I taught on the sin of gossip and how we should watch our tongues. // I Love to Tell the Story
I got pretty upset. So, I told the congregation the next Sunday that I was considering resigning // Oh, Why not Tonight?
I decided to resign. The next week on a Sunday evening, I told the congregation that I believed Jesus had led me to this church and now Jesus was leading me somewhere else // What a Friend we Have in Jesus.
We all have been in conflict before with other believers. We get sideways…Reconciliation, Forgiveness, Fellowship, Mediation…. Those are all themes we have been exploring in our series on Philemon – “More Than a Slave”. This morning we are going to conclude our 4 part series with a look at what Jesus Christ has done in order to make those truths we have been studying a reality in our lives.
This morning, we are going to step into the shoes of Onesimus (go into background) We are going to put ourselves in his place to better understand what Christ did for us.
Martin Luther “We are all his Onesimi if we really believe it.”
READ/STAND
The Point:
In Philemon 17-19, we will see how we are like Onesimus in 3 ways so that we will supremely value our salvation in Christ.
An Undeserved Substitute (v. 17)
An Unpayable Debt (v.18)
An Unbelievable Payment (v.19)
1. WE HEAVE AN UNDESERVED SUBSTITUTE (V.17)
“If then you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me.”
If then you regard me as a partner
Paul begins with a condition. The stipulation has to do with seeing Paul as a partner.
Partner
koinwnaVs (partner or companion)
Meant much more than a partner for the word itself is derived from the Greek word for fellowship (koinwniVa)
·“Partnership based upon their common life in Jesus Christ”
·In his heart and thought Philemon most certainly regarded Paul as a koinwnaVs (partner in the gospel ministry)
oAfter all, it was Paul who led Phil to Christ
oIt was Paul who labored in ministry on Phil’s behalf
oIt was Paul refers to Phil in v.1 as a beloved brother and fellow worker
·Paul was indeed a partner with Philemon in the fellowship of faith and the gospel ministry
Since the condition is met (the condition being Philemon indeed recognizes Paul as a partner) then here is the result of the condition:
“…accept him as you would me.”
Philemon was to accept Onesimus as if he were receiving Paul himself. Simply Paul was taking Onesimus’ place. He was a substitute.
Welcome him as you would welcome me. Forgive him as you would forgive me. Hold no obligation against him as you would hold no obligation against me. Just take him back just the way you’d take me.
Thus as Philemon was standing there looking at Onesimus, he was to see the face of the Apostle Paul. Paul was a substitute, taking Onesimus’ place.
Paul gave Onesimus his full plate in place of an empty one – Philemon was to receive Onesimus’ full plate.
And like Paul took Onesimus’ place, Jesus Christ takes our place. Paul appeals to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus. Jesus appeals to the Father on our behalf and says, “Father accept them as you would me”
At the heart of Christianity is the doctrine of Substitution:
Substitution is the true meaning of Christ’s death because he sacrificed Himself in the place of condemned sinners to satisfy God’s holy wrath and righteous judgment against sinners.
This is also described as vicarious from the Latin word meaning ‘one in place of another’. The death of Christ “is vicarious in the sense that Christ is the Substitute who bears the punishment rightly due sinners, their guilt being imputed to Him in such a way that He representatively bore their punishment.
2 Cor. 5:21 He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him
Gal. 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us…”
God’s holy wrath was poured out on Jesus (innocent, blameless, pure – ‘the spotless lamb’) in place of us (wicked, helpless, prideful, sinners) Simply put, Jesus took our place. He was our Great substitute. Why did this take place?
2. WE HAVE AN UNPAYABLE DEBT (V. 18)
“But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account;”
Onesimus had incurred a debt; a debt which he could never repay
The debt, which Onesimus owed to Philemon, was first of all, a monetary debt.
But if he has wronged you in any way of owes you anything…
Monetary
·We know that Onesimus was a runaway slave. The price of a good servant in 60 AD was 500 denarii. Philmeon would have had to spend that much (500 days wages), and buy himself a replacement. Very costly.
·Not only that, it’s apparent that Onesimus stole possessions or money from Philemon; possible to fund his fugitive lifestyle. He would have needed money to travel to Rome and sustain his cost of living there.
·Onesimus, as a slave had no funds and could not possibly pay his debt. He was helpless, bankrupt.
Onesimus has incurred a second debt, which he can never repay. There was the penalty of death.
Death
·Conceivably, it might be possible to repay the money, but this slave, according to Roman law, had possibly put himself under the death penalty, for abandoning his master, the one who has purchased him.
·This was the debt that Onesimus could not escape. No matter how long he toiled, or how good he was, Onesimus had broken the law. Justice demanded his life. It could only be satisfied by his death.
Very bleak picture isn’t it? Yet, that is exactly the picture that you and I face apart from Christ! Men, like Onesimus, have incurred a debt which cannot be paid. Onesimus is in the position before Philemon that men are in before God
Man has incurred a debt so great that eternity would not be long enough for him to repay it before God.
When God created Adam and placed him in the garden, a prohibition was placed upon Adam, for God said in Genesis 2:16–17, “Of every tree in the garden you may freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.”
·The debt which God placed as a penalty for disobedience was more than physical death. Physical death was but the result of the penalty.
·The death which was incurred for disobedience was spiritual death. Spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God, the separation of the creature from the Creator.
·Physical death is the result of spiritual death
Other passages:
·In Ezekiel 18:4 the word of the Lord was spoken through the Ezekiel, “The soul that sins shall die.”
·Romans 6:23 reads, “The wages of sin is death.”
·Romans 5:12, effects of having sinned, Paul says, “as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
Whether you believe in Adam, Eve and the garden is irrelevant. The fact remains that sin is missing the mark of perfect holiness; a mark that we all have missed. “if you were to keep the law in it’s entirety and stumble at one point, you’re guilty of breaking it all.”
We like Onesimus, are law breakers, under a death sentence, a debt which we can not pay. Would God give me an eternity, I still could not make even a token down payment upon that debt which is mine!
But that is not the end.
“But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account;”
Which transitions us to our last point:
3. WE HAVE AN UNBELIEVABLE PAYMENT (V.18)
“I Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it…(v. 19a)”
I, Paul am writing this with my own hand
Paul’s custom was to dictate his letters to a scribe. But in many of his letters, he would write a closing greeting with his own hand. It could be that v.19-25 were written by Paul’s hand or maybe the entire letter.
Regardless, Paul wants to make one point very clear.
I will repay it.
The Apostle Paul assumes whatever debt Onesimus has incurred in his robbery and subsequent flight.
·Paul had an idea of the extent of the theft involved and the enormous amount of what it cost Philemon to replace Onesimus, yet he wanted to have the debt put on his account and he would repay it.
·It was Paul’s desire that the bonds of fellowship that had been broken should now be restored. He was so concerned about reconciliation that he would pay any price.
·That is what Jesus Christ did for us. Because of his great love and desire for us to be reconciled to God, he paid the ultimate price for us. (1 Peter 1:18)
The debt which man could not pay, the debt of spiritual and physical death, the Lord Jesus Christ came to pay.
·He went to Calvary’s cross, and was lifted up between Heaven and earth, and when the Son looked to the Father and cried, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” He was paying man’s debt because He was separated from God. The Son of God was enduring spiritual death for man.
·He was paying the debt to the fullest. Only then could He say, “It is finished.”
·Jesus paid for the consequences of our sin at the cross.
It’s likened here both v. 18 and 19 to a financial transaction. Some people are in credit card debt – they can’t seem to climb out. Man’s debt is similar, but it is not the debt of credit, but the debt of spiritual and physical death that they cannot escape of pay off.
If you were to overdraw a bank account, and were to incur a certain indebtedness, which you could not pay, and another person in kindness went and paid that debt in full, at the end of the month you statement would show that you owed nothing. The indebtedness has been taken care of.
That is what happened on the cross.
·Our sin, our debt was paid for by the Christ, the Son of God
·In other words, our sins, were imputed onto him.
·2 Cor. 5:21 He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf;
·That’s good news, we no long owe. The ledger is wiped clean and we have a 0 balance in the account. But that still leaves us a bankrupt in the sight of God
Christ did more ever more for us.
·Not only does he take away our sin and 0 out our ledger. He also adds to the account.
·Jesus Christ came not only to pay one’s debt, that the debit side of the ledger should be wiped clean, He also came in order to impute His RIGHTEOUSNESS onto us.
·Righteousness? Perfect and exact obedience to the Law of God
·He not only has cancelled the debt, but He has given us His righteousness as the basis of his standing before God
·That is the second half of 2 Cor. 5:21 – “He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him
·Therefore when God looks upon us who have placed their faith in Christ, not only are our sins forgiven, but we are covered with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
·He can look at us, covered in the righteousness of Jesus and see his Son with whom he is well pleased.
Illustration:
A man was caught stealing milk that had been delivered to a store. He had been arrested and he was taken before the judge. The judge asked him, “How do you plead?” There was only one way he could plead, because he had been caught in the act. He had to plead guilty. He asked for leniency for he had two small babies at home and nothing to give them and instead of seeing them starve he resorted to stealing. He said, “Judge, I plead for the mercy of the court.” The judge said that since he had pleaded guilty, he had no alternative but to find the man guilty and he assessed a fine. The fine was ten dollars. The man stood there, crestfallen, for he anticipated a jail sentence since he had nothing with which to pay. Then the judge got up, laid down his gavel, walked off the bench, walked over to the clerk’s desk and paid the $10.00 himself, and set the man free. Then, he approached the man and wrote him a check for $100 dollars to provide for his need.
There was no question of guilt, nor of the justice of the sentence. And yet the one who had had to find him guilty, was the one who had paid his indebtedness in order that he might go free
Our sin was imputed onto Jesus, the sinless one. At the same time, Jesus’ righteousness (perfect and exact obedience) is imputed onto us. What a transaction!
That is the unbelievable payment that was made for you and for me.
No condemnation now I dread.
Jesus and in all in Him is mine
Alive in Him; my living head
And clothed in Righteousness divine.
Amazing Love, How can it be that thou my God should die for me.
Answer two questions:
1.Did Philemon forgive Onesimus?
2.What does the book of Philemon have to say about slavery?
Did Philemon forgive Onesimus?
1.)Based on Philemon’s debt to Paul (v. 19b)
·Paul had lead Philemon to Christ and as Paul put it, ‘owed him even Philemon’s own self’
·Philemon is under a certain obligation to Paul. For it was by Paul that Philemon came to saving faith in Jesus Christ
2.)Based on Paul’s expected refreshment in Phil’s forgiveness (v.20)
·As Philemon was a refreshment to others (v.7), Paul expected to be refreshed by Philemon’s reconciling with Onesimus
3.)Based on Paul’s confidence in Philemon (v. 21)
·He knew Philemon and expected him not only to receive Onesimus as a brother, but even more so.
·Confidence based on The forgiver’s heart in v. 4-7
4.)Based upon its inclusion in the New Testament
·If he hadn’t forgiven Onesimus, including this story in the canon of Scripture would have left a false impression for all of history
·There is a good reason that the Holy Spirit directed this book into our Bible
5.)Based on Historical Documents
·50 years later the church Father Ignatius in Smyrna, on his way to martyrdom in Rome, wrote a letter to the Ephesian church. In that letter he writes, “I received your large congregation in the person of Onesimus, your pastor in the world, a man whose love is beyond words” (possible)
·(John Knox) Knox maintains that the same Onesimus, now a church leader in Ephesus, collected and published the Pauline letters, including the one to Philemon in which he had a personal stake
What about slavery?
Background:
·At this time, about 1/3 of the Roman world were slaves
·Most were born into slavery
·The average length of your term as a slave was about 7-20 years according to ancient documents
Conditions:
·The average Roman free man lived no better than a slave. In fact, in times of economic difficulty, it was advantageous to be a slave
a.Living conditions the same
b.Food and clothing
c.Earned close to the same amount of money
d.Legal rights (slaves accused of crimes to be tried like free men)
e.Could be doctors, musicians, teachers, artists…Some of the most learned men in the Greco-Roman world were slaves
Why didn’t the writers of Scripture call for rebellion and destruction of the institution?
1.Because of their current conditions
2.Spartacus (led a slave rebellion in which 1,000s upon 1,000 died) (Clearly contrary to Christian principles of submission to government)
Nowhere does Jesus or any other NT writer neither condemns nor condones the institution of slavery of their day. What the Bible addressed was the condition of the day. It insures that Christian masters and Christian slaves were to not merely co-exist, but function in a way that honors God and displays love toward the other.
Donald Guthrie summarizes:
“The Epistle brings into vivid focus the whole problem of slavery in the Christian church. There is no thought of denunciation even in principle. The apostle deals with the situation as it then existed.
He takes it for granted that Philemon has a claim of ownership on Onesimus and leaves the position unchallenged. Yet in one significant phrase Paul transforms the character of the master-slave relationship. Onesimus is returning as more than a slave - a beloved brother. It is clearly incongruous for a Christian master to “own” a brother in Christ in the contemporary sense of the word.
Although the existing order of society could not be immediately changed by Christianity without a political revolution, the Christian master-slave relationship was so transformed from within that it was bound to lead ultimately to the abolition of the system."
Christianity Sowed the Seeds for the Destruction of the Slavery System:
Christianity sowed the seeds of the destruction of slavery – not through insurrection, but through changed hearts. The book of Philemon is a classic example of this – to see Onesimus as a dear brother, much more than a slave
FF Bruce “What this epistle does is to bring us into an atmosphere in which the institution could only wilt and die”
Does the Bible advocate slavery? Absolutely Not.
Does the Bible condemn the institution as it existed in that day? No – but it sowed the seeds of its destruction.
