Lord Jesus Christ in Philemon
Verses within this Study.
1:1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 16, 20, 23, 25.Click on the following links to jump to a section within the study of this Bible Book: Lord only, Jesus only, Christ only, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Lord Jesus, Lord Christ, Lord Jesus Christ, Son
This book probably has more references to every role of God the Son than any other New Testament book when the average number of references per verse is considered. In this book, a mature Christian is asked and ordered to do something spiritual that goes against everything fleshly, worldly and that the devil wants us to do.
Lord Only
Paul uses Lord
with Philemon because Philemon was an earthly lord and would understand an order from his Lord
. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord
.
Philemon 1:16 Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
Please see the note for this verse in the Study on Philemon for the division of this sentence by punctuation and general discussion of this sentence.
Paul just gave a request to Philemon that will be very hard to do in the flesh and is subtly reminding him that it could be an order from his Lord
, whom he will face some day. Please see the note for 1:10 under Son which explains the change in Onesimus that Philemon must recognize. As a human lord, Philemon understands the consequences of disobeying a 'request' from your Lord
. In order to fulfill this 'request', Philemon must view Onesimus as the Lord
does. That is, he must overlook the view from the world, his flesh and from the Devil while he takes the view from his Lord
. Most Christians would be better off if they viewed verses in the Bible that use Lord
as an order at the level of law which carries severe consequences for disobedience and significant rewards for obedience.
Philemon 1:20 Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
Paul uses Lord
twice in this verse to emphasize who this request / order is coming from and who Philemon will answer to if he refuses it. According to his flesh and the world, Philemon will have several very strong desires to not obey. Only by looking at this request / order in a spiritual light (Lord
) and not as something that he can argue with his preacher about will Philemon be able to submit. Therefore, Paul makes the source of this request / order very clear. The centurion (Matthew 8:5-13) had the greatest faith that Jesus saw in His ministry on earth because the centurion understood being under orders and giving orders. Likewise, as an earthly lord, Philemon will be able to understand being under orders and giving orders. These references to Lord
are deliberate and there to help Philemon to act in faith.
Jesus Only
Jesus
is not used in this book. Click here for all of the Verses that use Jesus
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Jesus
.
Christ Only
Paul uses Christ
to remind Philemon of his personal spiritual maturity from the ministry of Christ
. Click here for all of the Verses that use Christ
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Christ
.
Philemon 1:8 Wherefore, though Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
Please see the note for this verse in the Study on Philemon for the division of this sentence by punctuation and general discussion of this sentence. Please also see the note for 1:9 because it is part of this same sentence.
Here, Paul says though
. While Paul could make this an order, he makes it a request. However, these verses together makes it clear that this is a 'velvet covered steel order'. There is no room for Philemon to do anything other than as 'requested' and still be right with his Lord
. Paul goes on and says that this request is for that which is convenient
. This request is convenient
to the Lord
and it is also convenient
to Philemon even though it would appear to be very inconvenient
at first look. Our Lord
is righteous and rewards those that obey in faith. When the reward comes, then Philemon would find the request to be convenient
. However, until that time, it would not appear to be convenient
.
Paul starts this verse with Wherefore
to refer back to verse 7 where he says 'the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother
. Paul reminds Philemon that he is already in the habit of acting in faith and, based upon that faith, Paul (and the Lord
) expect him to act in faith in this matter. Paul is recognizing the faith that is the result of the spiritual maturing through the ministry of Christ
. Finally, Paul is also reminding Philemon that he is Philemon's spiritual father
(verse 19) which makes him a kind of lord
over Philemon and gives him the right to make this request / order. That's why (Paul led him to salvation) Paul can say though
. However, as a true parent, Paul shows Philemon a better way when he says Yet for love's sake
. Again, as we saw earlier, Paul is making this very personal with the use of personal pronouns (thee
= " you personally"). Paul not only makes this personal while showing Philemon a better way to deal with a problem, but he then reminds Philemon that he is leaving the leadership of the churches with the comments of being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ
. Philemon needs to step up to the leadership role in Jesus Christ
and not only be an example of a saved person (Jesus
) but someone who is personally spiritually mature (in Christ
) enough to also become a prisoner and possibly die for their faith.
Jesus Christ
Paul uses Jesus Christ
as the commonly used identifier of God the Son. Click here for all of the Verses that use Jesus Christ
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Jesus Christ
.
Philemon 1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
Please see the note for this verse in the Study on Philemon for the division of this sentence by punctuation and general discussion of this sentence. Please also see the note for 1:3 because it is part of the same sentence.
Paul says that he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ
. Other places he calls himself an apostle, a servant and other things. Most say that this ia evidence that this epistle was written from a Roman prison. One preacher took the changing titles in the opening of epistles and related them to the times that the epistles were supposed to be written and showed a changing relationship between Paul and Jesus Christ
. Either way (or both), this is a subtle reminder of the possible cost of the gospel. Paul was a prisoner because he taught that salvation (ministry / gospel of Jesus
) and sanctification (ministry / gospel of Christ
) did not come from keeping religious rules but through the personal relationship with the Son of God. (Please see the Overview of the Lord Jesus Christ Study for details on this distinction)
While this sentence also uses Lord Jesus Christ
, Paul does not include Lord
here for a very deliberate (doctrinal) reason. God created governments and tells us to submit to them, but they do not always (rarely?) do what God wants done. Lord
is the role of God that deals with government and judgment. Paul was not guilty of violating God's Law (sin) and so God (as Lord
) had not made him prisoner while God (as Jesus
and as Christ
) had. Remember that Romans 8:18 tells us For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us
. The glory which shall be revealed in us
is a result of our allowing Jesus Christ
to work through our lives in spite of the physical suffering that it requires.
Philemon 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.
Please see the note for this verse in the Study on Philemon for the division of this sentence by punctuation and general discussion of this sentence. Please also see the note for 1:8 because it is part of this same sentence.
As shown in the note for this verse in the Study on Philemon, Paul rejected three possible courses of action and chose this one to persuade Philemon to do the right
thing. By referring to himself as a prisoner
, he is subtly telling Philemon that he can not act as he wants, such as going to see Philemon face-to-face. Paul is also letting Philemon know that he is a prisoner
due to his service to Jesus Christ
. However, Paul made the choices that ended with him being in jail and he made those choices of his own free will. Paul made those choices because of his faith in rewards from Jesus Christ
, and Philemon now has the same opportunity to suffer (though not as bad as becoming a prisoner) with promised rewards from Jesus Christ
.
This is also Paul's second reminder that he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ
. (Please also see the note on 1:3). He's saying: 'This may be the last request I may ever make of you' and it is a request for Philemon to do a ministry for Jesus Christ
because of the love
that he has already shown. (Please see the sentence before this one and realize that this sentence starts with Wherefore
). Paul is challenging another leader to show that he can step in and do the required ministry in the local church.
Christ Jesus
Paul uses Christ Jesus
in circumstances where it is evident that the ministry of Christ
after profession making made of an impact upon the life more than the initial salvation itself did. Click here for all of the Verses that use Christ Jesus
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Christ Jesus
.
Philemon 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Verses 4-6 form a single sentence where Paul commends Philemon of his public testimony of spiritual growth since his initial profession, and subtlety reminds him of the witnesses to that testimony. Please see the note on verse 5 and the note for this verse in the Study on Philemon for the division of this sentence by punctuation and general discussion of this sentence.
In this verse, Paul says I thank my God...that the communication ('the way you live') of thy ('your personal') faith ('what you do to give God permission to work through your life') may become effectual ('cause others to see and understand') by the acknowledging ('public testimony of the true source') of every good thing ('what God did in and through your life') which is in you in Christ Jesus
('true source of all good that comes through the ongoing ministry of Christ to the saved').
In the Bible, the word communication
is not just words but it is the visible results of God working through out life to let others understand what God can (and will) do in their life if they choose to let Him do so. Also, in thew Bible, faith
is an action word, as shown in the structure of this verse (above). What the Bible calls good
is what comes from God (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19). Paul was praying that Philemon would have increased spiritual fruit from his testimony that he lived. However, in order to have that fruit Philemon had to have a public testimony of the true source Christ Jesus
of all that was good
in his life.
By using Christ Jesus
in this part of the sentence, Paul is reminding Philemon that not only his initial profession but all the spiritual growth since his initial profession is a work of God and is putting the emphasis on that spiritual growth since salvation. (Please see the Summary on the name / role of Christ Jesus
for more details and verses showing this doctrine.) In addition, his future ministry and receiving of rewards is dependent upon his staying in obedience to Christ Jesus
and staying in Christ Jesus. There is no way that a newly saved person would do what Paul is asking Philemon to do. Even a mature person would find it difficult. There is no way that a mature Christian can acknowledge their own spiritual growth without also acknowledging God's mercy and grace on their own errors and sins since being saved. This plays directly into Matthew 18:21-35. Notice the next sentence which starts with For
(the words see / sight
Here's why'). Philemon refreshed the bowels of the saints
and this caused others to have great joy and consolation in thy love
. Also notice how Paul makes this very personal with his use of thee
(you personal) and thy
(your personal). It wasn't the church doing this but Philemon personally and if he quit then the ministry would be gone. Paul uses Christ Jesus
here to emphasize the personal spiritual maturity that started with Philemon's initial profession and grew afterward and was an example to all saved as to how they personally should mature spiritually. Please notice Paul's wording when he says That the communication of thy faith may become effectual
. May
allows the possibility of may not
. A lot of people have faith
that is not effectually communicated
because they do not acknowledge every good thing which is in them in Christ Jesus
. When we are blessed by Christ Jesus
, we need to publicly acknowledge the source so that others can also receive the same blessings. Philemon did not yet have the reward that he expected from Lord Jesus
but he did have the blessings from Christ Jesus
and needed to acknowledge that source.
Philemon 1:23 There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;
Epaphras brought Paul word of the church at Colosse and is noted as a mature prayer warrior (Colossians 4:12) and may have been the pastor (Colossians 1:7) before going to Paul. I would be guessing as to why Paul calls him a fellowprisoner
, but you don't become a mature prayer warrior without the ministry of Christ
after profession making more of an impact upon your life than the initial profession itself did. In addition, you don't become a prisoner for your faith (with a high probability of becoming a martyr) without the ministry of Christ
after profession making more of an impact upon your life than the initial profession itself did. Note that in the next verse Paul names several fellowlabourers
who were also there but, apparently, not fellowprisoner
. While these things require spiritual maturity, God expects all saved people to be willing to go to this far. Thus, Paul uses Christ Jesus
instead of Jesus Christ
or just Christ
. Please see the Overview for the doctrinal differences between the Biblical usage of these names.
Lord Jesus
Paul uses Lord Jesus
as the ultimate human leader and to remind an earthly lord of his own responsibilities to his Heavenly Lord
. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Jesus
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Jesus
.
Philemon 1:5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;
Please see the note for this verse in the Study on Philemon for the division of this sentence by punctuation and general discussion of this sentence. Please also see the note for 1:6 because it is part of the same sentence and because it deals with the ministry of Christ Jesus
in this sentence and the possible loss of testimony.
In this sentence, Paul commends Philemon of his public testimony of spiritual growth since salvation, and reminds him of the witnesses to that testimony as a subtle reminder that he can loose that testimony and all of the good results of it.
Right after his opening, Paul reminds Philemon that Jesus
is Lord
(by using Lord Jesus
in this sentence) and that He is the ultimate human leader. Philemon is a lord and knows better than most the kind of obedience that a lord expects and the possible consequences of disobedience. Paul is making Philemon face the difference between what his flesh desires and what his Lord Jesus
desires. If he does as his flesh wants, then he will be disobeying his Lord Jesus
as much as Onesimus
disobeyed him and he is setting himself up to receive the same type of punishment (Matthew 18:21-35).
Unfortunately, many people seem to have lost the knowledge of the Biblical doctrinal differences between the various names (roles) of the Son of God. (Please see the Overview Summary on the name / role of Lord Jesus
.) Every use of the name of Jesus
for the Son of God (in the Bible) is a reference to His physical humanity. In the Bible, Jesus
shows us how to live in this flesh by The Power of the Holy Spirit. (Please see that study.) As Lord Jesus
, He tells us to follow His example (...obedient unto death, even the death of the cross
[Philippians 2:8; Romans 6:16]). As Lord Jesus
, He reward or punish us dependent upon our level of obedience.
In addition, to these doctrinal truths, Paul is reminding Philemon of his good testimony and encouraging him to maintain that testimony. As is dealt with (more) in the other note, Philemon has his spiritual maturity and the results of that maturity due to the ministry of Christ Jesus
. As we've seen all through this study, what we gain beyond initial profession through the ministry of Christ Jesus
, we can also loose if we stop obeying and leave Christ Jesus
. If Philemon does that, he knows that he will loose all rewards that he expects when he meets the Lord Jesus
. Here, Paul is being very wise and reminding a brother of the possible consequences if he gives into the lusts of the flesh.
Lord Christ
Lord Christ
is not used in this book. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Christ
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Christ
.
Lord Jesus Christ
Paul uses Lord Jesus Christ in his standard opening and closing. Click here for all of the Verses that use Lord Jesus Christ
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Lord Jesus Christ
.
Philemon 1:3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Please see the note for this verse in the Study on Philemon for the division of this sentence by punctuation and general discussion of this sentence. Please also see the note for 1:1 because it is part of the same sentence.
In this sentence we see Paul use Jesus Christ
and Lord Jesus Christ
. While he uses Jesus Christ
for his personal ministry in the gospel, he uses Lord Jesus Christ
for the source of blessings. As mentioned in the note for 1:1, Paul says that he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ
(not Lord Jesus Christ
) while (in the same sentence) saying that grace and peace
come from the Lord Jesus Christ
. While punishment can (and often does) come from God's role as Lord
, rewards can also come from that role and those are the rewards that we will have for all of eternity. However, Paul did not say that grace and peace
came only from the Lord
but also included Jesus
and Christ
. Grace and peace
through those roles help us in this present world.
In the next sentence Paul refers to Lord Jesus
and in 1:16 and 1:20, Paul refers to the Lord
. Paul deliberately uses these titles because he knows that as a human lord
, Philemon
will know how that role allows the Lord
to give blessings or punishment and he would understand better than other men who didn't have a similar experience. In addition, Philemon
would know of the teaching by Jesus
in Matthew 18:21-35. Paul uses Lord Jesus Christ
in this verse as the combination of each of these roles and the different combinations of roles used throughout this epistle are deliberate and each usage deliberately emphasizes the roles mentioned each time.
Philemon 1:25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
As seen in the first sentence (please see note above), Paul deliberately uses Lord Jesus Christ
in this verse as the combination of each of these roles. Paul has been deliberately using different combinations of roles used throughout this epistle to emphasizes the roles mentioned each time and the specific blessings that come from each role and which do not come any other way. Paul closes as he opened, offering grace from each and every role of our Lord Jesus Christ
. Philemon will need all of the grace that he can receive from each of these roles in order to fulfill this request / order in the way that God intended it to be fulfilled.
Son
Paul uses son
to show a unique relationship with someone who not only was saved, but had a faith like Paul's. Click here for all of the Verses that use Son
and here for the Summary on the name / role of Son
.
Philemon 1:10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
Please see the note for this verse in the Study on Philemon for the division of this sentence by punctuation and general discussion of this sentence. Please also see the note for 1:8 because it is part of this same sentence.
The entire gospel can be preached out of this sentence. Here we see how Jesus Christ
pleads for sinful people before a righteous and holy Lord
(God the Father) based upon future changes in our lives because our past was to thee unprofitable
. This, of course, eliminates those who preach going to Heaven because of some religious act like saying the 'prayer of salvation' while the person never lives for God. Even the promise of future profitable
is not the basis for this plead but it is started upon the claim that he is Paul's son
. That is also the basis of Jesus Christ
pleading for us and it eliminates 'salvation by works' and the Lord
will judge Philemon exactly the same way as Philemon judges another.