Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Philemon 1:21 - 1:25

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Philemon 1:21 - 1:25


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

Concluding Remarks and Greeting.

v. 21. Raring confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.

v. 22. But withal prepare me also a lodging; for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.

v. 23. There salute thee Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus;

v. 24. Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow-laborers.

v. 25. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit! Amen.

There is no doubt in Paul's mind as to the satisfactory settlement of the matter which he has set forth with such persuasive pleading: Relying firmly upon thy obedience, I have written to thee, knowing that thou wilt also do beyond what I write. There is a hint here of the authority which the apostle might wield should he so choose, and of the obedience which Philemon must feel that he owes to the will of God at all times. There was no question in Paul's mind: he was absolutely confident that the solution of the problem would be satisfactory in every way, that Philemon would probably find wars of showing Onesimus a kindness even beyond the suggestions which lie ventured to make. For that is the way of true lore flowing from faith: it seeks new ways and means of demonstrating its power always.

Knowing that the bond of friendship would become firmer and more secure than ever in consequence of this episode, the apostle asks Philemon, in conclusion, to make ready, to keep prepared, a place or room where he may lodge as guest. All indications at this writing pointed to his speedy release from his imprisonment, a situation which Paul properly ascribed to the effect of the prayers which had been sent to the throne of God in his behalf, also by his Colossian friends. He puts it so that his return to their midst would be in answer to their prayers, as an act of divine favor, which they should look upon with a proper realization of their indebtedness to the Giver of all good gifts.

The apostle includes greetings from Epaphras, whom he calls a fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, Col_1:7. from Mark, undoubtedly John Mark, whose services he valued very highly in the last years of his life, 2Ti_4:11, from Demas, very likely the same one that afterward became a backslider and denied the faith, 2Ti_4:10. and from Luke, the beloved physician and companion of the apostle. All these are designated as fellow-laborers, being active with the apostle in behalf of the Gospel of Christ. The apostolic blessing is apparently addressed to the entire congregation. not only to Philemon and his family. The grace, the unmerited favor and love of Christ. as it found expression in the eternal counsel of love and in the entire work of redemption, is the highest and most precious blessing of the believers, assuring them, as it does, of the inheritance above, for which they are being kept by the power of God. This is most certainly true.

Slavery

There can be little doubt, as a prominent writer (Brace, Gesta Christ i) has pointed out, that the spread of Christianity was the cause of the increasing sentiment among the nations against slavery. It is true that the position of the slaves among the Jews was not attended with such shameful degradations as among the heathen, where slavery was a canker and the lot of the average slave was worse than that of a beast of burden. As the influence of Christianity increased, the hold of slavery gradually weakened, and where it was still maintained, the inhuman cruelties which were formerly practiced were gradually abandoned. Slavery in the Eastern Empire was abolished at the end of the fourteenth century, in Greece in 1437. The serfdom which arose from the universal disorder and chaos of society in the Latin Empire was looked upon with disfavor from the first by men that realized whither it tended. In modern times enlightened states have abrogated both serfdom and slavery, the latter being abolished in England in 1833, 1846 in Sweden, 1849 in Denmark, 1348 in France, 1855 in Portugal, 1863 in the United States, 1871 in Brazil.

Though the question has, therefore, ceased to be a burning one, yet it is well to remember, in view of the numerous passages throughout the Bible which treat of slavery, that the institution of slavery is not intrinsically and fundamentally wrong from the Biblical standpoint. While a Christian may hold the opinion that it is far better, from a social and economic viewpoint, that slavery should not be tolerated in a state or country, he will still maintain that, according to the clear expression of God's will in His Word, even Christians could possess slaves or sanction their holding. Against men stealers, against dealers in slaves, we have a plain passage of Scriptures, 1Ti_1:10, but there is no word of the Lord forbidding slavery itself. What the apostle writes Eph_6:5-8; Col_3:22-25; 1Ti_6:1; Tit_2:9-10. and in the letter to Philemon. agrees with what the Lord had spoken in the Old Testament, Lev_25:44-46; Gen_30:43; Job_1:3 ff.

It is true, of course, that God inflicted slavery upon men as a punishment for their sins, Deu_25:15-19; Jer_5:19; Jer_17:4, that He made whole nations the abject and spurned servants of others, but it is equally true that vile treatment of slaves is not a necessary concomitant of the state, and would not be thought of if all the masters had at all times feared God and heeded what the Lord says Eph_6:9 and Col_4:1 : "Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. " That slaves were a piece of property without rights and could be treated and disposed of by their masters as the latter chose, is an idea which nowhere finds confirmation in Scriptures. What the apostle taught in all the passages in which he treated of the institution of slavery was this, that slaves are not only human beings like their masters, having the same Lord and Creator in heaven above, but that they are also included in an equal measure in the salvation which was earned by Christ, that the gracious will of God concerns also them, that He desires them to be saved through the knowledge of the truth. Slaves must therefore be considered as possessing the full dignity of men, a fact which, together with the certainty of their salvation, gives them full equality before God with their masters. Had these truths of Scripture always received the recognition which they deserve, there would be no chapter concerning the inhuman cruelties of many slave-holders in the history of most civilized countries. These are the facts to be remembered regarding slavery.