“If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.” (Philemon 17)

Paul’s Epistle to Philemon features a request. We can learn a powerful lesson from the request found in this tiny book of the Bible (it has no chapter divisions and only twenty-five verses).Three times (verses 12, 15, and 17) Paul asks Philemon to “receive” a Christian brother named Onesimus. Onesimus had been a household servant or slave in Philemon’s home in Colosse but had run away. In God’s perfect orchestration of life, Onesimus ran away, met Paul (probably in Rome), and was led to faith in Christ by Paul. Had it not been for Paul’s request, Onesimus could have stayed in limbo. Would he wander the streets of Rome? Would he be embraced at the door of Philemon’s house? Would he be sent away from church services in Colosse?

Philemon faced hard questions: Is Onesimus really a changed man? Is it safe for me to welcome a thief? (Paul implies in verse 18 that Onesimus may have stolen from Philemon.) Should I receive Onesimus simply because Paul says he has trusted Christ as Savior? Paul makes a strong case that Philemon should receive his repentant runaway. First, Paul indicates that Onesimus has become like a son to him (verse 10). Second, Paul implies that Onesimus is capable of ministering to him (verse 13). Third, Paul says that he wants Philemon to participate in the decision about Onesimus’ fate (verse 14). Fourth, Paul describes Onesimus as no longer just a servant but as “a brother beloved” (verse 16). Fifth, Paul, a seasoned apostle, urges Philemon–rather than commanding him–to receive Onesimus “for love’s sake” (verses 8 and 9). The whole matter is marked by tenderness instead of by force. It would have been easy for Onesimus to have fallen through the cracks and never been welcomed into Philemon’s home again.

Paul made sure that Philemon (and the church in Colosse) learned an important lesson: There are no second-class Christians. Nobody deserves grace and forgiveness, including Paul, Philemon, you who read these lines, or me. Rather than shunning Onesimus, Paul treats him as a test case for the transforming power of the gospel. In Colossians, Paul refers to him as “a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you” (4:9). The request is that Philemon would receive Onesimus just as he would receive Paul himself! (verse 17)

We dare not treat one another as first-class and second-class Christians. The case of Onesimus forbids it.