SOME PRACTICAL LESSONS OF PERMANENT VALUE

1. It is not the primary purpose of the gospel to change the social structure of society. In this instance, Paul clearly did not attempt to abolish slavery.
   • As we have seen in the case of Philemon, some Christians were slave owners.
   • The New Testament writers never advocate the abolition of slavery, but they do regulate the behavior of Christian masters (Eph. 6:5-9; Col. 3:22-4:1; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9-10; 1 Corinthians 7:21-24)
   • Although Paul did not condemn the institution of slavery, if the principles he taught Philemon were carried to fruition, slavery would eventually be abolished.
   • The Roman Empire was a closed system. An abolitionist movement would have been immediately crushed by the Roman legions. The New Testament did not advocate the overthrow of the Roman Empire, rather it appealed for change within the hearts of men and women.
   • Ours is an open system that allows for dissent. We are free to work toward "throwing the rascals out" when the power structures behave in an oppressive manner.
2. Although we come to Christ from different stations in life, we are brothers and partners in Christ.
   • Our shared partnership in Christ makes all class distinction irrelevant (Gal. 3:28).
   • Social standing is irrelevant in Christ.
3. God can use people who are oppressed and mistreated to bring glory to his cause. We have only to consider the following examples.
   • Joseph in Egypt.
   • Esther and Nehemiah in Persia
   • Daniel in Babylon

CONCLUSION

What happened when Philemon got Paul's letter? There is really no way to know. In the second century Ignatius mentioned a man named Onesimus who became prominent in the church at Ephesus. Was he the same man? Did Philemon free him? We won't be able to answer those questions in this life. One thing is certain. There was no doubt in Paul's mind that Philemon would treat Onesimus as a brother. He said, "Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask."

Norman Bales
Southern Hills Church of Christ
Norman's e-mail address: nlbales@allaboutfamilies.org

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