The conversion of Onesimus (Philemon 8-16)

There have been many surprising conversions to Jesus Christ. Some are mentioned in the New Testament – we can think of the tax collector Matthew or the thief on the cross or Saul of Tarsus as examples – and others are mentioned in Christian biographies and elsewhere. Among them is the conversion of the runaway slave Onesimus.

Onesimus had chosen to leave the household of Philemon and somehow made his way to Rome, which was several hundred miles away, probably to hide among its vast population. Perhaps eventually he had been arrested there for a petty offence and found himself imprisoned. We are not told how he came to be there, yet there he had been converted through the influence of Paul, who was now sending him back to his master, whom we assume would not have expected a letter containing such wonderful news. How had this come about?

Onesimus and Philemon’s prayers?

To begin with, I would suggest that Onesimus had been prayed for many times by Philemon before he ran away. Philemon was a good and kind master, and in addition he was a Christian master who would desire intensely spiritual blessings for his entire household, including his slaves. Therefore it is very unlikely that he did not pray regularly for Onesimus’ conversion.

We don’t know what Philemon’s reaction was to Onesimus’ flight, and neither did Paul, which explains his earnest plea to Philemon to treat Onesimus in a Christian manner. Probably Philemon was disappointed by what Onesimus did, but that should not have been a reason for assuming that God had ignored his prayers. The Lord often chooses very unexpected, indeed unusual, ways to answer our prayers.

Onesimus and divine providence

The next detail that covers the experience of Onesimus is divine providence. Sometimes we can speak about providence in a manner that suggests that God only acts in response to our actions. Yet in reality divine providence is only the outworking of God’s eternal plan and his total control over everything that occurs. We can put it this way: from Philemon’s perspective, Onesimus seemed to be running away from the ways of God; from God’s perspective, Onesimus was running towards his meeting with God, although that would not have been how Onesimus would have seen it.

Of course, there are many aspects connected to God’s implementation of his eternal plan that are hard to understand, especially with regard to how sinful actions by humans are included in it. Onesimus was wrong to run away from his good master. As a slave, he had responsibilities to fulfil in that culture and it was an expression of disobedience for him to rebel against its requirements. Yet in ways that we cannot grasp, Onesimus’ actions, although wrong, were both included in God’s plan and under his sovereign control.

This reality is basic to the Christian faith. Peter informed his audience on the Day of Pentecost that while Jesus was ‘delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God’, he had been ‘crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men’ (Acts 1:23). The apostle fearlessly declared that the sin of crucifying Jesus was included in God’s plan and that his listeners were also responsible for bringing it about. Paul himself knew that he had been chosen by God and that the Lord had also predetermined the time of his conversion, which took place while he was rushing to Damascus to punish sinfully the followers of Jesus there.

How can people respond to this reality? Some will hate it, because they imagine it undermines their freedom. Yet they had no control of the day of their birth and they have no power to bring about with certainty anything that they plan. So they don’t possess total freedom in any case. Yet we should not be surprised that some will hate the idea of a sovereign God who fulfils his own purpose. Further, animosity is better than apathy in the sense that their hostility may lead them to try and outthink the doctrine and in the process they may be enlightened to see the truth. After all, many surprising conversions have come from among such people.

A second possible response is fatalism, the idea that says ‘if I am going to be converted, I will be converted no matter what I do.’ Some even twist it further and say, ‘I may want to be converted, but if God has not put my name in his plan I will still be lost.’ The problem with such is that they are not listening to the Christian message which says very clearly that the only way by which persons can know if they were in the plan is by repenting of their sins and trusting in Jesus. 

The right response is to accept that God is in sovereign control and accept his free offer of mercy that he pronounces in the gospel. This is what Onesimus did. We are not told how he came in contact with Paul. Perhaps he heard that Epaphras, the pastor from Colosse, was with Paul and went there. Or he may have come across Christian slaves or freemen in Rome who mentioned Paul to him and he may have wondered if this was the same Paul who had influenced Philemon a few years before.  The one thing we do know is that God arranged in providence for Philemon to come in contact with Paul while he was imprisoned.

                                    

Onesimus and divine pardon

So Paul was able to speak to Onesimus about the gospel and how he could be forgiven. We can imagine the apostle speaking patiently and lovingly to Onesimus. In others of his writings at this time, such as Philippians, Paul mentions how he was able to bring the gospel to the soldiers who were guarding him. And he was also permitted by God to bring the good news to Onesimus. One obvious deduction we can make is that there is not a place where the gospel cannot be communicated successfully. There, in his confinement, Paul was free to share the message of Jesus with whoever came his way.

What did Onesimus need to hear? He needed to hear that all his sins could be forgiven. Perhaps to begin with he was only concerned with how his earthly master would respond to the wrongs committed against him. But he would have been told by Paul that he had a lot more wrongs to worry about, and these were the sins he had done against God. Those sins included all his wrong thoughts, wrong words and wrong actions. Onesimus would have been informed that he was guilty of innumerable sins against his Creator who had determined to punish all who had sinned against him.

But he would have been informed also of what God had done about the situation. With great delight, Paul would have recounted the life and work of Jesus, beginning with his eternal existence in heaven, his incarnation, his holy life, his death as a propitiation on behalf of sinners, his resurrection and his exaltation to the throne of God. The apostle would also have told Onesimus about how Jesus sent him as his ambassador to tell everyone he met about the forgiveness that could be received from God as a consequence of what Jesus had accomplished on behalf of sinners.

As the details penetrated into Onesimus’ mind and heart, he would sense a change coming over him. He began to feel sorry for having committed his sins and he wanted to respond by faith to the living Saviour who had died on the cross and was now risen. We cannot say how long the process took – it could have been a matter of hours or a matter of weeks, but the moment came when he experienced the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit and became a new creature. Having trusted in Jesus, Onesimus was immediately and completely forgiven by God.

Onesimus and God’s purpose for him

Why did God save Onesimus from his sins? Several answers could be given to this question, but two can be found in the description given of Onesimus by Paul. First, Onesimus had become a fellow-servant with Paul. We can see this emphasis in Paul’s description of him as ‘useful to you and to me’. Obviously Onesimus knew what it was like to be a servant. As a slave, he had obeyed whatever he had been commanded to do by Philemon. Now he had another Master, and how could he show obedience to him? First, he did so by submitting himself voluntarily to the requirements of the apostle and, second, by his being willing to accept his position in providence as a slave of Philemon. We could say that he obeyed God in church demands and obeyed him in the role given him in society. Obedience to God’s requirements is the best evidence of salvation. Such obedience is comprehensive and not selective, constant and not intermittent, and voluntary and not forced.

One aspect of this new commitment to Jesus was very challenging. Paul wanted Onesimus to go back to Philemon and tell him that he was now a different kind of bondslave. Obviously, this would be a huge step for Onesimus. Was he willing to confess Jesus where he had previously been a disobedient servant? It is straightforward to serve in a place where no one knows much about one’s past. But what about those who do know us and whom we have done wrong to at some stage in our lives? Onesimus had done personal wrong to Philemon and Paul knew it was appropriate that Onesimus and Philemon should be reconciled. The members of the church in Colosse needed to know if Philemon and Onesimus were reconciled, because if they were not, what should the church pray for? Perhaps the witness of the church there in Colosse would be damaged if either of them failed to embrace the other because the failure would indicate that the gospel did not change sinners and make them like Jesus. Onesimus needed to know if Philemon would forgive him for his previous sinful behaviour and theft, otherwise he would carry the memory of his wrong-doing on his heart.

So one aspect of God’s will for Onesimus was for him to live as a fellow-servant with others of his servants. In addition, it was God’s will that he live as a brother with all who were in God’s family. If the challenge for Onesimus was to go back to Colosse and seek reconciliation with Philemon, the challenge for Philemon was to treat the penitent Onesimus as a brother. No doubt, Onesimus was not the first slave in Colosse to run away, but I suspect he was the first returned slave to be treated as a brother by his offended master!

Philemon was to treat Onesimus as a brother because they were both members of God’s family. This does not mean that Philemon should have given liberty to Onesimus – Paul does not say to Philemon that he should not have slaves. It is impossible for us to know whether or not Paul personally believed that slavery would disappear before the second coming of Jesus. We cannot put our cultural norms back into an ancient culture that could not even imagine them. Instead, Paul is saying to Philemon that he can never forget that Onesimus is also a member of God’s family and that he should use what God has given him for the benefit of Onesimus when he comes home.

Of course, we can read these references to slavery and assume that they have no relevance to us because slavery is not a problem we face. Yet to do so is to ignore that Paul’s basic principle here is that social and cultural differences should not cause disunity and divisions among Christians. While Onesimus would remain a slave, Philemon could not treat him merely as a slave. It was Philemon’s responsibility to act appropriately towards all his slaves and Paul is not suggesting that Philemon show favouritism towards Onesimus at the expense of other slaves. Instead, what he is asking for is a change in Philemon’s attitude toward Onesimus. Now, Onesimus is his slave for a season but his brother forever. They have the same dignity as sons of God, they should have the same delight in the things of God, and they should engage in the same determination to serve Christ as Lord.