The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
(Over the next few days, we will consider the the Apostle Paul's epistle to Philemon, one of my favorite portions of Scripture, and one of its most Christ-exalting and revealing revelations of truth.)
"Philemon"
Part 2 - The Intercession
The Apostle Paul wrote the epistle to Philemon as an intercession on behalf of an escaped slave, Onesimus, whom Paul desired Philemon his owner to receive "not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved" (Philemon 1:16). Paul had led both men to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and sought to establish a relationship based on the fact of their shared spiritual being and standing in God's grace and truth.
The letter is rich in typology of the Lord Jesus and His redeeming work on our behalf. "He ever liveth to make intercession" as "the one mediator between God and men" (Hebrews 7:25; I Timothy 2:5). His grace made possible our new birth into family relationship with God, wherein believers are "no more a servant, but a son," even as Paul sought Oneimus to be received by Philemon in the same acceptance and family favor (Galatians 4:7).
"As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12).
Had Paul never been imprisoned in Rome, he likely would never have met Onesimus, nor would he have led him to faith in the Lord Jesus. The Apostle's sufferings made possible Onesimus' salvation, as well as the epistle that would not have existed apart from God's working to enable Paul to serve as the intercessor of the slave who became a brother. Christ's work on our behalf vividly shines in the account of a grace whereby the loss of one results in the gain of others. He became human for us, and even more, became something far more in sorrow, suffering, loss, and death:
"He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (II Corinthians 5:21).
The Son became sin, that sinners might become sons. God is not content that human beings exist merely as His creations. He rather made us to be spiritually birthed into a relationship nearer than we can presently realize. "Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be" (I John 3:2). Indeed, when the Lord Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Our Father, which art in Heaven," He presaged a coming day when those who trust Him would by His sacrifice be birthed into a bond with God even angels desire to examine (Matthew 6:9; I Peter 1:12).
No believer feels worthy in and of ourselves to be sons and daughters of God in Christ. Our worthiness, however, is not based on ourselves or our doings. We rather find ourselves "accepted in the Beloved," whose intercession for us grants a relationship and fellowship with God foreshadowed by Paul's intercession for a slave we trust was received as "a brother beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). A reading of Philemon tells us of such grace and mercy. It does not reveal the greeting Onesimus received when returning to the master we can surmise received him as a brother. But we can imagine, even as we can ponder our entrance one day into our Father's presence, discovering how near He has drawn us to Himself through the Son "made to be sin" that He might forever serve as the glorious intercessor of "many sons" (Hebrews 2:10).
"For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."
(Ephesians 2:18)
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."
(I John 4:9)
Weekly Memory Verse
For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory.
(Hebrews 2:10).
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