Philemon 1:18: “But if he has wronged you or owes you anything, put that on my account.”

July 21st, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This short book is a letter Paul wrote to Philemon, a believer in Colossae. It deals mainly with Paul encouraging Philemon to forgive Onesimus, his slave who ran away. Paul encountered him in Rome and Onesimus became a believer, and afterward stayed with Paul and ministered to him while he was in prison. But because Onesimus was a runaway slave, he needed to go back and make things right. During that time period, when a runaway slave was recovered, they would be severely punished or put to death. Paul was asking Philemon to choose a better way, and to receive Onesimus as “a beloved brother” in the Lord (v. 16).

Although some read verse 18 as a suggestion that Onesimus had robbed Philemon before running away, we do not believe so. Paul seems to be gently asking Philemon if he is in anyone’s debt. Didn’t he owe much to Paul, and in an even greater way, Jesus, who had brought him to salvation? Because of the gift of salvation given to us, we all have a debt we cannot pay. All we can do is humbly bow our faces in grateful worship of the One who took our place on the cross in the “Great Exchange.”

There is a weak, human example of this concept found in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. For hundreds of years in Scotland, representatives of Clan McIntyre have delivered a payment on a debt owed to Clan Campbell. Their payment is one snowball, but it must be paid during the summer. No one seems to know exactly what happened in the past, but it is clear that the idea was to require a payment that would be very difficult to deliver—a snowball in summer. We too amassed a debt that is not just difficult but impossible for us to pay. And so Jesus paid it for us on the cross. Colossians 2:13–14 tells us that Jesus cancelled every debt we owed through His death on the cross. And that is why, when we come together, we celebrate communion to remind us of the price Jesus paid for us. As the old hymn so clearly states, “Jesus paid it all, / All to Him I owe; / Sin had left a crimson stain, / He washed it white as snow.”

“LORD, we thank You for the debt paid on Calvary for us. We can never repay You, but we can, in love, serve You and others freely this day.”