Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19990228.htm

PHILEMON: DESTROYING INSTITUTIONAL EVIL WITH INDIVIDUAL GRACIOUSNESS
Part III: Concluding Addressing Evil In Institutions By Forgiving Those Who Repent Of Wronging Us
(Philemon 6b, 12, 15-16, 18-19)
  1. Introduction
    1. Many of us believers are concerned about the evil in the institutions around us. The Supreme Court sanctions abortion-on-demand, Congress tolerates atheistic evolution and the suppression of Creationism in our public schools while our President defends homosexuality. We can add to this the evil faced in marital, family or other human institutions at the local levels.
    2. Since we are to make disciples of all nations according to Acts 1:8, that commission eventually faces and must counter the evil in man's institutions. The only question is how to do so effectively and rightly!
    3. Paul's Epistle to Philemon heavily influenced the Christian community of his day to nullify evils in the institution of human slavery. Since Christianity itself eventually nullified Rome's power, one can say that Paul through Philemon paved the way for how we are to correct evils in man's institutions.
    4. We conclude our series by focusing on Paul's call for believers to forgive repentant parties of wrongs done to them as follows:
  2. Concluding Addressing Evil In Institutions By Forgiving Those Who Repent Of Wronging Us.
    1. When Paul wrote his epistle to Philemon, Onesimus, whom Paul had led to Christ while in a Roman prison, was in danger of being crucified by fellow Christian, Philemon for being a thieving, runaway slave:
      1. Onesimus had run away from his Christian master after having apparently stolen from him, ending up in Rome where Paul had led him to faith in Christ, Phm. 10-11, 15-16, 18.
      2. Since a runaway slave could be legally crucified by their masters, Paul faced the awesome task of calming the troubled waters between fellow believers, Philemon and Onesimus due to the evils of vengeance that slavery promoted in the Empire, J. B. Lightfoot, Colossians and Philemon, p. 314.
    2. Paul sought to overcome the evil retribution often practiced in such a case by appealing to Philemon to forgive Onesimus who had changed his heart upon receiving Christ, and returned in genuine repentance:
      1. Paul called upon Philemon in this epistle to receive the repentant Onesimus with forgiveness, v. 10, 12.
      2. The ways and means for Philemon to do this are supplied in this epistle and expanded elsewhere in Scripture as follows:
        1. First, we know from Matthew 3:7-8 in light of John the Baptizer's teaching that Philemon was to forgive Onesimus only upon grounds that Onesimus had evidenced his repentance in fruits of action. In this case, his returning to his mast er with Paul's letter in faith that God would work in his master under no force but his own courageous compulsion evidenced a truly repentant heart, v. 12.
        2. Second, the power to be motivated to forgive a man whom the law said you had a right to crucify for running from you would be supplied by the indwelling Lord's control of Philemon's heart and behavior, cf. Philemon 6b with Romans 8:3-4 .
        3. Third, Philemon could adjust on a long-term basis to accepting Onesimus as forgiven based upon his spiritual readjustment to Christian values and insight and at the sacrifice of the world's viewpoint: (a) Paul called upon Philemon to swallow his tendency to harbor pride at not requiring Onesimus to pay him back for stealing so as to look good before the other slaves and onlooking masters in the Church or community: Paul would pay him back instead, Phm. 18-19. This meant turning from worldly lust of pride mentioned in 1 John 2:15-17. (b) Paul called upon Philemon to replace his old concept of Onesimus as a slave with the new concept of his being a fellow beloved bro ther in Christ, Phm. 15-16. This meant replacing the world's view of master-slave relationships and class values of persons with the unity of class and brotherhood found in Christ, cf. Gal. 3:27-28.
Lesson: Institutional evil can be obliterated if we forgive those who have truly repented of their institutional sins against us. That forgiveness overcomes evil with good, for it removes the spirit of retaliation at its very core, making a real o pportunity for peace, Rom. 12:21.

Application: The salvation that is offered in Christ offers all of the raw materials to absorb the wrongs done against the innocent so that evil in institutions can abate rather than escalate. Let us therefore use the riches of Christ to a bsorb such evils so that there can be institutional peace and righteousness.