Onesimus

Have you ever read the story of Onesimus in the Bible? Maybe you have never heard of this guy. I can tell you that up until a couple weeks ago I had no idea who this guy was. As it turns out, the story of Onesimus is one of the most powerful stories in the whole Bible and it needs to be shared! The story of Onesimus is found in the book of Philemon. Philemon is only one chapter long so it is easy to see why this story is often overlooked but there is so much beauty in these 25 verses!

You see Onesimus was a slave in Colossae and he had stolen something from his master and fled to Rome. The punishment for a slave who had stolen from his master in that day and age was death by crucifixion. Philemon was the slaveholder of Onesimus and also a large supporter of the church in Colossae. Once Onesimus reached Rome we find out that somehow he meets Paul the apostle and through this relationship with Paul comes to know Jesus as the Lord and Savior of his life! With a transformed heart and a new identity, Paul charges Onesimus to return to Philemon and reconcile for the crime that he committed. The book of Philemon is a letter from Paul to his brother in the faith, Philemon, pleading that he would spare the life of his new brother Onesimus.

“But if he(Onesimus) has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” –Philemon 1:18

The beauty of this little book is that a criminal slave who deserved death was redeemed by the power of the cross and through grace was granted the opportunity for new life not as a slave but as a beloved son of God! Philemon listened to Paul and allowed Onesimus to live! Onesimus later went on to become the pastor of the church in Ephesus and an integral part of the growth in the early church. Talk about a story of redemption, I was blown away by this story that so closely parallels the gospel! What Paul did for Onesimus is exactly what God does for us! He meets us where we are, redeems us, stands in the gap and proclaims, “Whatever they owe, whatever penalty they deserve, charge it to My account!”

GOD IS SO GOOD!