1. Paul’s Appeal Philemon 17-20
Barry McCarty School of Preaching Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Text-Driven Preaching Workshop
Fall 2017

2. Philemon is the 3rd shortest book in the Bible.
335 words
Only 3rd and 2nd John are shorter.
22 sentences
6 paragraphs

3. Overview A personal letter from Paul to a Christian named Philemon.
Written about AD 60, during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, at the same time as Colossians.
Onesimus carries both letters to Colossae.
Paul intercedes on behalf of Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, who had gone to Rome and had been converted under Paul’s ministry.
Paul writes to urge Philemon to forgive Onesimus and receive him back not as a slave, but as a Christian brother.
Philemon is about reconciliation and relationships between believers.
It’s about how the Gospel is the change that changes everything.

4. The core of Philemon is hortatory discourse that seeks to persuade the addressee to fulfill commands or requests that are made in the discourse.
The usually pattern for hortatory discourse is:
The statement of a problem
The command
Then reasons or motivation for obedience.
Dr. Allen refers to Paul’s plea to Philemon as “mitigated exhortation.”

5. The Pericopes ESV Greeting: 1-3 Philemon’s love and faith: 4-7
Paul’s plea for Onesimus: 8-22
Final greetings: 23-25
Greek Text
Greeting: 1-3
Reason Paragraph: 4-7
Amplification: 8-16
Paul’s appeal: 17-20
Summary of Paul’s appeal (simultaneous hortatory paragraph): 21-22
Final Greeting: 23-25

6. Paragraph
Sentences
Clauses
Phrases
Words

7. Paul’s appeal: 17-20
17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

8. What’s going on in the passage?
17a Condition 17b Command 18a Condition 18b Condition 18c Command 19a Promise 19b Paralipsis 20a Wish 20b Command

9. “So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.” v. 17
Here in the heart of the letter, Paul asks Philemon to receive (προσλαμβάνω) Onesimus back.
It is the first of three imperative verbs in the letter.
Romans 15:7, “Therefore welcome (προσλαμβάνω) one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

10. “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” v. 18
Paul promises personally to make good any loss Philemon may have suffered (v. 18–19).
Whatever Onesimus owes is to be charged, ἐλλογέω, to Paul’s account.

11. “I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it . . .” v. 19
Paul’s letter contains a powerful promissory note.

12. “ἐγὼ Παῦλος ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, ἐγὼ ἀποτίσω”
The verbs “I write” and “I will repay” are already first person singular. Paul is already the subject who is acting in both clauses.

13. “ἐγὼ Παῦλος ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, ἐγὼ ἀποτίσω”
But he adds an emphatic ἐγώ twice: “I write” and “I will repay.”

14. “ἐγὼ Παῦλος ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, ἐγὼ ἀποτίσω”
The phrase “my hand” is also emphatic .
And he inserts his own name written in his own handwriting.
The archaic English term for a handwritten promissory note is a note of hand.
The Greeks has a similar concept, χειρόγραφον, a hand-written certificate of indebtedness. Though Paul doesn’t use that term here, the idea is the same.

15. Paul’s instructions in verse 18 to charge to his own account whatever Onesimus owed Philemon would have been enough.
But here he follows up with a promissory note over his own signature.

16. “—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.” v. 19
Paul couples his promise with a paralipsis, indirectly mentioning that he won’t mention that Philemon himself is a spiritual debtor to Paul.

17. “Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord
“Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.” v. 20
Paul concludes his appeal by asking Philemon for a favor or benefit (ὀνίνημι) in the Lord. What is this favor?
Paul identified with Onesimus so closely that he will consider Philemon’s favorable treatment of Onesimus as a benefit to himself.
Paul’s benefit could be in seeing that Philemon understands and acts in accordance with the gospel.
Paul is suggesting that Onesimus be sent back to him.

18. “Refresh my heart in Christ.”
The final imperative:
“Refresh my heart in Christ.”
Paul had already commended Philemon for refreshing the hearts of the saints in verse 7.
“For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed (ἀναπαύω) through you.”

19. What Paul does here is a picture of the Gospel
What Paul does here is a picture of the Gospel. He is modeling the Lord Jesus.
“So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.”
Because of Christ’s relationship with the Father, he asks the Father to receive us as the Father receives him!
“If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.”
Everything we owed God as sinners and spiritual debtors has been charged to Christ’s account!

20. My hope is in the Lord, Who gave himself for me And paid the price for all my sin At Calvary. No merit of my own His anger to suppress My only hope is found In Jesus’ righteousness.
And now for me He stands Before the Father's throne. He shows his wounded hands And names me as his own. His grace has planned it all ‘Tis mine but to believe And recognize His work of love And Christ receive. —Norman J. Clayton

21. The Gospel radically transforms all relationships.
The Gospel changed Paul’s relationship to God.
The Gospel changed Philemon’s relationship to God.
The Gospel changed Onesimus’s relationship to God.
The Gospel changed each man’s relationship with the others.

22. Paul’s letter to Philemon demonstrates that the Gospel is the change that changes everything.