Back for Good

Back for good.

Better than a slave.

Now a brother in Christ.

 "But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord."

Philemon 1:14-16

Remember? Think of the many times in your life when you thought you knew the answer. Many times we think we know what is true about someone else. Later it was clear. It turns out we judged the person wrongly. This is my experience too. It’s not an enjoyable mistake to make.

It is highly possible that Philemon was extremely angry with Onesimus. It's likely he was willing to prosecute his runaway slave with all the force the law allowed. He had not only run away. He had stolen from Philemon. Before Paul's letter, Philemon was ready for justice. He planned to drop the hammer of justice on Onesimus.

What does it take for us to understand we have wrongly judged someone? It means we cannot hold on to our pride and ego. It means the justice we expected must no longer be a priority.

Paul asked Philemon to let go of his rights concerning Onesimus. Instead Paul pointed Philemon to consider what Jesus does to a heart. His runaway slave had become much more than a slave.

"Good" has two meanings. Good is a homophone-it has more than one meaning. Both apply in this account. Paul urges Philemon to accept Onesimus and have him "back for good."

This is good in two ways:

Good as in for the rest of life…to the advantage of Philemon.

Good as in positive wholesome relations as brothers…as in healthy and desired.

When we trust Jesus as our Savior...God receives us "back for good!"

Good with Jesus is forever good.