At Home in the Community

May 23, 2010

Background Scripture: Philemon
Lesson Passage: Philemon 4, 5, 8 – 21

In today’s lesson we examine a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a Christian named Philemon. Philemon owned or legally had the rights to a servant named Onesimus. Onesimus had run away from Philemon and while on the run he met Paul. Apparently through Paul’s ministry, Onesimus had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon along with this letter requesting that Philemon receive Onesimus even as he would receive Paul, as a brother in Christ rather than as a slave. Paul reminded Philemon in the letter that he owed his own life to Paul.

The Epistle to Philemon is a peculiar letter. It is a reminder that being a Christian does not take away the ills of society. Many professed Christians do more to contribute to and maintain social injustices in society than do some non-Christians. Just because a person has accepted Jesus as his savior does not necessarily mean that he has allowed Jesus to be Lord of his life. Accepting Jesus as savior changes a person’s spiritual standing or justification before God. Justification delivers us from the penalty or wages of sin. After we have been justified by God, our Christian walk and our lifestyle are forever undergoing changes until we die. We refer to this transformation as sanctification or the ongoing deliverance from the power of sin in our daily living. It is within this process that Christians often find themselves conflicted. Although we are Christians, we do not live in a Christian society. And if by chance we did live in a Christian society, we would discover that social problems would still exist in that society because they originate within the human heart. The bible teaches us that the issues of life flow out of our hearts. God noted that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Even after we are saved, the struggle goes on within us. At the height of racial unrest in America, it was noted that more could have been accomplished quicker if the Christians within the majority race would have stood up for the rights of the oppressed. If just the clergy of the majority race would have joined the oppressed, conditions might have changed drastically within a short time. We pray to the same God through the same Jesus but we do so out of very different circumstances. Those differences cause an estrangement among Christians. I believe we have an opportunity to learn from the Apostle Paul’s experience with Onesimus. First, Christians can ill afford to be neutral about matters that affect the well-being of others in our society. We must be concerned enough to take action. Some clergy did exactly that during the Civil Rights movement. Secondly, we must acknowledge that the problem is not about laws or contracts but the hearts of men. Like Paul, we must appeal to hearts for necessary changes rather than to man’s reasoning. Only when we are willing to extend beyond our own comfort zones and challenge fellow Christians to take a stand for right will we begin to feel at home in the community.

Robert C. Hudson
May 15, 2010