Philemon 4-7

⁴I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, ⁵because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. ⁶I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. ⁷Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

Paul prays a prayer of thanksgiving to God (Philippians 1:3) first because of the faith and love of Philemon and the local church. It’s not some generic faith and love; rather, it’s their faith “in the Lord Jesus” and love “for all the saints” (Colossians 1:3-4). Paul doesn’t dwell on that like he did in Colossians; he moves on in v6 to pray for Philemon to be active in sharing his faith. In this letter, Paul will be asking for Philemon to be active in sharing his faith, and he knows that God must provide it. In other words, Paul prays that God would work a right response from Philemon, because he’s going to ask Philemon to respond rightly. If we don’t understand the sovereignty of God, this prayer makes no sense. Why would Paul ask God to do what Philemon must do? It’s because God works in His people “to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).

Notice the motive Paul gives Philemon for being active in sharing his faith. It’s so that he “will have a full understanding of every good thing [he has] in Christ.” This is similar again to the prayer for the Colossians (1:9-10) – “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” This prayer implies that Philemon lacks an understanding of every good thing he has in Christ. It always takes the application of our faith to realize the glory of Christ in us. Knowing God, understanding “every good thing” we have in Christ, comes through the application of one’s faith in daily living, but also and especially in difficult circumstances. Paul wants Philemon’s faith to be much more than an intellectual pursuit. When we see the fruit of our faith, we understand the blessing of God, who is working in us, conforming us to the image of Jesus. That’s a “good thing”! James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Let’s also consider the “active in sharing your faith” portion of Paul’s prayer. What does that mean? We might think this means sharing the gospel with unbelievers. But that’s not exactly what Paul is talking about here. Paul is speaking of actively sharing your faith in terms of your daily living. W.W.J.D. – “What would Jesus do?” In every circumstance, how would Jesus respond? Answering that question and doing the same is being active in sharing your faith, according to Paul. And Philemon has a glorious opportunity to do just that regarding his situation with Onesimus. What would Jesus do? Jesus would see the repentant return of Onesimus as being like the prodigal son, and Jesus would run to him and embrace him with open arms, restoring to him the fullness of fellowship, no longer as a slave but as a brother. Would Philemon be active in sharing his faith in this way? We’ll see.

Finally, in v7, Paul points to Philemon’s love as a source of “great joy and encouragement.” The love of Philemon has “refreshed the hearts of the saints.” Calvin says that Paul “has great joy and consolation, because Philemon administered relief to the necessities of the godly. This was singular love, to feel so much joy on account of the benefit received by others. Besides, the Apostle does not only speak of his personal joy, but says that many rejoiced on account of the kindness and benevolence with which Philemon had aided religious men.” Here, as well as in v12 and 20, Paul uses a word translated “heart,” but it’s not the normal Greek word for “heart.” Instead, it’s a word that points to the emotional aspect of the depth of our being. It’s as if he’s saying, “heart of hearts,” or “depths of our affections.” In the context, Paul is saying that he overjoyed and consoled to the point of tears from Philemon’s sacrificial and generous love as he provides for the needs of the brothers in Colosse. In a casual reading of this letter, we probably miss the genuine outpouring of the heart from an emotional perspective; but it’s clearly there. Yet Paul has motive for laying it out this way; we can’t miss that. It’s part of his appeal to reach a desired outcome – the right course of action to build up the Body of Christ.