1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker, 2to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, 5hearing of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in Christ Jesus. 7For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
8Therefore though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate, 9yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. 10I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have become the father of in my chains, 11who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me. 12I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, 13whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News. 14But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will. 15For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while that you would have him forever, 16no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18But if he has wronged you at all or owes you anything, put that to my account. 19I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides). 20Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.
21Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.
22Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Philemon 1:10–14
Now Paul brings Onesimus into the story, again with remarkable sensitivity. He calls Onesimus “my child,” someone he led to Christ while in prison. Paul carefully saves the name “Onesimus” until the end of the sentence—drawing Philemon’s attention first to the transformation: “my child… whom I became a father to in my chains… Onesimus.” It’s masterful rhetoric—gentle, persuasive, and deeply pastoral.
Once useless, Onesimus has become useful—both to Paul and to Philemon. Paul’s phrasing even plays on Onesimus’s name, which means “useful” or “profitable.” The former runaway, once a liability, has now become a blessing.
Paul freely acknowledges Onesimus’s past but immediately highlights the change. He says, “I’m sending him back to you—my very heart.” Paul could have kept him, and surely benefited from his companionship and service in prison. But instead, he sends him back to make things right—and to let Philemon respond of his own free will.
Paul underscores that he didn’t want to act without Philemon’s consent. The grace of reconciliation must not be forced. Paul desired that any kindness Philemon showed would come from his heart, not from pressure.
This whole section reveals Paul’s gospel ethic: that love transforms relationships, that former wrongs can be made right, and that the Church should model a new kind of family—where no one is regarded as a mere servant or a slave, but as a beloved brother in Christ.