Philemon: The Gospel With Skin On

June 14, 2026, Glynwood Baptist Church, Prattville, AL

James Jackson, Pastor

Good morning. If you have your Bibles, or something with your Bible on it, I invite you to turn to Paul’s letter to Philemon. I know that’s one of those books that takes more time to find than it does to read, so I want to make sure I give you more time. And hear me say this now, because it’s something you’re gonna need reminding of A LOT over the next few weeks:

It is not a sin to use the Table of Contents. Nobody is going to look at you and think you are less of a Christian if you have to use the TOC to find any of the books we are going to be studying.

Over the next several weeks, we are going to be diving into some of the shortest books in the Bible. And because they are short, they’re often overlooked. Most Christians know the Psalms. Most know Romans. Most know Genesis.

But books like Philemon, Obadiah, and 3 John? Those are easy to underestimate.

Growing up in Atlanta, one of my heroes was Spud Webb of the Atlanta Hawks. Spud was only 5’7″, one of the shortest players in the history of the NBA. Here’s a picture of Spudstanding next to Manute Bol, who at 7’7 is tied for the tallest player in NBA history.

Now, looking at those two together, which of them do you think would be more likely to win a slam dunk contest?

Well, you would be wrong. In 1986, he shocked the basketball world by winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

These little books of the Bible are the Spud Webbs of Scripture. They’re small, often overlooked, and easy to underestimate. But they pack a punch far beyond their size.

We’re calling this series Short Books, Long Shadows because these little books cast a shadow far larger than their size. Their themes, truths, and challenges are just as relevant today as they were two thousand or more years ago.

Hopefully by now you’ve found the book of Philemon. Or you might have heard it pronounced Phi-LAY-mon, which is fine too. Just don’t call it Filet Man. That was the inventor of the fish sandwich. Most likely Jonah.

Before we dive into the text, let me give you the background.

Unlike Romans or Ephesians, Philemon isn’t a letter written to an entire church. And unlike the letters to Timothy and Titus, its not a letter written to a pastor. It’s a personal letter written by the Apostle Paul to a man named Philemon, who most likely lived in Colossae. In fact, we see from the verse 2 that the Colossian church met in his home.

Paul is writing from prison. Philemon is a respected Christian leader. And caught between them is a man named Onesimus.

Onesimus was a slave who belonged to Philemon. At some point, he ran away. It appears he may have even stolen  from his master before he left. You’ll see why people think that in a few minutes.

At some point, Onesimus crossed paths with Paul. Through Paul’s ministry, Onesimus became a Christian.

And now Paul faces a dilemma.

What should happen next? Should Onesimus stay with Paul? Should he return to Philemon? How should Philemon treat him?

Those are the questions this little letter seeks to answer.

And that’s the reason I’m calling this sermon, “The Gospel With Skin On.” Because the letter to Philemon is a great example of the fact that the Bible speaks to issues of everyday life. The gospel isn’t just about abstract theology and dusty doctrine. The gospel lives in the real world, and it has practical application for everyday living. The gospel isn’t just about believing the right things so you’ll go to heaven when you die. The gospel shapes our actions, our behaviors, or mindsets, our paradigms.

That’s what you’ll see in Philemon.

Let’s look at this together. After Paul introduces himself and greets Philemon and his family, he commends Philemon for his faith. And then he gets to the ask. Let’s read this together:

Philemon 8–20 ESV

⁸ Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, ⁹ yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— ¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. ¹¹ (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) ¹² I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. ¹³ I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, ¹⁴ but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. ¹⁵ For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 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.

May God bless the reading of his word. Let’s pray together.

[pray]

Now before we go any further, let’s address the elephant in the room.

Many modern readers come to Philemon and ask, “Why doesn’t Paul simply condemn slavery?”

It’s a fair question.

The short answer is that Paul doesn’t write this letter as a political revolutionary trying to overthrow the Roman Empire. He writes as a gospel preacher seeking to transform people from the inside out.

That doesn’t mean Paul approved of slavery. In fact, what he writes here ultimately undermines the very foundations of slavery.

That’s what the gospel does. I want to show you four things the Gospel— again, not just the plan of salvation, but the gospel with skin on— the gospel that impacts our everyday lives— does.

1.  The Gospel Redefines Relationships (v. 8-11)

The first thing we see in this letter is that the gospel redefines relationships.

It redefined Paul’s relationship with Philemon. Notice how Paul begins his appeal. Verse  8:

“Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you…”

Think about that.

Paul is an apostle. If anyone had the authority to issue a command, it was Paul. He could have said, “Philemon, I’m an apostle. This is what you’re going to do.”

Instead, he says, “For love’s sake, I appeal to you.”

Before Paul ever asks Philemon to change the way he sees Onesimus, Paul demonstrates a new way of relating to Philemon. He doesn’t pull rank. He doesn’t throw his weight around. He appeals to him as a brother in Christ.

The gospel had redefined their relationship.

Then notice how the gospel redefined Paul and Onesimus’s Relationship

 Verse 10:

“I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.”

Paul doesn’t describe Onesimus as a runaway slave. He doesn’t define him by his failures. He doesn’t call him a criminal or a fugitive.

He calls him “my child.”

Somewhere between running away from Philemon and meeting Paul in prison, Onesimus met Jesus. And now Paul sees him differently.

The gospel had redefined that relationship too.

But the biggest transformation is still to come. The gospel redefined the relationship between Philemon and Onesimus. Between the slave owner and the slave

Look at verses 15 and 16:

“For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother…”

That’s the heart of the letter.

In the eyes of the Roman world, Onesimus was a slave and Philemon was his master. Their relationship was defined by status, power, and social rank.

But Paul says the gospel has introduced a new reality. Yes, Onesimus may still be a servant in the flesh, but he is now something more.

He is a brother.

The world said, “Master and slave.”

The gospel says, “Brother and brother.”

This wasn’t an isolated idea for Paul. In Galatians he wrote:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Paul isn’t saying that every earthly distinction instantly disappears. He’s saying that there is now a deeper identity that outranks every other identity.

The gospel changes the way we see people.

The world is constantly putting people into categories. Rich and poor. Educated and uneducated. Republican and Democrat. Immigrant and native born. For us in Prattville, military and civilian.

The gospel introduces a category that trumps all the others: brother and sister in Christ.

That’s what happened to Philemon and Onesimus.

And that’s what should happen to us.

The gospel doesn’t just save souls. It changes relationships. It changes the way we see people. It changes the way we treat people. It changes the way we speak to people.

When Jesus changes your heart, He  changes your perspective.

And when perspectives change, relationships change.

And when relationships change, entire cultures eventually change.

Maybe now you’re beginning to see why Paul just didn’t call for the abolition of slavery outright. If he had, he likely would have been dismissed as a political revolutionary and his ministry cut short. Instead, Paul chose a different path.

He trusted the gospel to do its work.

He preached Christ.

He made disciples.

He planted churches.

And wherever the gospel took root, people began to see one another differently—not as masters and slaves, but as brothers and sisters in Christ.

That’s where real transformation begins.

2. The Gospel Returns the Runaway (v 16)

The second thing we see is that the gospel returns the runaway.

Paul says in verse 12, “I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.” Think about that. Paul loves Onesimus. He calls him “my child.” He’s not a bounty hunter ready to drag Onesimus back to Philemon in chains. He sends him back. And apparently Onesimus goes willingly. As a follower of Jesus, he makes the journey himself. He’s willing to face any consequences there might be. He’s taking responsibility for his actions.

This is a great picture of repentance. Repentance is the turn away from sin and toward Jesus.

In many ways, Onesimus reminds me  of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. The prodigal left home looking for freedom. He thought freedom meant distance from authority, distance from responsibility, distance from his father. But eventually he discovered that what he called freedom was actually another form of bondage. And so he came home.

Let’s be honest. We all have a runaway spirit in us. We run from God. We run from His authority. We run from His will. We run from the life He created us to live. And all the while we call it freedom.

But real freedom isn’t found in running from God. Real freedom is found in returning to Him. Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Notice that Onesimus isn’t simply returning to a place. He’s returning as a different person. He left as a runaway slave. He returns as a beloved brother. He left separated from God. He returns reconciled to God. He left thinking freedom was somewhere else. He returns having discovered where freedom actually lives.

The gospel returns the runaway.

And perhaps some of us need to hear that today. Maybe you’ve been running from God for years. Maybe you’ve been running from obedience. Maybe you’ve been running from a conversation, a confession, a calling, or a commitment. The good news of the gospel is that there is always a road home. And the first step toward freedom is turning around.

We’re going to circle back to that in a few minutes. But I want to skip ahead to the fourth point for just a moment.

4. The Gospel Refreshes Hearts

Twice in this letter Paul talks about refreshing hearts. In verse 7 he tells Philemon that he has refreshed the hearts of the saints. In verse 20 he says, “Refresh my heart in Christ.”

That’s what happens when gospel people live out the gospel. Hearts are refreshed.

When people forgive, hearts are refreshed.

When people reconcile, hearts are refreshed.

When people welcome one another as brothers and sisters, hearts are refreshed.

This is why the evening news always ends with a feel good, human interest story. One network even calls the segment “There’s good news tonight.” Its because when there is so much bad news in the world, our hearts are refreshed when we are reminded of decency, courage, kindness, and selflessness.

And Followers of Jesus have the opportunity to be the Gospel with skin on to the people around us every day. Every day, we have a choice:

We can crush hearts, or we can refresh hearts.

We can crush hearts with the things we say, with the things we post. With pettiness and meanness.

Or we can refresh hearts by being people who live out the gospel with our actions.

I’ve spent the last few days at the Southern Baptist Convention. As always, there were moments that burdened my heart. There was division, and pettiness, and nitpicking, and self-righteousness.

But there were also moments that refreshed my heart. We celebrated baptisms.  For the first time since Truman was President, we’ve seen five consecutive years of growth in baptisms since the previous year.

We commissioned missionaries. We celebrated 63 missionaries who are being sent to the nations. Of those, 45 are being sent to countries where a public witness is not welcomed. So they were behind a screen, with a different name and an altered voice. We heard stories of lives changed by the gospel. And I was reminded once again that when gospel people do gospel things in gospel ways, it refreshes the heart.

But that raises a question.

How can people refresh one another’s hearts like that? How can reconciliation happen? How can broken relationships be restored?

Without Jesus, they can’t. As fallen, sinful people, we can’t. We can’t reconcile relationships if we ourselves are not in right relationship with God.

And that brings us back to Point 3.

3. The Gospel Reconciles Debts (v. 18)

 Paul says to Philemon in verse 18

Philemon 18 ESV

¹⁸ If he [Onesimus} has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.

Let’s pause and recap what we know. Onesimus had rebelled against his master by running away. The text implies he had stolen from Philemon. Paul led Onesimus to Christ. It’s possible that he met Onesimus in prison, because verse 10 says Paul “became his father in his imprisonment.”

Now, Onesimus is demonstrating genuine repentance by returning to his master.

Now, Paul is acting as the agent of reconciliation.

There are two parties here: Philemon, the offended, and Onesimus, the offender. Paul stands between them. He has brought Onesimus to repentance. He is now presenting the offender to Philemon, the one he offended, “now longer as a servant, but now as a beloved brother” (verse 16). And to top it off, he says  to Philemon, “if Onesimus has wronged you or owes you anything, charge it to my account.”

Do you see it?

This is no longer just a story about a runaway slave and a generous apostle.

This is a picture of the gospel itself. This is the gospel with skin on.

There are two parties: Philemon, the offended, and Onesimus, the offender. Paul stands between them as the agent of reconciliation.

And that’s exactly what Jesus has done for us.We are the ones who have offended God the Father with our sins. Like Onesimus, we are brought to repentance. We recognize our sin, turn from it, and place our faith in Christ.

[spread arms out in crucified pose]

So here we are, on one side, and here’s God on the other. And Jesus, through His suffering and death on the cross, has brought the two together.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote that Jesus “reconciles us to God through the cross.”

Essentially, Jesus said to His Father, I’m going to go to the cross. I’m going to shed my blood to pay for their sins. So Heavenly Father, if they have wronged you, or if they owe you anything, charge it to my account.

And because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, He is now able to present us to His heavenly father, no longer slaves to sin, but sons and daughters in Christ. Paul says in Galatians 4:7–

Galatians 4:7 ESV

⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

I want to ask you, can that be said of you? Are you a slave or a son?

That’s the ultimate question of Philemon. Not whether Onesimus will be received by Philemon, but whether you have been received by God.

[Invitation]

Are you still running from God, or have you come home?

Are you a runaway slave, or a reconciled son or daughter

Are you still trying to carry your own debt, or have you trusted Christ to pay it?

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus stands ready to receive every runaway who comes to Him. He has already paid the debt. He has already made reconciliation possible. The invitation today is simple: repent, believe the gospel, and come home.

Repent: Admit that you are a slave to sin and you can’t save yourself.

Believe the Gospel: God loves you, but He hates your sin. He gave us His one and only son because He loves us. On the cross, Jesus paid the debt our sins deserve.

And come home. Jesus stands ready to present you to His heavenly Father as a forgiven son or daughter.

And for those of us who already know Christ, perhaps the question is this: are you refreshing the hearts of the people around you by the way you live out the gospel?

This week, let’s be the gospel with skin on.