Face The Music - Onesimus

I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart. I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf.

Philemon 1:12-13

At one time, Steve described himself as a hard-working, hard-fighting, hard-drinking construction worker. Through the witness of a caring friend, he found salvation in Jesus. As he began to grow in his faith, God brought to his mind a wrong he had once committed. Years before he had stolen some tools from a construction company.

One Saturday morning, he packaged up every tool he had taken (worth about four hundred dollars) and sent them back to the company’s last-known address. He wrote a note explaining that he had become a Christian and wanted to make things right. He included his phone number and address, should the company want to take additional action.

Sometimes God brings to mind past wrongs we have committed so that we can make amends and seek forgiveness. Onesimus, a runaway slave, took that course of action.

Onesimus had deserted his master, Philemon, a wealthy believer in Colossae, and had headed for Rome, probably to find a little anonymity. While there, he met the apostle Paul, who brought him to faith in Christ.

Now Onesimus had a decision to make.

Onesimus knew he had wronged his master; he had deserted him and stolen from him. He also knew that under Roman law his crimes carried potentially frightful penalties. Still, despite his own fears, Onesimus returned to Philemon.

Why would a man who knew the risks of returning to Colossae willingly go back? Wouldn’t it have been safer just to remain in Rome and continue serving Paul?

Onesimus had become a new man in Christ, and he knew that God wanted him to return to Philemon and make amends for his actions. As a believer, he also understood that God would be with him regardless of the consequences he faced.

Confessing your sins against another person—and making amends when necessary—is seldom easy. God always honors you when you go out of your way to seek another’s forgiveness, even if you committed the wrong long ago.