I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel.But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary.  Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever—  no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.

Philemon 13-16

In Paul’s eyes Onesimus was more than a runaway slave. The passage above reminds us that he helped Paul in his ministry even while Paul was “in chains for the gospel” and he wanted Philemon to view Onesimus in the same way, more than a slave, but as “a fellow man and as brother in the Lord.”

Obviously, Philemon and Onesimus had issues they needed to iron out, but Paul’s challenge to Philemon is one of grace and forgiveness and restoration with the dignity he should show to a fellow brother in the Lord.

One of the challenges we face in our current world of social media is the failure to see people as fellow human beings. Unfortunately, I see fellow Christians wage a war of words with one another, saying things they probably wouldn’t even consider to say face to face.

Is there someone who needs restoration in your life (this includes me as well)?