204IMMERSE•MESSIAHslaves were routinely killed by crucifixion. But Paul asks him to grantOnesimus freedom and to welcome him “as a man and as a brother inthe Lord”—effectively as an equal.Notice that Paul is mirroring what Christ has done for us. He is notmerely encouraging reconciliation between Philemon and Onesimus;he is embodying that reconciliation himself. By putting himself betweenthem and volunteering to pay any debt that Onesimus owes, Paul isdoing exactly what he asks of Philemon: “Put into action the generositythat comes from your faith.”The foundation for everything Paul writes in this short letter is theradical new unity made possible by Christ. The new world that has beenborn through the death and resurrection of the Messiah directly challenges the old way of life in the present evil age. In the Messiah’s newfamily, love cuts across the old boundaries between people: Jew andGreek, slave and free, male and female. We all are now one in Christ.
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