01:01 .. Paul .. a prisoner of Christ Jesus .. and Timothy our brother .. to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker 01:02 .. and to Apphia our sister .. and to Archippus our fellow soldier .. and to the church in your house 01:03 .. grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
..................Philemon’s love and faith
01:04 .. I thank my God always .. making mention of you in my prayers 01:05 .. because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints 01:06 .. and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the aknowledge of every good thing ......... which is in you for Christ’s sake 01:07 .. for I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love .. because the hearts of the saints have been ......... refreshed through you .. brother
01:08 .. therefore .. though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper 01:09 .. yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you .. since I am such a person as Paul .. the aged .. ......... and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus
.................. plea for Onesimus .. a free man
01:10 .. I appeal to you for my child Onesimus .. whom I have begotten in my imprisonment 01:11 .. who formerly was useless to you .. but now is useful both to you and to me 01:12 .. I have sent him back to you in person .. that is .. sending my very heart 01:13 .. whom I wished to keep with me .. so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel 01:14 .. but without your consent I did not want to do anything .. so that your goodness would not be .. in effect .. ......... by compulsion but of your own free will 01:15 .. for perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while .. that you would have him back forever 01:16 .. no longer as a slave .. but more than a slave .. a beloved brother .. especially to me .. but how much more to you .. ......... both in the flesh and in the Lord 01:17 .. If then you regard me a partner .. accept him as you would me 01:18 .. but if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything .. charge that to my account
01:19 .. I .. Paul .. am writing this with my own hand .. I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well) 01:20 .. yes .. brother .. let me benefit from you in the Lord .. refresh my heart in Christ 01:21 .. having confidence in your obedience .. I write to you .. since I know that you will do even more than what I say 01:22 .. at the same time also prepare me a lodging .. for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you 01:23 .. Epaphras .. my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus .. greets you 01:24 .. as do Mark .. Aristarchus .. Demas .. Luke .. my fellow workers 01:25 .. the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Wise and good ministers of Jesus Christ will have great and tender care of young converts to encourage and hearten them .. and get them received into the fellowship of the saints .. there is a spiritual brotherhood between all true believers .. however distinguished as to their station of life .. and we should therefore seek to strengthen and help those who have been newly united to the Christian family . . . v 17, 18 these verses furnish a perfect illustration of the doctrine of “imputation” whereby guilty sinners believing on Christ are received by the Father as identified with the Son .. and the sins of the believing one are reckoned to the account of Christ who paid the price on Calvary