”I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
Philemon 1:6New International Version (NIV)
Philemon 1:6 Devotional (Daily Bible Verse)
Deepening your understanding of every good thing of the gospel
In Philemon 1:6, Paul prayed that the partnership produced by Philemon’s faith(fullness) might become effective in deepening his understanding of every good thing of the gospel. That is, Philemon’s faithfulness to the fellowship he had with Paul and his fellow ministers would deepen his intimate and experiential knowledge of every goodness of the gospel. Because Paul wanted Philemon to become increasingly aware or familiar with every good thing about the gospel they preached.
Paul’s appeal
Paul’s letter to Philemon was an appeal to the latter regarding Onesimus, his runaway slave who had become a believer (Philemon 1:10). Therefore, Philemon had become better than a slave to them both (Philemon 1:16). And Philemon should therefore have already picked the principle of forgiveness, especially as mirrored in what Jesus Christ did for sinners.
The apostle Paul clearly stated that you and I were sinners before we received Christ’s work on the cross by faith. No wonder in Romans 3:23, Paul declared that “all had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. But Jesus through His sacrifice on the cross had made a way for sinners to be forgiven of their sins – He took your place and died for your sins so that God could forgive your sins.
Matthew 18:21-35
Jesus, in Matthew 18:21-35, taught that a master forgave his servant who owed him a debt he couldn’t pay. However, the servant didn’t forgive his fellow servant who owed him a little debt. The other servants therefore took him to their master who jailed him until he could pay back the debt he owed him.
The gospel
Essentially, the gospel is an analogy of God’s love for you. He loved you so much, such that He made a way for you to be reconciled to Him. Sin had separated you from Him. And this is what Paul prayed that Philemon had learned and would be able to extend to Onesimus. Because Christian principles must be gained and applied to your social relationships.
Prayer/Blessing
Father in Heaven, I thank You for designing the fellowship of brethren as the means of deepening my understanding of Your gospel. Help me to be faithful to the fellowship of brethren in my Church. Connect me with brethren who will deepen my knowledge of the gospel.
This is my humble prayer in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Nehemiah 1-3 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
