Paul’s message to Philemon isn’t for Onesimus’s sake alone – it’s actually to help Philemon. The evidence of our Christian faith is only seen when put the world’s standards behind those of our Creator. It is our Creator who gives us our lasting identity in Him.
Observations:
- Paul is addressing a core subject – identity
- Your identity affects EVERYTHING
Conclusions:
- In Christ you have a new identity
- A change in identity results in a change in purpose
- A change in identity results in a change in purchase
- A change in identity is permanent
John 1:12-13
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Jude 1
“From Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James…”
1 John 3:1-2
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”