Articles
Consequences of a Changed Life
Not everyone believes in God or in Christ, that much is for certain. Among those who do not believe in God are those who claim that Christianity and religion, in general, have done more harm than good. They point to ‘religious conflicts’ that have raged over centuries, evil that has been done in the name of God, and evil ones that have brought nothing but shame and dishonor to the name of God and Christ, and hold religion in high derision because all they see is a world made worse because people believe in God or in any form of higher being.
The fallacies of such claims are abundant and evident, though. Those who make these claims ignore the good that has been done and selectively apply the results of what has happened in this world because people did, indeed, believe in God — and still do. They hold up men and women who are the worst examples and paint all believers as being the same. They include evil men who set out to do evil in the name of God and religion and who have nothing at all to do with God or Christ or anything good. They will not admit these bad examples are not actually following the will of God or are not true followers of Christ, for that would not serve their end.
But does belief in and obedience to Christ really make a difference? Is this world improved, or made better, because people actually live as true disciples and heed the revealed will of God? Absolutely! This is what the atheist and the humanist does not want to admit, and would rather that others did not know about, either. What they do not want anyone to know is the effect conversion has on this world — to those who are converted, on others who surround him, and even those who had previously known him as an unbeliever. Consider a few examples of individuals found within the book of Philemon, and how the conversion of each one affected how they all responded in this situation. In studying these things, we will see the power of God's word and true conversion.
The Apostle Paul. Before he changed his way of life, Paul [then, Saul] was one who made the lives of those who followed Christ miserable. He “made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (Acts 8:3). By his own words, he “punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them,…persecuted them even to foreign cities” (Acts 26:11), and “persecuted the church beyond measure and tried to destroy it…being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions” of the Jewish religious leaders (Gal. 1:13, 14). He described himself as a “blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man” though he did it “ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Tim. 1:13).
But Paul had changed! When Paul writes this letter, he is imprisoned in Rome because of his work in the Lord's kingdom. Though he had no prior connection with Onesimus and Philemon, Paul had been influential in the conversion of Onesimus (Philemon 1:10), and was sending Onesimus back to Philemon (Philemon 1:12, 13), though he proved useful to him there. The old Paul [Saul] would not have done this!
The Runaway Slave, Onesimus. Onesimus had obviously left Philemon, his master. Under what circumstances he left, we do not know, but he had. Leaving Colossæ, he had apparently fled to Rome, probably in an effort to blend in with the masses and to get lost in the crowd. Having met Paul in prison and been converted; he was now a changed man!
If there had been no change, Onesimus would most likely have continued running away, but we know he heeded Paul's advice and was instead returning to Philemon. Obviously he had changed! That change also led him to willingly serve another: Paul! As he is imprisoned with Paul or at least acquainted with him as he was in prison, Onesimus serves Paul and has become quite beneficial to him (Philemon 1:11). Paul considers Onesimus now as a “faithful and beloved brother” (Col. 4:9). He now has a love for Paul that he did not have before because of their common faith, and he is willing to assist him as the one who had begotten him in the gospel. He changed!
The Master, Philemon. Philemon stands as the great deciding factor in all this. He was the one who had lost a slave (Phlm. 1:16). He was the one who had been wronged and was owed (Philemon 1:18). By all rights, he could demand the return of Onesimus and what he did with him was within his rights to do so. As a master, treatment of the slave was dependent on the heart of the master and harsh treatment was not uncommon (cf. 1 Pet. 2:18). But how would he receive Onesimus?
We do not have a record of how Philemon actually received Onesimus, but we do have the words of the apostle Paul that reveal to us what was expected. Paul expected Philemon to be persuaded by love (Phlm. 1:9); Paul expected him to act voluntarily in receiving Onesimus back in the proper manner — as a brother now, and not just a slave (Philemon 1:14, 16); in this, Paul expected Philemon to receive Onesimus just as he would receive him (Philemon 1:17).
Just in this short letter, we have seen the changed lives of three people and what could be expected of those who have been truly converted by the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ. In their examples, we may learn some important lessons about the consequences of a changed life today:
How we see lost souls. Before Paul was converted, his interest was mainly in condemning others and justifying himself; that is what the Pharisees were famous for, and Paul [as Saul] then considered himself “blameless” (Phil. 3:6). He would have looked down on others as full of sin, but make no move to lead them to salvation. Now, he is instrumental in leading them out of sin and to the world's only Savior.
Do we do the same? Are we in all situations and circumstances thinking about how we might lead a lost soul to Christ?
We will do the right thing, even when we may surrender some freedoms. Onesimus could have continued to run from his troubles and fled from any who tried to compel him to return but, now, instead of fear, we see him at peace. Now, he is willing to forgo his freedom because it is the right thing to do.
How about us? Do we remember that, though we are free in Christ, we are to “not [use] liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God” (1 Pet. 2:16), and make it clear we are doing God's will?
We will show forgiveness, rather than seeking revenge. Philemon could have taken Onesimus back as simple a runaway slave and punished him accordingly, but Paul pleaded with him through love to receive him now as a brother. If he did that, he would gladly forgive him and love him, and by so doing would demonstrate a conversion in his own life, too.
For us, we who are converted are no longer living for self and thinking of self, but by our words and deeds showing the love of God and Christ in us; that means we love and forgive (Eph. 4:32). When others see that change, they may desire to know more about the change in us, and maybe even desire that change in themselves. —— Steven Harper
