“Charge to My Account!”

Stan Moody

The 3rd shortest book in the Bible – Philemon – is packed with a message of what it might cost to live as a “Kingdom Kid” – a citizen of the present, dynamic, victorious Kingdom of God now. 

The Apostle Paul is in house confinement in Rome, awaiting trial for heresy.  Knowing that he stood no chance of a fair trial in the Holy City of Jerusalem, he had appealed to Caesar.  In house confinement, he was able to be visited by guests while chained to a Roman soldier.  

Christian Thief on the Loose:

Among his hearers one day was Onesimus, the slave of a Christian convert in Colossae by the name of Philemon, a friend of Paul’s.  Philemon loved Christ.  He maintained a church in his home and was a supporter of Paul.  He had trusted Onesimus by giving him authority over certain of his possessions.  Onesimus betrayed that trust by stealing some money and running away.  

Paul has bonded with Onesimus.  He now looks upon him as his adopted son.  He writes a letter to Philemon under delivery by Onesimus:

I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.  I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart (vv.10, 11).

He has adopted or is willing to adopt Onesimus as his son, which under Roman law would be sufficient to free Onesimus.  Even though he needs him, he sends him back to Philemon with this overarching theme:

If you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account (vv. 17, 18).  

The Potential Peril of Trusting Solely in Love and Forgiveness:

Love, forgiveness, and trust in the sovereign grace of God shine through this exchange. Onesimus could easily have lost courage. He could have sent the letter through someone else.  We cannot imagine what it was like to make that long journey back, knock on the door of Philemon’s house and hope that he reads the letter before making an arrest.  

The common thread in this story is Jesus Christ.  Paul writes in the name of Jesus.  Onesimus walks into the teeth of peril in the name of Jesus.  Philemon receives him in the name of Jesus.  Onesimus had a physical letter from Paul, but he had a letter in his heart from Paul’s master, Jesus Christ.  That letter promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you; he who follows me, I will never cast out.”  That was the letter to which Onesimus clung on that long trip back.  

Baptism Not Enough to Clear the Fault:

I am sure that Paul had baptized Onesimus into the faith.  Yet, even baptism was not enough to exonerate Onesimus.  Only God’s grace was sufficient.  The contract was between Onesimus and God. The relationship with Paul and Philemon falls into the category of response to God’s grace – not into the category of dispensing God’s grace.

Modern Christianity says, “You take the first step and God will do the rest”; “God helps those who help themselves!” Instead, a gracious, loving God says to us common sinners, “Without me, you can do nothing – not even take the first step.” “I am found of them that sought me not” (Is 65:1).  

Philemon’s faith is being tested here, as well.  His treatment of Onesimus will testify to that faith.  Paul’s word to Philemon reminds us of how we are to deal with each other – “Charge my brother’s offense to my account.” That is the very definition of unconditional love, is it not? 

Common Charity in Rapid Decline:

We who have depended on the Church as the breeding ground for unconditional love find ourselves dismayed by the abusive individualism these days in both Church and government. Migrants are being subjected to angry dismissal. The poor and the marginalized have become open targets under the subterfuge of saving money while we continue to beat up on largely defenseless republics. The notion of an open account for anyone but ourselves personally is way beyond our capacity to imagine these days.   

The resurrection of Jesus, however, announced to the world, “Charge his sin; charge her sin; charge their sin to my account.” From the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” – “Charge their sin to my account!”. The mission for Paul, Onesimus, Philemon and you, and me is simply to follow Jesus in faith!

The mission for those of us who profess belief in Jesus Christ as Lord is to get off our handwringing and put our faith to the test. That places us in the crosshairs of both our governments and the evangelical megachurch industry. Putting faith to the test carries with it the high risk of being on the wrong side of power, otherwise referred to as the wrong end of the stick. That is fatal to the poor and marginalized on our streets and will likely reach well into the white, middle-class who dare to follow Jesus. 

May we hope and pray that, should that time come, we will be ready to say, “Charge to my account!”