Our Surety
Philemon 1–25
If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. Philemon 18
I suppose that in that moment, Philemon’s heart was conquered. He knew what Paul was saying. What is more, he knew that Onesimus had confessed his sin and had returned on Paul’s recommendation and with confidence in Paul and in his relationship to Philemon. Paul was becoming surety for Onesimus. Although old and in prison, Paul was offering to pay. Onesimus had trusted him. Who can doubt that at this point Philemon freely forgave Onesimus and received him as he would have received Paul?
The connection between this story, the failure of human works, and the need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation is obvious. This is a pageant, if we may so understand it. Philemon is playing the part of God the Father. Paul is Jesus Christ. You and I are Onesimus. What have we done? We have wronged God. We have stolen from him that which is rightly his—honor, worship, glory, obedience—and we have run from him in order to sin our fill. There is no chance of our ever being able to make up that which we owe, and beyond that there is the whole matter of forgiveness and of the good will of the Father.
What shall we do? Shall we trust to good works, moral reformation, ceremonies? None of these things will do. Instead we come to Christ and find him interceding on our behalf. “Father,” he says, “this runaway slave has wronged you. He owes what he can never repay. But he believes in me. He has been changed. Therefore, I ask that you charge all that he has done to my account.”
Do you see that great picture of salvation? Will you come to God on the basis of that great offer of the Lord Jesus Christ? You can run farther, if you will. You can try to escape the consequences of your sin, if you wish—though you will not succeed. Or you can accept the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on your behalf and trust in him as your surety. If you look to yourself, you may well tremble. But as you look to Jesus, you will hear that still, quiet voice of the Holy Spirit that speaks comforting words on your behalf:
Arise, my soul, arise! Shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my Surety stands—
My name is written on his hands.
On this basis no charge shall ever be raised against you. And you will know that the true work of God is done when you believe on Jesus.
Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865
Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.