Positive Words Newsletter
#159 / 30th July 2008
Expanding your awareness of
"the simplicity that is in Christ"
(II Corinthians 11:3)
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Blessings and greetings to all the saints "in Christ... in every place" (I Corinthians 1:2). In this issue: - Treasures in Back Issues
- Paul's Personal Letter by Peter Wade
- Share with someone else
We have been going through our back issues online, correcting broken links and removing old specials, etc. So far we have done up to issue #54, from 1998 to 2002. It really is amazing the wealth of inspiration and instruction that is available in those 54 issues. There are teachings by Peter Wade and many others, including key verses from chapters in the New Testament, grand old hymns of the church, reports of camps and seminars, and even Christian homor. You can access this treasure trove for free by choosing "Newsletter" from the main menu at http://www.peterwade.com/.
Once again I want to look into the subject of "How to live positively in a negative world", and conclude the series by sharing from the book of Philemon. There is a very close association with this little book and the book of Colossians. Actually Philemon is the smallest of Paul's letters, with only 445 words in 25 verses in the King James Version. It is in effect the only personal letter from the apostle Paul that we have. Paul wrote some very deep teaching letters to churches. He also wrote letters to leaders of churches such as Timothy and Titus, but this book of Philemon is a personal letter to a friend. It is a one-on-one letter and I think we're very fortunate we have this because it illustrates how we can make practical this positive teaching of God's word.
In our English translations, with a few exceptions that render them chronologically, Philemon is the 13th letter by Paul. Along with many I believe he also wrote the Book of Hebrews, even though his name does not appear in it. The order of the 13 named letters is from largest to smallest, which is how the Greeks and Romans compiled such collections, and is consistent in all the Greek texts. Technically this is called stichometry, and has little to do with divine inspiration or commendation.
This will come as a shock to many of my readers, who have been influenced by E.W. Bullinger, although he accepted the theory first promulgated in lectures by Thomas Bernard in 1864 and published in 1872. For a full discussion of this subject get a copy of the book Paul the Letter-Writer (1995) by Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, quoted in Frank Viola's fascinating and eye-opening work Pagan Christianity (2002). As a ministry who republished part of Bullinger's The Church Epistles (you can still read the articles on our web site), we have to acknowledge the above facts. Interestingly Charles Welch, Bullinger's "successor", did not promote his mentor's views on the order of the Pauline epistles.
I have taught right through Colossians in eleven chapters and shown many principles on how to live positively in a negative world. (See previous newsletters #94 May 2005 onwards.) We discussed these under headings such as How to get our basics straight, How to get our heads straight, How to get our lives straight. Nevertheless, when we come to Philemon, we see that the apostle Paul practiced what he preached. And it's a beautiful little letter, just twenty-five verses and full of some very wonderful powerful truths.
Before we read it however I'd like to remind you about one or two verses in Colossians. At the end of Colossians chapter 3 Paul had these words to say to those who were slaves (servants, KJV). Let me remind you that half of the population of the Roman empire were slaves. It was a very deep rooted social condition. As slaves they had absolutely no rights whatsoever. The master was in total control. They had no right to get married although the master sometimes kindly made available to them a permanent female companion and they lived in a family situation in many respects. The children born to that marriage were likewise slaves and belonged totally to the master. If the master so desired he could punish the slaves. He could torture them. He could kill them. He could do whatever he wanted to them. Slaves were a "living tool". It is important to recognize this.
It is not like we feel about labor and management today. I saw a bumper sticker in America recently. It said, "I'm a slave so they can't sack me." But the time of Paul's letter nothing to do with an oppressive management situation. Slaves had absolutely no personal rights whatsoever. And not once did the apostle Paul in any of his letters tell these people to revolt against the system. Not once did he tell them to go on strike. But he did have some very specific instructions on how to handle that area of life in which they were involved. In Colossians 3:22-23 he wrote, "Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." That was his instructions to slaves. He did not say to get out of the system. His attitude was that as a slave you are in the system, so do the best possible job you can. And not just when the master was looking but also when he's not around, because what you are doing is "for the Lord" -- that is the critical thing.
Paul didn't just have words for the slaves either. In chapter 4:1 he had words to the masters, many of whom no doubt were quite cruel in their handling of the situation. Writing to masters who have become Christians, he said, "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." They didn't have to give them anything. They didn't even have to feed them if they didn't want to. Yet God is saying to the masters, "treat the slaves justly and fairly." The word "treat" there is also rendered to give, to supply, to provide, out of your own prosperity. Give to them what they need, what is right and fair. And on the other hand, slaves should give to your master the very best of your abilities. In that way Christianity worked within an oppressive system. The reason it worked was because Christianity works on an individual basis, and if we could change individuals we will change our society. This is why the New Testament never speaks against the system of slavery, although it's quite obvious God's desire is that every person has the freedom and right to live their lives the way they want to. The New Testament never speaks out against slavery but it speaks about changing individuals within a system, so that the system will eventually change, and it did!
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