Each time we say Lord, I am sorry, I have done it again Please forgive me! Father God replies Done what again? I do not remember. In Isaiah 43:25, we read I am he who blots out your transgression, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
God is always ready to forgive a repentant sinner. Often sinners are not repentant. We do not fully understand the laws of God, and consequently we do not put much emphasis on the need to be pure as God is pure. Be holy as I am holy, says God.
God was trying from the beginning to teach mankind that wrong-doing has bad consequences. The word sin in our verse for today is the Hebrew word avon and means to distort or bend. How many of us distort the truth when we are retelling things that have happened to us?
Forgiveness is a major theme of the Bible. This verse, spoken by Jesus follows His teaching on how to pray when His disciples wanted to know more about praying as Jesus did. They recognised that Jesus was not just using words, but was in a real relationship with His Father.
Paul closes his letter with these verses and he is sending greetings from those who are with him, either in prison or visiting him regularly. Wherever Paul went he had fellow workers. Jesus sent out His disciples two by two. Paul constantly had other believers around him wherever he went.
I feel that the Lord wants us to note this confidence that God will answer prayer. Paul is sure he will be out of prison very soon. Paul never tells his readers that life will be easy. But he insists that through every trial, if we pray God will respond.
I am sure that Philemon would enjoy a visit from Paul and look forward to the lessons he would learn from him. Maybe he would think: Oh great, I do not need to prepare any messages while Paul is here. He will preach and I will learn insights about faith!
A re-uniting with Philemon would be the best option for Onesimus. Otherwise he would be living as a runaway for a long time, probably the rest of his life. Maybe he would have found another job sooner or later. But living with himself would be the difficulty. It often is.
It seems from these verses that Paul has persuaded himself that Philemon will comply with his request and accept Onesimus back into his service. But what if he did not? What if he refused? What if Onesimus was rejected? Without a job, or prospects? Condemned forever as a runaway slave?
It has often been suggested that the reason for Paul dictating his letters was an eye problem making it difficult for him to see. But his blindness was healed when Ananias laid hands on him. I think it is more likely that Paul dictated letters because his arms were chained.