Colossians 4:9 (KJV)
With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.
Our passage helps demonstrate the interconnectivity not only of the people involved in the Word of God, but also of the various books of the Bible. Onesimus is the subject of the book of Philemon. He was a runaway slave, owned by Philemon, who was converted to Christ under the Apostle Paul while Paul was a prisoner in Rome.
After a period of discipleship and training, Onesimus was returned to Philemon, partnered with Tychicus and carrying letters to Philemon, the church in Colosse, and, I assume, also the church in Laodicea.
These letters, then, were not written in a vacuum—isolated and unrelated. It would have been obvious to everyone involved which letters were inspired by the Holy Ghost and which were not. The letter to Laodicea was apparently shared, but no one thought to preserve it. That indicates they recognized it as the work of Paul, but not as the work of the Holy Ghost through Paul. The fact that Paul recommended sharing the letter does not mean he viewed it as something more than it was. Many helpful things can be shared that are less than Scripture. An endorsement is not the same as a declaration of inspiration.
All of this is to say: if the Word of God was not written in a vacuum, neither should it be read that way. Context means more than just the verses before and after. It even means more than the context of the letter as a whole. All of the Bible must be studied in light of all of the Bible.
It is a big task—not suited for the casual or the unconcerned.
Biblical truth is for those who know the Holy Spirit, are engaged with the Word of God, and are in it for the long term.
#FaithfulBrother #BibleContextMatters #OnesimusStory #ScriptureInterconnected #RightlyDividingTruth
Think You Understand the Bible? Why Reading One Passage Alone Can Lead You Wrong
What stood out to you most in Onesimus’ story? Drop a comment below—I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts and how this challenged your Bible study.
For more clear, Bible-centered teaching that helps you go deeper than the surface, visit marvinmckenzie.org and explore additional resources designed to strengthen your walk with the Lord.
For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.
If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.
My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org
Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/
Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more
Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give.
No comments:
Post a Comment