<p>1:14 <i>But I preferred to do nothing without your consent, so that your</i> <i>goodness</i>- Gk. 'your profit'. See on :12 <i>But now is profitable</i>. The picture we get of Philemon is that he was an active and good brother in many ways. He had an ecclesia that met in his house, probably, by implication, comprised of his own family / &ldquo;house&rdquo; whom he had converted. The &ldquo;beloved Aphia&rdquo; refers to a female <i>agapete</i>- probably his wife. He was well known for a truly generous spirit to the brethren, and for a deep faith (:5-7). And yet he his whole standing with the Lord, Paul implies, was going to be revealed, and stood now under question, over the issue of his attitude to his runaway slave who had now accepted Christ. If he wouldn&rsquo;t accept him, then all this good upright living was in vain. Paul was giving him a test. He could&rsquo;ve just kept Onesimus with him in Rome. But he sent him all the way back home to Philemon, to get his &lsquo;agreement&rsquo; (Philemon 14, AV &ldquo;mind&rdquo;) that Philemon accepts Onesimus as a brother, and sends him back to Rome to serve Paul. He could&rsquo;ve &ldquo;retained&rdquo; Onesimus; but instead, he seeks a &ldquo;benefit&rdquo; spiritually for Philemon by bringing the issue to a pointed head (:13,14). And so it can be with us, that providence brings one specific case or person into our lives to test whether or not we have really accepted grace in the very core of our hearts. And on this, all else ultimately depends. And these things &lsquo;God works oftentimes with man&rsquo;. We find ourselves living out the situations of both Onesimus and Philemon. The crucial challenge of grace comes to us time and again in ecclesial life, and we too present it to others. Upon our response to it, our salvation-by-grace depends.</p><p><i>Might not be by compulsion but of your own free will- </i>Paul thought of ways to make Philemon bear spiritual fruit; so he leaves the choice over to his free will. Likewise he says that he had asked for and taken support from the believers in Philippi &quot;Not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account&quot; (Phil. 4:17). We likewise should sensitively consider our brethren and try to set up situations whereby they will produce spiritual fruit which will be credited to them. This is the way of spiritual maturity. We must not just do what <i>we</i> wish in the Lord's service, but think of what others need to do, for their own fruitfulness. For we seek the Lord's glory and for Him to be pleasured by them as well as by ourselves. Too often we can embark on a project for the Lord because it is what <i>we</i> want to do. But the bigger picture of the Lord's glorification must be ever in view.</p>