Is Jesus Christ God, or Part of a Trinity, in Philemon?
“For love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you–I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus”—Philemon 1:9 ESV
In this short New Testament book of only 25 verses, Jesus Christ is specifically mentioned eight times, God two times, and the holy Spirit is not mentioned at all. In such a brief letter, only so much can be discussed, of course, so the holy Spirit’s omission is not surprising. This is especially so when we consider that the letter’s subject matter is not primarily doctrinal, but, instead, focuses on the relationship of the wealthy Christian Philemon with his runaway slave Onesimus, whom the apostle Paul in Rome has recently converted to Christianity, and is sending him back to Philemon in Colossae with this letter, appealing to Philemon to do the right thing (1:10-21).
Jesus Christ is specifically mentioned in 1:1,3,5,6,9,20,21,23, and God is mentioned in 1:3,4. Notice how they are described in the only place they are mentioned together:
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3 NIV)
First of all, it is very clear from the language used that they are “two people,” with Jesus being “one” and his “Father” being the other (John 8:17,18 NLT). A close look also reveals that “God” is the “Father” only, and is not “the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Trinity’s omission from the letter is not at all surprising, since it is never mentioned in any of the other 31,000 verses in the Bible. In contrast, the holy Spirit is mentioned many times throughout the Bible, especially in the New Testament, from Genesis 1:2 to Revelation 22:17. The difference is the the holy Spirit is real, whereas the Trinity is not.
One thought on “Is Jesus Christ God, or Part of a Trinity, in Philemon?”
BA: “For love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you–I, Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner also for Christ Jesus”—Philemon 1:9 ESV
GW: Paul was mistaken in most of his philosophical and religious beliefs.
BA: In this short New Testament book of only 25 verses, Jesus Christ is specifically mentioned eight times, God two times, and the holy Spirit is not mentioned at all.
GW: Jesus (not the Christ) probably existed, but God and the holy spirit do not exist and never have. It has now been proven that God does not exist.
BA: In such a brief letter, only so much can be discussed, of course, so the holy Spirit’s omission is not surprising. This is especially so when we consider that the letter’s subject matter is not primarily doctrinal, but, instead, focuses on the relationship of the wealthy Christian Philemon with his runaway slave Onesimus, whom the apostle Paul in Rome has recently converted to Christianity, and is sending him back to Philemon in Colossae with this letter, appealing to Philemon to do the right thing (1:10-21).
GW: In many places the Bible supports slavery. This is not surprising. It reflects the morality of the times, which had many flaws and errors. However, according to Correct Universal Ethics for Persons, “Any person X should not enslave any other person Y.”
BA: Jesus Christ is specifically mentioned in 1:1,3,5,6,9,20,21,23, and God is mentioned in 1:3,4. Notice how they are described in the only place they are mentioned together:
GW: Yes, as I said earlier, Jesus probably existed, but God has never existed. However, if God did exist, he would never use intermediaries or messengers to do his work. He would be all powerful and would do his own communication with human beings. He would know that the use of intermediaries would lead to errors, misunderstandings, confusion, and doubts. God would not be dumb.
BA: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3 NIV)
GW: This shows a major misunderstanding of the concept of God. See my remarks above.
BA: First of all, it is very clear from the language used that they are “two people,” with Jesus being “one” and his “Father” being the other (John 8:17,18 NLT). A close look also reveals that “God” is the “Father” only, and is not “the Lord Jesus Christ.”
GW: Yes, the fact that God and Jesus are two separate persons is clear from many verses in the Bible. But God is hypothetical (and has been proven not to exist), while Jesus was a real man.
BA: The Trinity’s omission from the letter is not at all surprising, since it is never mentioned in any of the other 31,000 verses in the Bible.
GW: The term “trinity” is not used in the Bible, but the concept is put forward in one or a few verses. The best interpretation of it is a team consisting of three players with one captain. Of course, even in that sense, it doesn’t exist.
BA: In contrast, the holy Spirit is mentioned many times throughout the Bible, especially in the New Testament, from Genesis 1:2 to Revelation 22:17. The difference is the the holy Spirit is real, whereas the Trinity is not.
GW: Neither God, nor the Holy Spirit, nor the Trinity is real. Only Jesus was real. There is no good evidence for the existence of God, and in fact there are several sound proofs that God does not exist. See my Holocaust argument for one.
GW: Happy Holidays to you, your family, and all the people who read this website!