Philemon 11—“Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me.”
Paul writes these words concerning Onesimus, Philemon’s servant, who had left his master and appears to have caused him some loss or injury (vv. 15, 18). Yet, in God’s providence, Onesimus came into contact with Paul during the apostle’s imprisonment and was converted through his ministry. Paul therefore calls him “my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds” (v. 10).
The contrast is striking: “in time past…unprofitable, but now profitable”. Onesimus was no longer the man he had formerly been. The grace of God had changed him. Paul was not merely saying that Onesimus had become a more useful servant; he was testifying to the transforming power of the Gospel. A sinner who had once acted wrongly was now a beloved brother who had become useful both to Paul and to Philemon (vv. 12, 16).
This is what saving grace does. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Conversion does not merely change a person’s religious profession; it produces a new disposition toward God, righteousness, duty, and others.
Our past failures, therefore, need not determine our future usefulness. This transforming grace also reminds us that believers need not be confined or discouraged by fixed “personality-type” classifications, for the grace of God is able to reshape our attitudes, habits, relationships, and usefulness in ways that natural temperament alone cannot determine. Christ saves sinners not only from guilt but also transforms their lives for His glory. Those who have been unfaithful, selfish, or unprofitable can, by God’s grace, become useful servants.
Let us therefore ask for God’s saving and sanctifying grace to make a visible difference in the way we live, serve, and relate to others.
