'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors' (Matthew 6:12).

Those words of our Lord Jesus may well have been on Paul's mind when he sat down to write this letter to a man called Philemon.

The apostle was sending back the runaway slave, Onesimus, to his master.

Having repented of his sins and trusted himself to Jesus as Lord, Onesimus had been forgiven by God.

How then should Philemon welcome him back? Should the owner treat his slave severely, as a non-person who had cheated him, or should he welcome him back as a Christian brother?

And how should you and I treat those who sin against us, but come back asking for forgiveness?

This letter is for Christians down the years and around the world because its message is never out of date.