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2 Corinthians 9:12-14
For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; …

Philippians 1:9-11
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge andin all judgment; …

Titus 3:14
And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.

the acknowledging.

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

1 Corinthians 14:25
And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down onhis face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever thingsare honest, whatsoever thingsare just, whatsoever thingsare pure, whatsoever thingsare lovely, whatsoever thingsare of good report; ifthere be any virtue, and ifthere be any praise, think on these things.

in you.

2 Peter 1:8
For if these things be in you, and abound, they makeyou that ye shall neitherbe barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

may become effective
The effectiveness of faith is a recurring theme in the New Testament, where faith is expected to produce tangible results in the lives of believers.James 2:17 underscores that faith without works is dead, suggesting that true faith naturally leads to action. The Greek word for "effective" (energes) implies active, powerful, and productive faith. This effectiveness is not self-generated but is empowered by the Holy Spirit, as seen inActs 1:8, where believers receive power to be witnesses.

as you fully acknowledge
Acknowledgment here involves a deep, personal understanding and recognition of spiritual truths. This is more than intellectual assent; it is an experiential knowledge that transforms the believer.Colossians 1:9-10 speaks of being filled with the knowledge of God's will, leading to a life worthy of the Lord. This acknowledgment is a process of continual growth and maturity in the faith, as believers are called to renew their minds (Romans 12:2).

every good thing that is ours in Christ
This phrase points to the spiritual blessings and resources available to believers through their union with Christ.Ephesians 1:3 states that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. These "good things" include salvation, grace, peace, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The phrase also reflects the idea of inheritance, as believers are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). This inheritance is both a present reality and a future hope, as seen in1 Peter 1:4, which speaks of an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.

Paul opens with intercession, reminding Philemon that spiritual growth begins in the place of prayer.

• He “always” prays for believers (Philemon 1:4), just as he does for the Ephesian church—“I do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:16).

• Prayer aligns our hearts with God’s purposes (1 Timothy 2:1) and invites His power to work in others (Colossians 1:9).

• When we pray for fellow Christians, we participate in the very ministry of Christ, who “always lives to intercede” (Hebrews 7:25).

The word translated “partnership” speaks of shared life—believers actively joining resources, burdens, and joys.

• Early disciples “devoted themselves to…the fellowship” (Acts 2:42).

• John links fellowship with both God and one another: “Our fellowship is with the Father…so that you also may have fellowship with us” (1 John 1:3).

• Paul rejoices in the Philippians’ “partnership in the gospel” (Philippians 1:5), showing that true faith always reaches horizontally as well as vertically.

Paul is not content with mere connection; he desires impact.

• Faith shows itself through deeds—“faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).

• Growth leads to usefulness: “If you possess these qualities…they will keep you from being ineffective” (2 Peter 1:8).

• Love “expressing itself through faith” (Galatians 5:6) ensures fellowship that actually changes lives.

Effectiveness hinges on recognizing what God has already given.

• Paul prays believers will be “filled with the knowledge of His will…bearing fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:9-10).

• Grace multiplies “through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2).

• Jesus said, “If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:17)—knowledge and practice walking hand in hand.

The inventory of blessings in Jesus is inexhaustible, and recognizing them fuels generous living.

• We have been “blessed…with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

• God “is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that…you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

• “He who did not spare His own Son…how will He not also, with Him, freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

• Because we are “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), we can pass those good things to others—precisely what Paul hopes Philemon will do for Onesimus.

Paul’s brief prayer packs a progression: intercession births fellowship; fellowship seeks fruitfulness; fruitfulness springs from recognizing the riches already ours in Christ. When believers grasp and share those riches, their partnership becomes a living testimony of the gospel’s transforming power.

But it may be asked, "Why thecommunication of thy faith?" (1) The phrase is unique, but the word rendered "communication" is the well-known word generally rendered "communion," or "fellowship," except where (as inRomans 15:26;2Corinthians 8:4;2Corinthians 9:13;Hebrews 13:16) it is used technically and derivatively of "the communication" of almsgiving. The phrase, therefore, should probably be rendered the "communion of thy faith,"i.e.,"thy fellowship in faith." (2) But, again, the question arises, "With whom is this fellowship? With God or man?" The answer probably is, "With both." Perhaps for growth in divine knowledge the communion need only be with God. But we observe that the knowledge is not merely "of every good thing,"i.e.,of all that is of God, but of "every good thing which is in you (or, better,in us) towards Christ Jesus." It is, therefore, the knowledge of good--that is, of God's gift--as dwelling in man by the unity which binds all to Christ Jesus. (3) Now for knowledge of this, fellowship with man is needed, as well as fellowship with God. The soul which dwells alone with God, even in the holiest seclusion, knows what is good in the abstract, but not what is good in man in the concrete reality. But Philemon's house was a centre of Christian life. St. Paul might, therefore, well speak of this his two-fold "fellowship in faith," and pray that it might grow into full knowledge at once of God and of man as in Him. (4) That all such growth must be "towards Christ Jesus," dependent on unity with Him and serving to deepen such unity, is the characteristic doctrine of all this group of Epistles, especially of the Colossian Epistle, of which Onesimus was one of the bearers. . . .