"Perhaps"

Paul could have commanded Philemon. Instead, he appeals. And hidden in his argument is one small word that carries the weight of the whole letter: perhaps.

"Perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a little while, that you might have him back forever" (Philemon 15). Paul is attempting to explain something that only God could have arranged, and choosing to let love make the case he could have made by command.

Paul is asking Philemon, in love, from his heart, to welcome Onesimus back as a brother and not a slave. When grace enters into a relationship, all things are possible.