Although he had undoubtedly heard the gospel in philemons household. The author of the book of philemon was the apostle paul philemon 1. Paul, a prisoner of christ jesus, and timothy our brother, to philemon our. The preeminent christ, a robust gospel, and profound biblical theology, all packed into these two short letters of the apostle paul. The epistle is addressed to philemon, with the church in his house, and to sister apphia and archippus. It is first a primary history source for roman history in the first century. Thats why we should study the books of colossians and philemon. Because believers in jesus are equal partners in the new humanity, paul asks philemon to forgive his runaway slave onesimus. The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. This is the only place in the new testament where philemon is mentioned by name, but we do know that he was a beloved friend to paul. Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries. Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Onesimus took a chance one day, as any slave would have done, and made a run for it.
The book is a very personal letter sent from the apostle paul see philemon 1,9,19 to his friend and son in the faith philemon. Philemon kjv paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and bible. Included are historical insights, word definitions, discussion questions, assignments and a leaders guide. As a spiritual father to philemon and an elder in the church, paul could have ordered philemon in this matter, but because of love he chose to make a request. This book the forgiveness that a believer finds in christ is beautifully portrayed by analogy. Philemon did not yet know that the slave who had run away with his goods was now his brother in christ. The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus. Unlike most of pauls letters, his letter to philemon has little directly to do with christian doctrine or the pastoral care of believers. Onesimus, a slave in colossae, had evidently robbed philemon, his master verse 18, and run away. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of.
Philemon with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. What he meant is truethat this little book beautifully illustrates the salvation that every believer enjoys. Though pauls letter to philemon is very brief, it is packed with rich nuggets of truth that truly reward the serious bible student. Martin luther wrote, we are all the lords onesimi cited by h. Moule, colossian and philemon studies christian literature crusade, pp. Epistle to philemon read the bible online bible study tools. The book of philemon illustrates that principles like these can and should profoundly affect the lives of believers. Philemon and colossians were both written by paul the apostle.
This summary of the book of philemon provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of philemon. The epistle shows that he was a believing christian and an esteemed acquaintance of the apostle. Just like the book of jude, it is one chapter with only 25 verses. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery. Paul was writing philemon as a brother in christ and now that onesimus had trusted in christ, paul wanted philemon to consider him as a brother. The book of philemon is a letter written by the apostle paul while in prison, to philemon in regards to his slave, onesimus. The book was written around 62 ad during paul first imprisonment in rome. Pauls letter to his christian brother philemon gives us a. Philemon, a study in grace overview this is another of the prison epistles, the others being colossians, ephesians, and philippians. The epistle to philemon chapter one objectives in studying philemon 1 to be impressed with the loving hospitality which characterized the christians in the early church 2 to learn lessons in the use of tact in dealing with others summary in this very short and personal epistle, paul addresses it to philemon, apphia, archippus and to the. The fugitive made his way to rome, one thousand miles to the west via land. Philemon paul, a prisoner for christ jesus, and timothy our. Paul wrote this letter to philemon, a believer in colosse who, along with others, was a slave owner cf.
Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of philemon information useful to understand before a study of the letters contents slavery in the grecoroman world one of the most important things to understand about philemon is the background of slavery in the ancient world. Sadly, many misconstrue this to say that paul condones slavery but that is not even in the context of the book of philemon. But, margaret shows us how much we really miss out on in the word when we do so. In this letter, paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his. Philemon is a letter that showcases the cost of asking for and of granting forgiveness. This 2 part expository study of philemon was preached at flagstaff christian fellowship in 2007.
Philemon, onesimus master, was also a christian and pauls close friend. Beetham phd, wheaton college is assistant professor of biblical studies at the evangelical theological college and assistant professor of new testament at the ethiopian graduate school of theology, both in addis ababa, ethiopia. Pauls friendship with philemon is shown by something significantly missing in his greeting. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action.
It was a good way to help the reader think though many of the same concepts from a slightly different perspective. In that day, most runaway slaves, if caught, faced harsh punishment and sometimes even death. Visit our library of inductive bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the bible you can use in your small group. The book of philemon may be short, but its 25 verses pack a powerful spiritual punch. The book of philemon is as several authors have said, like looking over the shoulder of philemon as he reads his personal mail. It is directed to philemon, which means kisses or one that is affectionate, in behalf of onesimus, which means profitable or. In todays article, we will explore the rich historical and cultural context surrounding the writing of the book of philemon. Though this little book is only twentyfive verses in the english bible, it is. The letter from paul to philemon was of a very personal nature. This 12week practical study series from crossway orients the student to the near and far context, key questions, gospel glimpses, wholebible connections, and theological and practical implications for every section of the books of colossians and philemon. Other books referenced in the bible pseudepigrapha list new testament apocrypha studies synod of hippo textual criticism category. Lessons learned from philemon simple bible studies. Study in philemon by edgar pierce exposing the word. In the bible book that bears philemons name, paul addressed his beloved brother as a fellow worker, a title.
Apr 23, 2019 the book of philemon offers a powerful case study of brotherly love and the importance of forgiveness and equality within the body of christ. These small group studies of philemon contain outlines, crossreferences, bible study discussion questions, and applications. Paul and philemon may have had what is known as a patronclient relationship. Apparently, onesimus stole from his master then ran away to rome where he met paul and became a believer. When god used the epistles, he adopted a more personal and direct method. Although onesimus is guilty of a great offense, paul is moved to intercede on his behalf. Philemon stands as one piece of strong evidence to the contrary, revealing that lofty doctrines such as the love of god, forgiveness in christ, or the inherent dignity of humanity have real and pertinent impact in everyday life. It is obvious from this study that margaret has studied to show herself approved of god, a workman that needs not to be ashamed ii tim.
Now philemon owned slaves, and he had a slave named onesimus. Participants will be encouraged to apply gods word to their lives. Harry ironside closed his sermon on philemon by quoting the words from a wellknown hymn. Audio and manuscripts are available for each lesson.
He did what most runaway slaves apparently didhe moved into a great metropolis. I do not know about you but i have never seen or participated in a study in the book of philemon. I am excited to announce our next bible study in the book of philemon. Colossian and philemon studies christian literature crusade, pp. Since colossians was written from rome during pauls first imprisonment 62 ad. Before them, god had used law, history, poetry, prophecy, and the gospel records. Paul was a prisoner at the time verses 1 and 9, so this is one of the four prison epistles, along with ephesians, philippians, and colossians, which paul wrote during his first roman imprisonment. Onesimus, a slave belonging to philemon, had fled from his master, possibly stealing money in the process vv. The book of philemon was written in approximately a. The letter suggests that paul was in prison at the time of the writing. The book of philemon offers a powerful case study of brotherly love and the importance of forgiveness and equality within the body of christ.
This epistle is the story of three main characters, onesimus, philemon and paul and their interaction. Paul wrote to philemon, a christian brother living in colosse. Philemon was a christian from the colosse congregation. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends. The letter, rather, is a personal missive sent from paul to a friend in colossae. The study guide concludes with an entire section of discussion questions revolving around philemon, paul and onesimus. Study guide for philemon by david guzik blue letter bible.
Nov 28, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Philemon is one of those bible books that we usually skim over, if not ignore altogether. One of his slaves, onesimus, had apparently stolen from him cf. Most of the people mentioned in this letter for example, apphia, archipus, and others, including philemon and onesimus, are also mentioned in colossians, a fact which implies a close relationship between the two letters. The epistle of paul to philemon, known simply as philemon, is one of the books of the christian. A slave named onesimus had escaped from his owner, philemon, and had run away from colossae to rome. Through pauls ministry onesimus had come to faith in jesus while a runaway slave. Jul 28, 2015 thats why we should study the books of colossians and philemon.
The book of philemon as well as the book of colossians were written by paul and delivered at the same time. There were millions of people in asia minor, and philemon was just one of the men who came to know the lord jesus. It was written to philemon as a plea to request forgiveness for his runaway servant onesimus, who was a new believer in jesus christ. In christ he was pauls dear friend and fellow worker 2. Sep 24, 2015 this book the forgiveness that a believer finds in christ is beautifully portrayed by analogy.