Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries. This free audio bible name pronunciation guide is a valuable tool in your study of gods word. This summary of the book of philemon provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of philemon. Paul does not identify himself as an apostle with authority, but as a prisoner of jesus christ, calling. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while i am in chains for the gospel.
Today, as we look at the book of philemon, we are going to see forgiveness in action. There is no longer jew or greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female. In the bible book that bears philemons name, paul addressed his beloved brother as a fellow worker, a title given to those who served for a time alongside paul. This is a personal letter from the apostle paul to philemon, a wealthy christian from colossae. The book of philemon is as several authors have said, like looking over the shoulder of philemon as he reads his personal mail. Philemon ceb greeting from paul, who is a prisoner.
The book of philemon is a true story which touches the heart. This summary of the book of philemon provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and. May you discover gods character as you read his letter to you. In this letter, paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his. Its canonicity was widely recognized in the early church, particularly by ignatius, tertullian, origen, eusebius, marcion, and in the muratorian canon. This letter is known as epistle to philemon in the new testament. The philemon foundation is named for a figure that appeared to jung in a dream in 19.
Paul mentions his own name three times in this his shortest. In this series, forgiveness a study in philemon, we are shown that there are higher paths than retaliation and holding grudges. Study in philemon by edgar pierce exposing the word. This is a very personal letter and philemon was one of only 3 individuals timothy and titus are the others, to receive a divinely inspired letter from paul. Onesimus, a slave belonging to philemon, had fled from his master, possibly stealing money in the process vv. Jun 14, 20 and an excerpt from this weeks sermon on philemon. That he was apparently a resident of colossae is supported by the fact that his slave, onesimus, was a colossian colossians 4. 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. It is directed to philemon, which means kisses or one that is affectionate, in behalf of onesimus, which means profitable or usefulness. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original.
An argument of the book of philemon related media being encouraged by the reports of spiritual effectiveness in philemons life, paul requests of him to graciously receive his runaway slave, onesimus, as a fellow believer and partner in the gospel ministry in accordance with the love that he has shown to other believers and the grace which he. The book was written around 62 ad during paul first imprisonment in rome. Can this short letter be viewed from different perspectives. To ask philemon of colossae to not only pardon his slave onesimus, but to give him a warm welcome as a fellow believer. Max h parkin, instructor at the institute of religion adjacent to the university of utah. In this short personal letter, the apostle paul asks his friend philemon to extend forgiveness to a runaway slave named onesimus. The author of the book of philemon was the apostle paul philemon 1. Philemon 1 niv paul, a prisoner of christ jesus, and. Philemon paul, a prisoner for christ jesus, and timothy our. David guzik commentary on pauls letter to philemon, which is a plea to his friend. Slavery was widespread in the roman empire according to some estimates, slaves constituted one third, perhaps more, of the population and an accepted part of life. As human beings, it is a natural tendency to perceive the eye for an eye mentality as fair and just, but god disagrees.
Jung saw a seablue sky covered by brown clods of earth that appeared to be breaking apart. There were millions of people in asia minor, and philemon was just one of the men who came to know the lord jesus. Ephesians philippians colossians philemon is pauls only one chapter book. This is a book in applied christianity, a textbook of social service. Bynum 2009 tabernacle baptist church the doctrine of imputation applied memory verse. Forgiveness shines like a brilliant light throughout the bible, and one of its brightest spots is the tiny book of philemon. When paul sits down to put pen to parchment to write to his friends in galatia, hes not exactly feeling the warm fuzzies for them.
The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. Galatians, philippians, and philemon summary galatians. Philemon 125 this letter seems to be a personal letter, but of its divine inspiration there can be no doubt. It deals with the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Philemon, chapter 1 united states conference of catholic bishops. Biography of paul nearly all scholars agree that paul wrote this letter. The book of philemon is one of the most interesting, yet neglected books of the bible. Galatians, philippians, and philemon summary shmoop. Could the common view of onesimus as a runaway, thieving slave be wrong. Pauls epistle to philemon is one of the few books in the nt whose authenticity has hardly ever been doubted. Now philemon owned slaves, and he had a slave named onesimus.
Paul is sending onesimus back to philemon not to be his slave, but to assist him in his work to spread faith in the protagonist. The ending of the book of philemon in the king james version seems to indicate that onesimus, a servant wrote the book. There is also a phonetic guide to use to see the proper pronunciation of philemon. Gordon fee in his book how to read the ible for all its worth lays out the form of ancient letters as follows with examples from philemon added. Timothy is the brother of both paul and of the recipient of this letter but not in the physical literal sense. The heart of pauls letter to philemon is the fellowship that comes from reconciliation.
Weve all struggled to pronounce bible names and places, especially those pesky old testament names. So if you have your bibles with you today, open up to the book of philemon. Philemon 125 friendship, forgiveness, reputation discussion questions 1. Paul was writing philemon as a brother in christ and now. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action. 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. It is a prison letter, coauthored by paul the apostle with timothy, to philemon, a leader in the colossian church.
He did what most runaway slaves apparently didhe moved into a great metropolis. The apostles joy and praise for philemons steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. Christian love and forgiveness are given prominence in the book of philemon. Philemon, a wealthy christian at colossae, and all future readers of the bible.
The book of philemon is a letter written by the apostle paul while in prison, to philemon in regards to his slave, onesimus. Philemon kjv paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and bible. There are three main characters paul, philemon, and onesimus that paul himself used to focus on the important doctrine of the believer in christ. In memories, dreams, reflections, jung recounted the dream in which this figure first appeared to him. 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. Onesimus, a runaway slave, somehow while on the lam, came in contact with the imprisoned apostle paul. Apparently philemon was welltodo, for his home was large enough to accommodate the church assemblies, and he was a slave owner. Philemon 2025 20 yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the lord. A summary of the book of philemon what is the purpose of. Philemon niv paul, a prisoner of christ jesus, and bible gateway. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery.
In pauls day, slavery had virtually eclipsed free labor. Philemon the slaveowner and onesimus the runaway slave or bondservant had both been reconciled to god through pauls ministry. How to pronounce say philemon by bible speak pronunciation. Philemon 1, new international version niv the bible app. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of. An application of philemon for the modern day bryan hodge. Philemon with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The book of philemon is constructed as a letter from paul, addressed to philemon, who was one of pauls friends. Paul was imprisoned in rome when he wrote this personal. Many people are turned off to the bible because they perceive it to be a book which addresses doctrinal issues they are unable to understand because they havent been to some religious school they think understanding the bible requires some theological degree. Philemon summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of philemon for bible study or sunday school lessons. Paul continues by saying that he is confident that philemon will do what is right and receive his former servant as a brother in the faith verses 2021. Click the play button below to hear how to pronounce philemon.
Philemon provides valuable historical insights into the early churchs relationship to the institution of slavery. This short letter is a masterpiece of tact and psychology. Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The title of this letter is the name of the addressee, taken from verse 1. This book was written by paul while he was in prison around a. Onesimus, a slave belonging to philemon, had fled from his master, possibly stealing money in. Now i suspect that philemon may be a difficult book for you to find. Pauls basic claim in philemon is the same as it is in galatians 3.
The apostles joy and praise for philemon s steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. It was also intended for reading to the entire church that met in philemons home. To philemon our dearly loved coworker, 2 apphia our sister, archippus our fellow soldier, and the church that meets in your house. Sadly, many misconstrue this to say that paul condones slavery but that is not even in the context of the book of philemon.
The main character in the book is a man by the name of onesimus. Also, paul asks philemon to accept onesimus as a fellow christian rather than as a slave. After his dramatic conversion on the road to damascus, pauls singular purpose was to prove that jesus is the christ acts 9. What does paul mean by saying he is a prisoner of christ jesus. Lessons learned from philemon simple bible studies.
The book of philemon was written in approximately a. The epistle of paul to philemon, known simply as philemon, is one of the books of the christian new testament. Introduction philemon paul, imprisoned for the sake of christ, along with timothy, greets philemon and others in his house church with an expression of their mutual bond of grace and peace that comes from god the father and the lord jesus christ. Paul introduces himself, noting that he is a prisoner of christ jesus. These small group studies of philemon contain outlines, crossreferences, bible study discussion questions, and applications. To indirectly request of philemon to send onesimus back to paul so that he can go on helping paul as he had already begun to do. Philemon is a perfect example of what ancient letters were typically like in the grecoroman world. Following first century custom, the salutation contains the names of the letters author and its recipient. Philemon was the master of onesimus, a runaway slave. The power of the gospel in winning a runaway thief and slave and in changing a masters mind is clearly shown here.
Pauls convert and fellowworker who lived in colossae and ministered to the saints. Apparently, onesimus stole from his master then ran away to rome where he met paul and became a believer. I write this letter to you, philemon, my good friend and companion in this workalso to our sister apphia, to archippus, a real trooper, and to the church that meets in your house. The definition of onesimus is profitable or useful. To ask philemon of colossae to pardon his slave onesimus. There is little doubt that paul wrote this epistle, since he refers to himself at least three times in verses 1, 9 and 19.
One of the visitors converted under pauls teaching was a man named philemon, a slaveowner from the nearby city of colossae philemon 1. Paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his escaped former slave onesimus, and shows that they are equals because of jesus. The people that paul mentions as being with him when he wrote philemon are exactly the same with the exception of justus. Its purpose is to teach forgiveness and acceptance. He then moves to his point, saying he has a request, again reminding them that he is an old man and a prisoner of christ. The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus. The epistle of philemon was written by the apostle paul while imprisoned in rome. Philemon king james version kjv 1 paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and timothy our brother, unto philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, 2 and to our beloved apphia, and archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house. Onesimus is a brother in gods family and philemon loves him very much. He is known as a saint by several christian churches along with his wife apphia. This outline of philemon is intended to assist you as you study the bible. In the bible book that bears philemons name, paul addressed his beloved brother as a fellow worker, a title given to those who served for a time alongside. Whatever onesimus took from philemon, paul says he will repay verses 1819.
In the bible book that bears philemon s name, paul addressed his beloved brother as a fellow worker, a title given to those who served for a time alongside paul. Philemon was a slave owner who also hosted a church in his home. Onesimus took a chance one day, as any slave would have done, and made a run for it. Colossians, philemon the niv application commentary book 12. Paul tries to convince philemon to make the right decision.
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