Philemon Overview
Philemon is a personal letter from Paul to his friend Philemon. Paul had met Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, and apparently led him to the Lord. Now Paul is pleading with Philemon to forgive Onesimus. As uncomfortable a topic as slavery is, Paul is not on a social reformation crusade. Paul’s message is not “Let’s fix the world before we deal with it!” Instead it’s “This is the world we live in; here’s how we’ll deal with it.” Society will be transformed as Biblical truth confronts an individual’s beliefs and actions. When enough believers are thinking and acting Biblically they transform their culture. In this letter, we see a picture of our acceptance in Christ and how God views us now that we’re in Christ.
Timeline of Paul and Philemon
Literary Genre of Philemon
Epistle (a letter written to someone)
Date Philemon was Written
61/62 AD
Author of Philemon
The author of this book is Paul, the apostle. Read more about Paul’s background and life here.
About Philemon
Philemon was a believer who Paul probably led to the Lord while he was in Ephesus. Later the church in Colossae met in his home. At the time of this letter, Philemon would have been a solid Christian, but he was faced with a tough situation. He was faced with the decision of whether to react culturally as a Roman or as a Christian brother when his runaway slave, Onesimus, returned.
Theme in Philemon
The Gospel
The Purpose of Philemon
Paul’s purpose in writing to Philemon was to urge him to forgive his runaway slave, Onesimus. It’s likely that Onesimus stole from Philemon or hurt his family in other ways in addition to running away. In a lot of ways, Paul is acting like Christ. Christ interceded for us, undeserving sinners. When we place our trust in His sacrifice God no longer looks at us as sinners, but He looks at us like He looks at Christ. In the same way, Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would receive Paul.
Why You Should Study Philemon
Studying Philemon helps us understand our acceptance before Christ. It helps us see that even though we are rebellious slaves, God accepts us as He does His beloved son. It shows us the way that Christ intercedes for us. It’s a beautiful picture of the gospel.
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Content reworked from Chris Darland’s Class on Philemon at Ethnos360 Bible Institute
Edited and formatted by Eliza Noel
