Paul wrote to philemon, a christian brother living in colosse. Paul reminded philemon that his life was saved when paul led him to christ, so philemon owed him a favor. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action. There is little doubt that paul wrote this epistle, since he refers to himself at least three times in verses 1, 9 and 19. In time, as onesimus grew in the faith through pauls teaching, he realized. Bible study lesson sheets these are lessons designed for either a class or personal study.
Onesimus took a chance one day, as any slave would have done, and made a run for it. The letter suggests that paul was in prison at the time of the writing. The epistle shows that he was a believing christian and an esteemed acquaintance of the apostle. Tom constables expository notes on philemon this is also available in the net. The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus. 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. In this letter, paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his. Participants will be encouraged to apply gods word to their lives. What he meant is truethat this little book beautifully illustrates the. In philemon 1 we see the coauthors of this letter and how theyd like to be thought of by the recipient of their epistle. Philemon is a letter that showcases the cost of asking for and of granting forgiveness. There were millions of people in asia minor, and philemon was just one of the men who came to know the lord jesus. Filled with a wealth of ideas for going deeper so you can return to this study again and again. 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.
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. In this brief epistle, the apostle paul provides faiths solution to the problem of reconciling a christian slave to his christian master. The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. Its a little book that can get lost between the giants on either side, yet it has a powerful message. Bible study of the letter to philemon and the lessons individuals can draw from this man from colossi rating. Through pauls ministry onesimus had come to faith in jesus while a runaway slave. The apostles joy and praise for philemons steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. Lifechange lifechange bible studies will help you grow in christlikeness through a lifechanging encounter with gods word. 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 title of this letter is the name of the addressee, taken from verse 1.
An introduction to the book of philemon an argument of the book of philemon a selected bibliography of colossians and philemon. Vernon mcgee taking the whole word to the whole world. Use highlighting, underlining, and take notes while you study the bible. Study guide for philemon by david guzik blue letter bible. The new world translation of the holy scriptures is published by jehovahs witnesses. The epistle is addressed to philemon, with the church in his house, and to sister apphia and archippus. Philemon, the main recipient of the letter, was a wealthy man from colossae.
Philemon with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The last of pauls authentic letters is the letter to philemon. Pauls friendship with philemon is shown by something significantly missing in his greeting. Navigation statement of faith the gospel crucial questions content index top 20. Book of philemon bible survey what are the prison epistles. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of. To win philemon s willing acceptance of onesimus, paul writes very tactfully and in a lighthearted tone, which he creates with a wordplay see note on v. The author of the book of philemon was the apostle paul philemon 1. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends.
Paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and timothy our brother, philemon author. Philemon, a study guide from the executable outlines series by mark a. The book of philemon is as several authors have said, like looking over the shoulder of philemon as he reads his personal mail. Grace to you and peace from god our father and the lord jesus christ. 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. He did what most runaway slaves apparently didhe moved into a great metropolis. Visit our life application page for more information on how to use this work in a bible study. Though this little book is only twentyfive verses in the english bible, it is packed with abiding truths so needed in our modern world. This outline of philemon is intended to assist you as you study the bible. Study guide for philemon by chuck smith blue letter bible. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery. May you discover gods character as you read his letter to you. 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.
Pauls plea to a friend, on behalf of a slave this is a notable epistle, and full of worth. Recently, some scholars have challenged the traditional reading of the letter and have proposed a. Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the. Its canonicity was widely recognized in the early church, particularly by ignatius, tertullian, origen, eusebius, marcion, and in the muratorian canon.
This is the earliest known fragment of the epistle to philemon. So the fact that onesimus was probably sent by philemon to help paul while he was in prison puts a little different slant on understanding the book. At church a few weeks ago, my husband took note of how our pastor, nate shurden, thanked god for the book of philemon, calling it this postcard epistle in the corpus of the canon. Because believers in jesus are equal partners in the new humanity, paul asks philemon to forgive his runaway slave onesimus. Lessons learned from philemon simple bible studies. It was written to philemon as a plea to request forgiveness for his runaway servant onesimus, who was a new believer in jesus christ. Access the niv cultural backgrounds study bible notes when you upgrade to bible gateway plus. Copeland hundreds of free sermon outlines and bible study materials available for online browsing and downloading. Scholars are convinced that philemon was the owner of a slave, onesimus, who had run away and made his way to paul when the latter was in prison.
The group is enjoying the study and freely discuss the subject matter. Timothy, titus and philemon, by william barclay is great both as an indepth study for a group and as a daily guide for individuals. Philemon, onesimus master, was also a christian and pauls close friend. This will probably take us several weeks whereas the second study on philemon will probably only take one or two lessons. 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. What does paul mean by saying he is a prisoner of christ jesus. Paul is writing to say that he is sending onesimus back to philemon and to encourage philemon to accept onesimus as a friend and a follower of jesus. Included are historical insights, word definitions, discussion questions, assignments and a leaders guide.
Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. 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. Onesimus is now returning to his master and paul hopes to influence how philemon responds to him. In that day, most runaway slaves, if caught, faced harsh punishment and sometimes even death. One of the visitors converted under pauls teaching was a man named philemon, a slaveowner from the nearby city of colossae philemon 1. Now philemon owned slaves, and he had a slave named onesimus. 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. 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.
A life application bible study is inexpensive and contains lessons, charts, maps, study questions and notes. These small group studies of philemon contain outlines, crossreferences, bible study discussion questions, and applications. The book of philemon was written in approximately a. Study in philemon by edgar pierce exposing the word.
The letter to philemon is a brilliant affirmation of christian ethics. Interesting that the content of this letter is directed to an individual, philemon. So as a group decided to start this study using a printed book. Philemon 1 download lesson notes, powerpoints, audio. Questions about the books of the bible questions about philemon. Most people seem to mainly focus on the restitution of onesimus to philemon, but theres a lot more to it than that. Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries. Philemon author explaining the book bible study guide. Also, through pauls words he will refocus the attention to christ and affirm the christian lifestyle. Frankly, i believe that paul had no idea his letter to philemon would be.