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. Philemon is a letter that showcases the cost of asking for and of granting forgiveness. The epistle of paul to philemon, known simply as philemon, is one of the books of the christian. An integrated digital bible study library including complete notes from the niv study bible and the nkjv macarthur study bible is just a step away.
The new world translation of the holy scriptures is published by jehovahs witnesses. Paul wrote to philemon, a christian brother living in colosse. Philemon with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. In this letter, paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his. These verses state what the story of philemon and onesimus illustrates, that god changes every person whom he saves through the gospel. He did what most runaway slaves apparently didhe moved into a great metropolis.
The book of philemon may be short, but its 25 verses pack a powerful spiritual punch. Philemon in the picture study bible the book of philemon. Use highlighting, underlining, and take notes while you study the bible. Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary. The epistle shows that he was a believing christian and an esteemed acquaintance of the apostle. Onesimus took a chance one day, as any slave would have done, and made a run for it. Recently, some scholars have challenged the traditional reading of the letter and have proposed a. 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. To win philemons willing acceptance of onesimus, paul writes very tactfully and in a lighthearted tone, which he creates with a wordplay see note on v. The title of this letter is the name of the addressee, taken from verse 1. Before you attempt to answer the questions below you should read these chapters in the bible and answer the questions at the end of each chapter found at the website answer the questions below and then click ok to send your answers.
All donations are tax deductible in full or in part. Visit our life application page for more information on how to use this work in a bible study. 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. Because believers in jesus are equal partners in the new humanity, paul asks philemon to forgive his runaway slave onesimus. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in christ. With bible gateway plus, you gain instant access to a digital bible study library, including complete notes from the niv cultural backgrounds study bible and the new bible commentary.
Included are historical insights, word definitions, discussion questions, assignments and a leaders guide. The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. Also, through pauls words he will refocus the attention to christ and affirm the christian lifestyle. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action. 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. 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. Bible reading offers the widest scope for the enrichment of public worship, and it is a great pity. This 2 part expository study of philemon was preached at flagstaff christian fellowship in 2007. The letter suggests that paul was in prison at the time of the writing. 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. The epistle is addressed to philemon, with the church in his house, and to sister apphia and archippus. The book of philemon was written in approximately a.
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. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends. May you discover gods character as you read his letter to you. Philemon, onesimus master, was also a christian and pauls close friend. What does paul mean by saying he is a prisoner of christ jesus. 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.
Lessons learned from philemon simple bible studies. 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. Epistle to philemon read the bible online bible study tools. Philemon, a study guide from the executable outlines series by mark a.
Study guide for philemon by chuck smith blue letter bible. Jan 25, 2018 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. In this letter, paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his escaped. Philemon provides valuable historical insights into the early churchs relationship to the institution of slavery. Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. This outline of philemon is intended to assist you as you study the bible. Though this little book is only twentyfive verses in the english bible, it is packed with abiding truths so needed in our modern world. Filled with a wealth of ideas for going deeper so you can return to this study again and again. Bible study lesson sheets these are lessons designed for either a class or personal study.
The author of the book of philemon was the apostle paul philemon 1. Philemon 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible. It is first a primary history source for roman history in the first century. Now philemon owned slaves, and he had a slave named onesimus. Unlike most of pauls letters, his letter to philemon has little directly to do with christian doctrine or the pastoral care of believers. It was written to philemon as a plea to request forgiveness for his runaway servant onesimus, who was a new believer in jesus christ. Participants will be encouraged to apply gods word to their lives. For permission to reproducedistribute these resources from steve cole including the word document and audio files found on the individual lesson pages below please see bible.
Sadly, many misconstrue this to say that paul condones slavery but that is not even in the context of the book of philemon. There is little doubt that paul wrote this epistle, since he refers to himself at least three times in verses 1, 9 and 19. 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. Its a little book that can get lost between the giants on either side, yet it has a powerful message. The book of philemon as well as the book of colossians were written by paul and delivered at the same time.
An introduction to the book of philemon an argument of the book of philemon a selected bibliography of colossians and philemon. This is one of the most remarkable epistles in the scripture. Paul was imprisoned in rome when he wrote this personal. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of. 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. Paul reminded philemon that his life was saved when paul led him to christ, so philemon owed him a favor. The letter, rather, is a personal missive sent from paul to a friend in colossae. Audio and manuscripts are available for each lesson. These small group studies of philemon contain outlines, crossreferences, bible study discussion questions, and applications. Copeland hundreds of free sermon outlines and bible study materials available for online browsing and downloading. The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus.
One of the visitors converted under pauls teaching was a man named philemon, a slaveowner from the nearby city of colossae philemon 1. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery. 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, a wealthy christian at colossae, and all future readers of 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 paul. A life application bible study is inexpensive and contains lessons, charts, maps, study questions and notes. 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. Paul, a prisoner of christ jesus, and timothy our brother, to philemon our. Through pauls ministry onesimus had come to faith in jesus while a runaway slave. American bible society is a 501 c 3 non profit organization. This 12week practical study series from crossway orients the student to the near and far context, key questions, gospel glimpses, whole bible connections, and theological and practical implications for every section of the books of colossians and philemon. Tom constables expository notes on philemon this is also available in the net.
Since colossians was written from rome during pauls first imprisonment 62 ad. Study guide for philemon by david guzik blue letter bible. Paul was writing philemon as a brother in christ and now. 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. Its canonicity was widely recognized in the early church, particularly by ignatius, tertullian, origen, eusebius, marcion, and in the muratorian canon. 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. Lifechange lifechange bible studies will help you grow in christlikeness through a lifechanging encounter with gods word. Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries.
The letter from paul to philemon was of a very personal nature. In pauls day, slavery had virtually eclipsed free labor. There were millions of people in asia minor, and philemon was just one of the men who came to know the lord jesus. Most people seem to mainly focus on the restitution of onesimus to philemon, but theres a lot more to it than that. That he was apparently a resident of colossae is supported by the fact that his slave, onesimus, was a colossian colossians 4.
Onesimus is now returning to his master and paul hopes to influence how philemon responds to him. The bible often is read poorly in our church services. The letter to philemon is a brilliant affirmation of christian ethics. An introduction to the book of philemon an argument of the book of philemon a selected bibliography of colossians and philemon daniel b. Unfortunately, in many churches public reading of the bible is little more than homiletical throat clearing before the sermon. Timothy, titus and philemon, by william barclay is great both as an indepth study for a group and as a daily guide for individuals.
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