The Letter of Paul to Philemon
- Steve Schott
- 5 days ago
- 8 min read
Theme
► The main theme of Philemon, is the person of Onesimus, a run-away slave belonging to Philemon, who has also become a born-again believer because of, or through the ministry of, Paul the Apostle.
► Paul, while writing a letter at the church at Colossae, of which Philemon is a member, also writes to Philemon individually, to implore him in regards to Onesimus.
Intro to today's passage
► Since we just finished the letter to the Colossians, I thought it expedient to also cover the individual letter to one of the members of that church.
► Paul only wrote 4 letters to individuals. Of the 13 he wrote, the other 9 were all to churches.
► Of the 4 written to individuals, 3 of them are written to men he discipled in person, Timothy (x2) and Titus.
► As far as we know, Paul and Philemon may have never met, as Paul had never been to the church in Colossae. Philemon may have been a convert of Paul's when he was ministering in Ephesus, but their connection is not explained. From my perspective, it's easy for me to believe that Epaphras, who started the church in Colossae, led Philemon to the Lord, and so their connection is through their mutual acquaintance. But we don't know for certain.
► Paul is writing to him for a very specific purpose, with ramifications that I believe effect all of those claiming Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
Passage
Grace and Peace
→ Paul mentions right off the bat that he is a "prisoner", assumingly referencing his house-arrest in Rome, but claims his warden to be "Christ Jesus", rather than Nero, who is the Roman Emperor at the time.
→ He includes "Timothy" as a co-sender of this letter, as he does also in 2nd Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st Thessalonians, and 2nd Thessalonians,
To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, 2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
→ Paul addresses "Philemon" as "our beloved brother and fellow worker", giving the implication both that he professes Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord, and also that he is in some way actively involved in ministry. This guy isn't just keeping the pew warm.
→ He also addresses this letter to "Apphia our sister" and to "Archippus our fellow solder", most likely the wife and son of Philemon, in that as a group their house is the site of "the church".
→ And it would make sense, that this "church in your house" is in fact, the church at Colossae, the one Paul wrote a general letter to, and not some other church in the area.
→ A side note: most likely it was Paul's intent that, while specifically written to Philemon for a very specific and personal reason, it was meant to be read to the entire church.
→ Another side note: Philemon was probably wealthy, partly evidenced by his owning slaves, as they must be housed and fed also, and also because his house was large enough to hold the entire church.
→ I always try to stress, when dealing with this common greeting of Paul's, that we should not overlook this simple statement.
→ It's so basic; but it's so powerful.
• You can't have peace unless you've received grace.
• Know grace - know peace.
• No grace - no peace.
→ Here's a link to a chart I've prepared that shows that Paul uses the grace/peace combination in the greeting of ALL of his epistles. And he also uses grace at the end, and sometimes grace and peace.
Philemon's Love and Faith
4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; 6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. 7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
→ Paul opens his letter with a warm reflection on what he does know about Philemon.
→ Philemon is apparently a man has a genuine love for the Lord and for His people.
→ Philemon is also a man of faith.
• A man whose faith Paul prays will "become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake."
• Whatever those "every good things" are we don't know specifically, other than that Philemon possesses them "for Christ's sake."
→ And Paul lays it on pretty thick about how the character of Philemon's life brings him "much joy and comfort in your love", knowing that the end result is that the "hearts of the saints have been refreshed" by Philemon.
→ While it' somewhat obvious that Paul is making an opening for his next request, I don't think that there is any insincerity in Paul's exaltations.
→ The positive qualities demonstrated to this point in Philemon's life, cause Paul to thank God for him in his prayers.
Paul's Plea for Onesimus
8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—
→ Paul says that while he could "order you to do what is proper", he decides that the better course in this situation is to appeal to him in love.
10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, 11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. 12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will. 15 For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
→ The issue, the entire reason for this letter, is a single person, by the name of "Onesimus".
→ What does this section tell us about Onesimus?
• Paul says of him "I have begotten (him) in my imprisonment", meaning apparently that Onesimus was lead to faith in Jesus by Paul.
• It is acknowledged that in his pre-Christ state he was pretty much worthless to either Paul or Philemon, and he doesn't elaborate on what Onesimus' diminished capacities were, or weren't, but Paul says that in his current born-again state he's now of value to both of them.
• Paul wanted to keep him with him to continue what he had been doing - meeting Paul's needs while he was in prison.
→ Paul mentions that he realized that to keep Onesimus with him without Philemon's consent would have been presumptuous on his part, so he's sending him back.
→ BUT, that if it was of his own choice, Philemon could send him back, if he wanted.
→ Then Paul really lays it out - he shouldn't be a slave any more, but rather a brother in Christ.
17 If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. 18 But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). 20 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.
→ Paul then covers any logistic issues...
→ Treat Onesimus as you would me - would Philemon expect Paul to be his slave?
→ Whatever debts or obligations Onesimus owes, Paul says he will pay for it.
→ He does remind Philemon that he also in debt to Paul, and by saying that, I'm assuming he's speaking in a spiritual sense, possibly that Paul did actually lead Philemon to Christ in Ephesus, but Paul doesn't spell it out.
→ Paul then asks Philemon to "refresh my heart in Christ", expressing the added joy he will have from learning that Philemon has given Onesimus his freedom.
→ And lastly, Paul says he has "confidence in your obedience", assuming that he will fulfill Paul's request to set Onesimus free.
→ Paul tacks on one little statement "I know that you will do even more than what I say", opening the door for Philemon to go above and beyond.
→ It's not clear what Paul had in mind specifically, but it possibly could mean that Philemon would do something more significant for Onesimus, like taking him into his own family. Or maybe this was a trigger for Philemon to release all of his slaves. We aren't told what other measures Paul had in mind.
The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
22 At the same time also prepare me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.
→ Paul closes out this letter, first with a request to stay with Philemon if and when he is eventually released, and adds that he has "hope that through your prayers" he'll be able to come to them.
→ He lists a few of associates that are currently with him, and starts the list with "Epaphras", who it is commonly believed started the church at Colossae, and therefore should be known to Philemon.
→ And then Paul ends this short letter reminding Philemon of "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ." He started this letter, as he does all of his letters, with the mention of grace and peace. Now he closes with this same idea. A reminder that our lives are wrapped up in the love and care of our God.
So What?
► I doubt that any of us today own slaves.
► But this letter, to me, clearly gives us instruction that this was not the right way to treat people.
► The basic premise taught here is that we should treat people with love and respect, and that is something we CAN and SHOULD do with everyone around us.
► While the context of the relationships between Paul and Onesimus and Philemon is that they are all believers in Jesus Christ, I believe that we should treat ALL people with this kind of love and respect.
► That doesn't mean that we can never disagree with people, because we will probably every day be of a different opinion about things with others, but we need to act with kindness and gentleness within our disagreements.
► But first we need to make sure that we are in a right relationship with Jesus Christ.
Photo • 3/7/2025 - Sunrise at the Sunny Side Boat Ramp on Lake Oologah, OK
“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org”
All linked verses are from the YouVersion at www.Bible.com
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