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The book of Philemon in the Bible is just one singular chapter, written by Paul to Philemon. Philemon was a slave owner and friend of Paul, whose only mention is in this letter. By breaking down each section of the letter, we will unveil a lesson about the gospel that we can apply to our discipleship and witnessing today.
Philemon in the Bible
The book of Philemon in the Bible is a personal letter from the Apostle Paul to Philemon.
Paul’s letter opens with a warm greeting:
Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philemon 1:1-3 (ESV)
From this greeting, we can gather a few things about the nature and circumstances of the letter.
First, we know that Paul was in prison at the time of his writing the letter.
Second, Paul is also writing on behalf of Timothy, who he had taken under his wing as a disciple and brother in Christ.
Third, the inclusion of Apphia and Archippus, who are believed to be Philemon’s family members, suggests that this letter probably concerns Philemon’s household.
Paul then moves on to lifting up Philemon for his love and faith:
I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.”
Philemon 1:4-7 (ESV)
From this section of Paul’s letter, we learn a bit more about the character of Philemon.
He is clearly a man of faith, and exemplifies the love of Christ well. So much so that he has brought Paul great joy and comfort, simply through his loving character, as well as other followers of Jesus (“the hearts of the saints”). Paul seems to delight greatly in Philemon as a beloved brother in Christ.
This sets the stage for the following piece of the letter where Paul gets to the purpose of its writing:
Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you – I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus – I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)”
Philemon 1:8-11 (ESV)
So now we know at least a portion of the purpose behind the letter to Philemon in the Bible; to appeal to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus who has at some point stumbled across Paul during his imprisonment in Rome and become quite close to him, as Paul refers to him as his child. But who is Onesimus?
“I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.
Philemon 1:13-16 (ESV)
For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother – especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.”
Paul was pretty direct with who Onesimus is – a bondservant of Philemon’s. It appears that Onesimus had gotten away from Philemon; whether he was released, escaped, etc., we do not know, but however it happened, he ended up meeting Paul. Paul infers that this happened, perhaps by God’s will, so that Paul could witness to Onesimus and win him over to Christ, which it seems was a success, as Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon “as a beloved brother.”
Paul then moves on to the second part of the purpose of his writing to Philemon:
“So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it – to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord.
Philemon 1:17-22 (ESV)
Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.”
In this section, Paul sets the grounds for Onesimus to be received by Philemon as brother in Christ instead of a bondservant, therefore setting him free. Paul, reflecting Christ’s character, takes on the rest of Onesimus’ debt upon himself – as a bondservant was a slavery under the conditions of working off debt. Paul does not expect to be paid back or owed anything for his gracious act, only to be welcomed into Philemon’s home if God wills them to meet.
The letter closes with a goodbye as warm as the greeting:
“Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Philemon 1:23-25 (ESV)
What Can We Learn?
Through the short appearance of Philemon in the Bible, we can learn a huge lesson about the nature of the Gospel: That all are equal and welcomed in the Kingdom of God.
The contents of Paul’s letter are an urging to release a slave and welcome him instead as a brother of Christ. Not because a slave cannot be a follower of Jesus, but because “both master and slave have equal standing in the body of Christ.”
Onesimus, who we assume had become a disciple of Paul’s, could have still been Philemon’s bondservant while being a brother in Christ, but Paul, in a reflection of Christ Jesus, took on his debt instead so that he could be freed. That’s exactly how we should behave in our discipleship!
Sharing the gospel doesn’t just mean telling the story of Jesus; it means walking alongside somebody both as they enter into and as they continue in their walk with Christ, and leading by example, just as Jesus has done for us.
And in our discipleship, we must set aside all prejudice and preconceived notions as all are equal and welcomed in the Kingdom of God.
You may enjoy this video by the Bible Project: Book of Philemon in the Bible Summary: A Complete Animated Overview
Or one of these recommended resources for further study on Philemon in the Bible:
Onesimus as Intellectual Actor of the Letter to Philemon: The Letter to Philemon in Postcolonial Perspective by Elizabeth Sindoro, Agus Santoso
Colossians & Philemon for You: Rooting You in Christian Confidence (God’s Word for You) by Mark Meynell
ESV – “Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”