This lesson continues the process of introducing students to inductive bible study. There is little doubt that paul wrote this epistle, since he refers to himself at least three times in verses 1, 9 and 19. Pauls friendship with philemon is shown by something significantly missing in his greeting. As philemon forgave onesimus on pauls request, it was as if he was giving a drink of cold water in the name of a disciple and he shall be rewarded for it matthew 10. The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. Philemon with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.
The questions are easy to understand and provide a lot of opportunity for discussion, not just simple one word or yesno type questions. Filled with a wealth of ideas for going deeper so you can return to this study again and again. Before them, god had used law, history, poetry, prophecy, and the gospel records. The author of the book of philemon was the apostle paul philemon 1. Colossians and philemon page 2 church may have sent him to rome to comfort paul or that epaphras chose to go to rome to inform paul of the grave condition of the church at colossae colossians 4. These small group studies of philemon contain outlines, crossreferences, bible study discussion questions, and applications. 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. He did what most runaway slaves apparently didhe moved into a great metropolis. It is first a primary history source for roman history in the first century. The epistle shows that he was a believing christian and an esteemed acquaintance of the apostle. Though pauls letter to philemon is very brief, it is packed with rich nuggets of truth that.
The book of philemon may be short, but its 25 verses pack a powerful spiritual punch. 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. Its always too soon to quit ebook 9780781403757 by warren w. 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. Through this real life situation, paul teaches philemon, as well as believers today, the importance of forgiveness. Now philemon owned slaves, and he had a slave named onesimus. Philemon in the picture study bible the book of philemon. The letter, rather, is a personal missive sent from paul to a friend in colossae. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of.
Philemon, a study guide from the executable outlines series by mark a. This outline of philemon is intended to assist you as you study the bible. The macarthur bible studies provide intriguing examinations of the whole of scripture. Also, through pauls words he will refocus the attention to christ and affirm the christian lifestyle. Most people seem to mainly focus on the restitution of onesimus to philemon, but theres a lot more to it than that. 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. Click here to see the next lesson on the book of philemon.
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. The apostles joy and praise for philemons steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. Philemon 1 download lesson notes, powerpoints, audio. Use highlighting, underlining, and take notes while you study the bible. All donations are tax deductible in full or in part.
Moule, colossian and philemon studies christian literature crusade, pp. Study in philemon by edgar pierce exposing the word. It was written to philemon as a plea to request forgiveness for his runaway servant onesimus, who was a new believer in jesus christ. The letter from paul to philemon was of a very personal nature. What does paul mean by saying he is a prisoner of christ jesus. Onesimus, a slave in colossae, had evidently robbed philemon, his master verse 18, and run away.
The letter to philemon is a brilliant affirmation of christian ethics. What he meant is truethat this little book beautifully illustrates the salvation that every believer enjoys. Though this little book is only twentyfive verses in the english bible, it is packed with abiding truths so needed in our modern world. Recently, some scholars have challenged the traditional reading of the letter and have proposed a. Copeland hundreds of free sermon outlines and bible study materials available for online browsing and downloading. Paul wrote to philemon, a christian brother living in colosse. Pauls letter to his christian brother philemon gives us a.
Paul was imprisoned in rome when he wrote this personal. That he was apparently a resident of colossae is supported by the fact that his slave, onesimus, was a colossian colossians 4. Included are historical insights, word definitions, discussion questions, assignments and a leaders guide. There were millions of people in asia minor, and philemon was just one of the men who came to know the lord jesus.
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 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. In time, as onesimus grew in the faith through pauls teaching, he. Martin luther wrote, we are all the lords onesimi cited by h. Though this little book is only twentyfive verses in the english bible, it is. Paul reminded philemon that his life was saved when paul led him to christ, so philemon owed him a favor. 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. Timothy, titus and philemon, by william barclay is great both as an indepth study for a group and as a daily guide for individuals. 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. Philemon king james version kjv 1 paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and timothy our brother, unto philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, 2 and to our beloved apphia, and archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house.
Free interactive bible quizzes with answers and high score tables. Its canonicity was widely recognized in the early church, particularly by ignatius, tertullian, origen, eusebius, marcion, and in the muratorian canon. Philemon 1 niv paul, a prisoner of christ jesus, and. 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. Paul, a prisoner of christ jesus, and timothy our brother, to philemon our. Although he had undoubtedly heard the gospel in philemons household. Tom constables expository notes on philemon this is also available in the net. Philemon, a wealthy christian at colossae, and all future readers of the bible. Philemon new international version niv 1 paul, a prisoner of christ jesus, and timothy our brother, to philemon our dear friend and fellow worker 2 also to apphia our sister and archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home.
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. Philemon kjv paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and bible. Andy is a professor of bible and theology at the college of biblical studies in houston. A life application bible study is inexpensive and contains lessons, charts, maps, study questions and notes. 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. The title of this letter is the name of the addressee, taken from verse 1. Participants will be encouraged to apply gods word to their lives. The book of philemon was written in approximately a. The book of philemon is as several authors have said, like looking over the shoulder of philemon as he reads his personal mail. 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.
The book of philemon is one of the most interesting, yet neglected books of the bible. Study guide for philemon by david guzik blue letter bible. Aug 11, 2000 this study guide presents pauls letter to the colossians and his letter to philemon in 10 lessons. Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this letter, paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his. Onesimus took a chance one day, as any slave would have done, and made a run for it. Lifechange lifechange bible studies will help you grow in christlikeness through a lifechanging encounter with gods word. Philemon provides valuable historical insights into the early churchs relationship to the institution of slavery. Visit our life application page for more information on how to use this work in a bible study.
It appears that he was a slave holder before he was saved. An introduction to the book of philemon an argument of the book of philemon a selected bibliography of colossians and philemon. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery. Lessons learned from philemon simple bible studies. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action. Its a little book that can get lost between the giants on either side, yet it has a powerful message. 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. An introduction to the book of philemon an argument of the book of philemon a selected bibliography of colossians and philemon daniel b. This is the earliest known fragment of the epistle to philemon. They would simply live christian lives and wait for the leavening teaching of. Letter from paul to philemon, paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and timothy our brother, unto philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer.
May you discover gods character as you read his letter to you. This epistle is the story of three main characters, onesimus, philemon and paul and their interaction. 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. Study guide for philemon by chuck smith blue letter bible. Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries. While at rome, he was also imprisoned for some reason philemon 23. One of the visitors converted under pauls teaching was a man named philemon, a slaveowner from the nearby city of colossae philemon 1.
Due to ministry changes at my church and lack of teachers i have a combined class of newly promoted 4th. 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. Recently, some scholars have challenged the traditional reading of the letter and have proposed a number of alternative interpretations. The book of philemon illustrates that principles like these can and should profoundly affect the lives of believers. Because believers in jesus are equal partners in the new humanity, paul asks philemon to forgive his runaway slave onesimus. The apostles joy and praise for philemon s steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints.
Unlike most of pauls letters, his letter to philemon has little directly to do with christian doctrine or the pastoral care of believers. This letter urges philemon to forgive a former slave and thief and welcome him back as a brother in christ. Epistle to philemon read the bible online bible study tools. This book was written by paul while he was in prison around a. The epistle is addressed to philemon, with the church in his house, and to sister apphia and archippus. American bible society is a 501 c 3 non profit organization. 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 pauls day, slavery had virtually eclipsed free labor. As the students study philemon they will combine 2 steps overview, closer look. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends.
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. A fun way to see how much you know about the bible whilst complementing your bible study. In this brief epistle, the apostle paul provides faiths solution to the problem of reconciling a christian slave to his christian master. The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus. The new world translation of the holy scriptures is published by jehovahs witnesses.
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