What Is The Purpose Of The Book Of Philemon? A Bible Study

Why did Paul write the Book of Philemon? Who was Philemon? What can we learn from it?

The Author

Paul declares himself to actually be the author in this short, one chapter Book of Philemon. Paul not only says who wrote the Book of Philemon but he also tells who he wrote in to by writing, “Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker” but also to “Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house” (Phil 1:1-2). Paul wrote this around AD 60 while being imprisoned. Even though it is the shortest of all Paul’s letters, it contains a rich amount of biblical teachings on forgiveness.

The Purpose

Sadly, many misconstrue this to say that Paul condones slavery but that is not even in the context of the Book of Philemon. 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 in Christ too. That meant Paul wanted Philemon to change the relationship between him and Onesimus from owner and slave to brother in Christ. If necessary, Paul said he’s take care of any crime Onesimus committed (probably due to theft) (Phil 1:17) but that occurred before Onesimus came to repentance and faith in Christ.

The Focal Point

Paul begins by telling Philemon, “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” (Phil 1:4-6) so Paul didn’t see Philemon as a harsh slave owner but a man who regularly shared his faith in Christ with those he knew. Philemon would have likely treated Onesimus and the other slaves in a benevolent manner. Paul must have witnessed to the runaway slave Onesimus, possibly given the opportunity from being in the same Roman prison cell. A slave typically had a marked ear so they could easily identify those who had run away.

Servants and Slaves

In the Roman Empire, it was possible to buy your freedom from slavery and then they were free to become Roman citizens and in the Roman Empire, a slave had more rights than a servant did because a slave was actually endeared more to the family than a servant, and in many cases, they were allowed to go free but many decided to stay with the family because in time, they had become part of the family. Many would be legally adopted by the father. Some slaves sold themselves into slavery. It was either that or starvation.

A Change in Relationship

Since Paul tried to show that Onesimus was now a brother in Christ, he is “no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother” (Phil 1:16). Paul must have led Onesimus to faith in Christ because Paul writes for an appeal for Onesimus’ sake “to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment” (Phil 1:10). Paul was Onesimus so-called spiritual father who led him to saving faith, just as he had Timothy and Titus and countless others. Now Paul desires to have Philemon consider Onesimus as a brother in Christ and he writes, “if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me” (Phil 1:17) and just like a brother would do for a brother or a sister for a sister, he says “if he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account” (Phil 1:18) or “I’ll pay for it!”

Conclusion

All too often I’ve experienced or read about other Christians who simply chose to not forgive the other person. What a waste of energy to hold onto a grudge so heavy. It’s like drinking poison hoping the other person will die from it. If you die outside of faith in Christ, it will be worse than poison. If only you would turn to Christ today and turn away from your sins (repent) and then you would receive the gift of eternal life and be among the brothers and sisters in Christ.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.