Bible Study Thru Philemon

Introduction

Tonight we will be examining Philemon. My goal here tonight is really not to preach to you but rather to teach you how to study the Bible. I like to use Philemon because of its brevity, conciseness, clear message. We will read it in its entirety, ask some questions, and dissect its meaning and hopefully we will emerge with a greater understanding of how we are to read and study Scripture.

So let us begin, as we always ought, with prayer.

Pray

Observation

The first step in Bible study is called “observation”. This is the most important step. You will only receive as much illumination from the text in proportion to your work in observation. In this step we will be doing a few things.

Understanding background information.

Ie, date, occasion, purpose, genre, author, audience, literary style and features, and context, etc.

Reading the text.

Multiple times.

Listening to audio.

Using different translations.

Asking questions of the text.

Who, what, when, where, why, how?

Naturally, let us being in understanding the background. A good study Bible or commentary will aid you in this.

Now I am not telling you to begin reading the commentary on the verses. We will save that for latter. We need to first have our own questions and conclusions before we read the commentary. Otherwise we have bring something to the text that was not there. What I am saying is use the opening page of most commentaries. They usually provide background information.

So with that in mind a good brief background for Philemon would read something like this.

Paul is writing to a gentile believer named Philemon who lives in Colosse about his run away slave. It was most likely written in early 60 AD. The letter reads as a personal appeal rather than Paul’s typical theological treaties and warnings. The main theme of Philemon is the centrality of the gospel is restoring relationship and the unity in Christ. The book is found in the New Testament and though quite brief. It is broken up into 3 main sections, intro, body, and closing.

Now that is all my own words. I would encourage anyone to do the same.

With that, let us read.

Read

Philemon (ESV)

Philemon (ESV)

1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 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. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. 8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 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, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 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. 17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 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. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

So after reading the text multiple times, possibly in different translations or out loud, we need to being asking questions and making notes. For instance, in my reading I find v.1-3 to be the introduction, v.4-22 to be the body, and v.23-25 to be the closing. Now I might also say that the body consists of two parts, v.4-7 and v.8-21 due to the change in subject.

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 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. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. 8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 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, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 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. 17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 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. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

For instance,

As you read,

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 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. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. 8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 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, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 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. 17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 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. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Circle names of the characters, such as Paul, Onesimus, and Philemon.

Underline places such as, “your house”.

underline places, highlight key words and repeated words. Put boxes around phrases that confuse you.

Highlight key words and repeated words such as, “prisoner”, or “refreshed”.

Put boxes around phrases you question such as, “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing...”

4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 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. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. 8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 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, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 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. 17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 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. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Ask questions of the text used the tried and true, who, what, when, where, why, how, method.

For example,

8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 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, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 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. 17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 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. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Q:Who is Philemon? Paul? Onesimus?

Q: What is the issue or tension in this letter? What is the problem/solution? What is the punishment for fleeing as a slave?

17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 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. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Q: When was this written? When did Onesimus flee? When will he be restored?

21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 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.

Q: Where is this taking place? Where is Colossae? Where could have Onesimus gone?

Q: Why does Paul bother writing a letter? Why does Paul respond the way he does in the letter? Why did Onesimus flee?

Q: How would the letter be transported? How did a person send a letter in that time? How does Paul appeal to Philemon?

I would encourage you to come up with as many questions as possible. At least two or three dozen for a small passage like this. Remember, the more work you put into observation the greater the illumination will come from your work.

Interpretation

Now that we have a familiarity, maybe not an understanding yet, of the text, let us begin answering the question we have asked. This is called “Interpretation”. This is where we being to understand what the text means.

So let us try answering some of those questions we asked earlier,

Q: Who is Philemon?

Philemon is a gentile christian slave owner and in whose house the church often met.

Q: What is the punishment for a fleeing slave?

Anything up to death.

Q: When will Onesimus be restored?

The text does not explicitly state when but it does tell us that Paul is expecting Onesimus to be restored as soon as he returns to his master.

Where is Colossae?

Colossae is in Asia Minor. It is a Gentile city.

Q: Why does Paul write this letter?

Paul is writing this letter as way to being unity to the Church and take the gospel as a theological truth and make it a solution in reality.

Q: How does Paul appeal to Philemon?

Paul appeals to Philemon not as greater, or with apostolic authority (through he would have the right to do so), but as a equal brother in the Lord.

What if you don't know the answers to these questions? Or you don't know how you would begin answering them? Well, this is where being familiar with other Scripture and having the right tools will help you.

Use the cross-references and concordance in your Bible to find other texts with similar words or subjects. Use a Bible dictionary to help define words. Biblical maps to help you follow locations and travel routes.

Begin answering those questions. Let the answers take you to new questions or understandings. It is okay of you can not answer all your questions. In fact, I would be worried if you did.

Now that you have a fair understanding of the text, you can use your commentaries. Compare your findings to the commentator.

Are they the same? If so are they for the same reasons?

Are they different? If so, why are they different? Does the commentator offer a better or a worse understanding? Can you use the commentary to strengthen your understanding of the text?

Application

Now as you begin to capture all that information let is digest it. How does all of it relate to Jesus and His gospel? What do we learn about ourselves and God? What is the text’s main theme and message?

Application

Now our final step is to apply the text. This is where we take the text and personalize it. We make it practical for us. Not our neighbor. Not our wives. For us.

So what are some things we can apply from Philemon?

Treating your believing employees as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Not just simply employees.

Pastors, elders, and deacons; sometimes it is better to ask than to tell.

Paul had all the authority as an apostle. Yet he sets his authority asides and asks his brother to redeem his slave out of his own free will.

The unity the gospel brings is greater than any race, ethnicity, national alliance, political party, etc.

The gospel transcends all those things.

The centrality of the gospel in life.

Paul does not tell Philemon to wait till the next political election and vote for a candidate that is anti-slavery. Paul doesn't say everyone who owns a slave is going to hell. Rather he centers everything on the gospel.

So how does that work in real life? Maybe the best answers are not political, or scientific, or theological, but rather gospel centric.

So what happens if your application does not match up with someone else’s application? That is okay. Remember this, there is only one correct interpretation, but many applications.

So what happens if your application does not match up with someone else’s application? That is okay. Remember this, there is only one correct interpretation, but many applications.

Closing

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

Some of you might say this sounds like a lot of work, and yes, it can be. But where did you get the impression this was easy?

25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

So why am I teaching on this tonight? Well, there are a few reasons but the main one is this. Biblical illiteracy is an epidemic in our churches. We have members of churches, been there for decades, still struggle to get anything from their reading of Scripture. I think the issue stems from two places. Elders and teachers, teach younger men and women how to read their Bibles. And secondly, parents, teach your children the Scriptures. I believe if we begin doing that consistently in our churches with new believers and our children, this epidemic would be vanquished.

commentaries

prayer

Christocentric