Baltimore White Marsh Seventh-day Adventist Church

Baltimore White Marsh Seventh-day Adventist
Study Guide
Philemon

Outline
· Verses 1-3 – Greetings
· Verses 4-7 – Prayer
· Verses 8-22 – Appeal for Onesimus
· Verses 23-35 – Closing remarks

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

1) Who is the author of the letter (1)

2) Who is the recipient? (1, 2)

3) Where was Paul when he wrote this letter? (1)

4) Who was Philemon?

5) Who was Onesimus? (15 ,16)

6) How did Onesimus come under Paul’s influence?

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

I. Why does Paul address the letter to more than one person?
II. How can we understand the slave-master relationship?
III. What other greater lesson can we learn from the letter to Philemon?

8) Write three take away lessons

a)_______________________________________________________________

b)_______________________________________________________________

c)_______________________________________________________________

9) What are you going to do with what you learned?


Answers

1) Who is the author of the letter (1)
· Paul

2) Who is the recipient? (1, 2)
· Philemon and the church in his house

3) Where was Paul when he wrote this letter? (1)
· In prison

4) Who was Philemon?
· Person of means with a large house – Philemon (2, 22)
· He appears to have became a Christian through Pau’s ministry (19)
· He ministered with Paul (1,17)
· He was possibly a leader of the church in his house. (5,7)

5) Who was Onesimus? (15 ,16)
· He was one of Philemon’s slaves

6) How did Onesimus come under Paul’s influence?

The Bible does not reveal how Onesimus came under Paul’s influence. However, the Spirit of Prophecy sheds some light into it. Ellen White mentions that Onesimus came under Paul’s influence while he was ministering in Rome.
“Among those who gave their hearts to God through the labors of Paul in Rome was Onesimus, a pagan slave who had wronged his master, Philemon, a Christian believer in Colosse, and had escaped to Rome. In the kindness of his heart, Paul sought to relieve the poverty and distress of the wretched fugitive and then endeavored to shed the light of truth into his darkened mind. Onesimus listened to the words of life, confessed his sins, and was converted to the faith of Christ.
Onesimus endeared himself to Paul by his piety and sincerity, no less than by his tender care for the apostle’s comfort, and his zeal in promoting the work of the gospel. Paul saw in him traits of character that would render him a useful helper in missionary labor, and he counseled him to return without delay to Philemon, beg his forgiveness, and plan for the future. The apostle promised to hold himself responsible for the sum of which Philemon had been robbed. Being about to dispatch Tychicus with letters to various churches in Asia Minor, he sent Onesimus with him. It was a severe test for this servant thus to deliver himself up to the master he had wronged; but he had been truly converted, and he did not turn aside from his duty.”[2]

7) Application:
I. Why does Paul address the letter to more than one person?

It is possible that Paul was attempting to create a sense of accountability by mentioning different names. Philemon’s decision was not supposed to be made alone. This type of relationship was public and affected the whole church in his house. Elwell, Walter A., and Barry J. Beitzel. “Philemon, Letter To.” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988.

II. How can we understand the slave-master relationship?

“Paul’s letter to Philemon shows the influence of the gospel upon the relation between master and servant. Slave-holding was an established institution throughout the Roman Empire, and both masters and slaves were found in most of the churches for which Paul labored. In the cities, where slaves often greatly outnumbered the free population, laws of terrible severity were regarded as necessary to keep them in subjection. A wealthy Roman often owned hundreds of slaves, of every rank, of every nation, and of every accomplishment. With full control over the souls and bodies of these helpless beings, he could inflict upon them any suffering he chose. If one of them in retaliation or self-defense ventured to raise a hand against his owner, the whole family of the offender might be inhumanly sacrificed. The slightest mistake, accident, or carelessness was often punished without mercy.[3]

III. What other greater lesson can we learn from the letter to Philemon?

“How fitting an illustration of the love of Christ for the repentant sinner! The servant who had defrauded his master had nothing with which to make restitution. The sinner who has robbed God of years of service has no means of canceling the debt. Jesus interposes between the sinner and God, saying, I will pay the debt. Let the sinner be spared; I will suffer in his stead.”[4]




[1] Belleville, Linda L., and Jason C. Kuo. “Philemon, Letter to.” Edited by John D. Barry, David Bomar, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, Douglas Mangum, Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, Lazarus Wentz, Elliot Ritzema, and Wendy Widder. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
[2] Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, 456.
[3]Acts of the Apostles, 459.
[4] Ibid., 458.