Bible Commentaries
Philemon

Phm

This, the only private, personal letter from the pen of the apostle Paul, is a perfect specimen of its kind. Its powerful yet pathetic appeal is the ripe fruitage of that overwhelming grace which Paul dispensed from his Roman prison. Himself a prisoner, he captures the runaway slave and gives him the freedom of Christ, yet sends him back to the master from whom he had escaped. This note was doubtless written at the same time as the epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians. Onesimus accompanied Tychicus ( Eph_6:21 ) to Ephesus and Colosse ( Col_4:7-9 ). From the fact that Onesimus is spoken of as "one of you" ( Col_4:9 ), we may infer that Philemon belonged to the ecclesia at Colosse, and that he was given the message to masters in that epistle at the same time ( Col_4:1 ). But this precious little letter goes far beyond what is "just and equal" so far as Onesimus is concerned. No picture of God's grace can better this. Not only a slave, but subject to torture and death for stealing from his master, he is first reconciled to God through Paul's preaching, and then is reconciled to his master through Paul's pleading. He is caught upon the very crest of the great tidal wave of grace which was just then ready to overflow the whole world. The transcendent grace of Paul's perfection epistles was doubtless his precious possession even before it was delivered to Philemon. Can we realize what this, must have meant to him? To be taken from the deepest depths of social degradation and to be seated with Christ in the celestial realms, by faith, almost exhausts the possibilities of grace. And now upon all this, he is given this precious passport to his master's heart! Is it not a lovely little letter? In literary form, too, it is a perfect example of a simple reversion. Every topic is repeated in reverse order, as set forth in detail in the following literary analysis.

FRAMEWORK OF PHILEMON

Reversion

Introduction Phm_1:1-3

Prayer-Paul for Phm_1:4-7

Paul's Authority

Paul Beseeches Phm_1:9-10

Paul's Child Onesimus Phm_1:10

Onesimus' Wrong Phm_1:11-12

Paul and Phm_1:13-14

Onesimus' Departure Phm_1:15

Onesimus' Reception Phm_1:15

Paul and Phm_1:16

Onesimus' Wrong Phm_1:18

Philemon a convert of Paul's Phm_1:19

Paul Pleads Phm_1:20

Paul's Confidence

Prayer-Philemon for Paul Phm_1:22

Conclusion Phm_1:23-25