Philemon

The book of Philemon is Paul’s letter to Philemon, a wealthy believer, seeking to reconcile him with Onesimus, his runaway slave. Onesimus previously was useless and most likely a thief; however, after hearing the gospel, he became tremendously useful, including becoming Paul’s assistant in Rome (Phm 1:11-13). Since Onesimus broke the law by running away from his master and could legally receive the death sentence, Paul wrote this touching letter to appeal to Philemon to take Onesimus back, not only as a slave but as a dear brother in the faith (Phm 1:16). The book ends with a cliff-hanger, since it doesn’t say how Philemon responded. However, the Bishop of Ephesus, some fifty years later, was also named Onesimus. If this was the same person as many believe, this means that Philemon did in fact take Onesimus back and eventually released him to continue to serve Paul and the greater kingdom. Even if the bishop was not the same Onesimus, this little book teaches us much about reconciling relationships, broken marriages, friendships, work relationships, communities, local churches, and even nations, which is so needed today. As we study this book, we learn much about pursuing reconciliation. Let’s study it together with The Bible Teacher’s Guide.

“The Bible Teacher’s Guide … will help any teacher study and get a better background for his/her Bible lessons. In addition, it will give direction and scope to teaching of the Word of God. Praise God for this contemporary introduction to the Word of God.”
—Dr. Elmer Towns, Co-founder of Liberty University