In his letter to philemon, he encourages him to rise above his hurts and extend mercy, forgiveness, and love to a. Fee in his book how to read the bible for all its worth lays out the form of ancient letters as follows with. The workbooks provide materials and resources to help students understand the scriptures as the infallible, inspired word of god about jesus christ. It deals with the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Studying the bible is fun and meaningful using the inductive bible study method. Permission is granted to make copies of these participant handouts, one set for each member of a local group, at no charge, provided that this information remains intact on each copy. Philemon 125 this letter seems to be a personal letter, but of its divine inspiration there can be no doubt. The other three are ephesians, philippians, and colossians. Pauls letters remind us of the difference christ makes in every aspect of our lives. The epistle of paul to philemon, known simply as philemon, is one of the books of the christian new testament. Philemon is a prison epistle written by paul while in prison at rome during the early 60s a.
Reading this epistle is like looking over the shoulder of philemon and reading his personal mail. The changes of the gospel philemon 125 related media the story is told of two brothers, convicted of stealing sheep, who were branded on the forehead with the letters st, to indicate sheep thief. Bible class book on the epistle to the hebrews, by david. Pdf philemon onesimus and paul a case study in partibility in. Harry ironside closed his sermon on philemon by quoting the words from a wellknown hymn. Onesimus to philemon, not as a slave, but as a brother, in freedom.
These verses state what the story of philemon and onesimus illustrates, that god changes every person whom he saves through the gospel. These workbooks are also available professionally printed. Philemon is a perfect example of what ancient letters were typically like in the grecoroman world. Frankly, i believe that paul had no idea his letter to philemon would be included in the canon of scripture, and i think he would be a little embarrassed. Pauls life and teachings lesson 33 pauls letter to philemon. The author of the book of philemon was the apostle paul philemon 1. It is a prison letter, coauthored by paul the apostle with timothy, to philemon, a leader in the colossian church. Philemon is one of four letters paul wrote from prison. Print and teach never have to prep for bible lessons again. Bible study lesson sheets these are lessons designed for either a class or personal study. The bible claims it is gods word, and jesus claimed to be god in the flesh. Philemon was a hristian of olosse who was likely a convert of paul s.
A case study in individualization, dividuation and. There are three main characters paul, philemon, and onesimus that paul himself used to focus on the important doctrine of the believer in christ. This is the only place in the new testament where philemon is mentioned by name, but we do know that he was a beloved friend to paul. What are the main lessons for us today from this short book of philemon. In colossians he reminds believers that all they need is jesus not jesus plus something else. Max lucados life lessons from colossians and philemon is a 12session study on two of pauls letters consisting of eleven lessons from colossians and one from the book of philemon. So paul wrote to philemon encouraging him to rise above his hurt and show mercy, forgiveness, grace, and love. The books similarity to the book of colossians 1, 2, 2324. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of. The letter suggests that paul was in prison at the time of the writing. Questions should be studied by each individual before your discussion group meets.
If these claims are not true, then jesus is a liar and the bible is a fraud. The book of philemon was written in approximately a. Life lessons from colossians and philemon, 2018 edition. Is there a broken relationship in your life that you could or should rectify. Philippians, colossians, 12 thessalonians, 12 timothy, titus, philemon participant book, large print genesis to revelation series abingdon press 2018 trade. His slave, onesimus, robbed him and fled to rome, where he had been converted under pauls ministry and became.
These free bible study class books include questions, assignments, and study guides for bible classes, families, churches, or individuals. Studying the book of philemon in small group discussions lesson 1 thanksgiving and prayer philemon 1. It is directed to philemon, which means kisses or one that is affectionate, in behalf of onesimus, which means profitable or. Bynum 2009 tabernacle baptist church the doctrine of imputation applied memory verse. Visit our library of inductive bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the bible you can use in your small group. Students can study the bible for themselves and gain an understanding of the whole book of philemon. Gordon fee in his book how to read the ible for all its worth lays out the form of ancient letters as follows with examples from philemon added. Disciple lessons from colossians and philemon jesuswalk, 2010. The bible is full of really interesting and cool stories. Pauls persuasive effort is the one chapter book of. Colossians has some interesting overlap with philemon.
This book was written by paul while he was in prison around a. Lessons from the book of philemon the book of philemon is one of two books in the new testament with only one chapter. Ephesians philippians colossians philemon is pauls only one chapter book. If you dont believe me, i would encourage you to read it more deeply than you have before. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of philemon. Both are introduced as coming from both paul and timothy. The book was written around 62 ad during paul first imprisonment in rome.
It appears that he was a slave holder before he was saved. Paul does not identify himself as an apostle with authority, but as a prisoner of jesus christ, calling. The epistle of philemon was written by the apostle paul while imprisoned in rome. This is a lesson that is outside of the text of philemon that i have had to learn the hard way over the past few years. The book of philemon is one of the most interesting, yet neglected books of the bible. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery.