Philemon 1-7

-

Philemon 1-7

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. [1]



Devotion

            In Philemon we find the shortest of all of Paul’s letters. Only 355 words in the Greek. Paul introduces himself as a prisoner for Christ Jesus rather than as an Apostle. Most commentators deduce that this is Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, but an excellent case can be made for an earlier imprisonment in Ephesus. So depending on which view you take the letter was written either in 54 AD or 62 AD  And he adds that Timothy is present also, but as we shall see this letter is a very personal appeal on behalf of Paul to Philemon regarding a runaway slave named Onesimus.

            Paul then states to whom he is writing to Philemon the owner and possibly the leader of a church that met in his house. Apphia who is widely believed to be Philemon’s wife and finally Archippus who is identified as a fellow soldier and is widely believed to be Philemon’s son.

            Paul then extends his greetings in the grace and peace of God and of Jesus Christ. As we will see this is a personal and heart felt greeting from Paul to a beloved brother who was brought to faith through Paul’s own preaching. Just as indeed Onesimus had also done.

            Then begins a section of prayer and thanksgiving. Paul’s acknowledgment of Philemon’s devotion to Christian brotherhood, as well as his deepening love and expressions of faith, would undoubtedly stir within Philemon’s heart: a receptiveness to Onesimus’s return. Paul did not give hollow praise or flattery to Philemon. His compliments were declarations of true gratefulness and joy. But Paul did lay a solid and compelling groundwork for what he was about to ask of Philemon.[2]


[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Phm 1–7.
[2] Knute Larson, I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, vol. 9, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 403.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more