Bible guide
Philemon
Through Paul's letter interceding for the runaway slave Onesimus, this book shows the change the gospel brings to human relationships.
- Written by
- Paul the Apostle
- Written
- c. AD 60–62
- Chapters
- 1
Historical background
It is a personal letter Paul wrote from a Roman prison to Philemon, a believer in the Colossian church. Philemon's slave Onesimus had run away, met Paul in Rome, and become a Christian. Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus 'no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother.'
What to watch for
Learn mature leadership from the way Paul, though he could have commanded, appeals in love.
Meditate on how the gospel fundamentally changes the relationship between master and slave.
Recall the atonement of Christ in the picture of Paul taking Onesimus' debt upon himself.
Where this book falls in the reading plan
In the app
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A reflection arrives on what you wrote
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Your devotions gather into a record
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Today's verse on your lock screen
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160 topical series and a reading plan
Start wherever you are — 'weakness', 'waiting'. The one-year Bible reading plan, a Proverb a day, and the anonymous prayer box are all in there too.