I was recently reading through the 13 letters of Paul in Scripture, and I ended my time in Philemon. It’s not the most well-known book in the Bible; however, it is one of my favorites. Here’s a quick overview:
Philemon (pronounced Fuh-Lee-Muhn) was a slave owner who lived in Colossae and was friends with Paul. One of his slaves, Onesimus, stole from him and ran away, which was punishable by death. Then, in a crazy turn of events, Onesimus ended up in prison—right next to Paul. During that time of imprisonment, Paul actually led him to the Lord and built a fatherly bond with him. So, the book of Philemon is a letter that Paul wrote to Philemon, imploring him to forgive his former slave, restore their relationship, and welcome him back not as a slave, “but as a dearly loved brother.”
Continue reading “Philemon: Dearly Loved”