Letter To Philemon Summary

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The letter to Philemon is the shortest in of all of the apostle Paul’s writings. It is centered on a slave named Onesimus who had escaped from his owner, Philemon. Onesimus ran away from Colossae to Rome. While he was in Rome, Onesimus, came in contact with Paul. Paul led the runaway slave to Christianity. In 60-61AD Paul wrote a personal letter to Philemon while he was in a prison cell in Rome. In this short letter, so much is being said; especially regarding the act of grace. Grace is loving the unlovable; forgiving those who do not care if they are forgiven. The book of Philemon is about giving grace to others; the letter to Philemon provides many insights into the Bible from a historical, literary and contemporary interpretation …show more content…

Slavery, in the Roman world was apart of their everyday life. It was a core social institution. Slavery was not about race. It was a means to an end; such as completing manual labor or attending to certain household chores. Slaves were viewed as property, but an individual was also able to sell themselves into slavery. Some individuals became slaves in order to gain citizenship in Rome. The Roman and Mosaic Laws considered slaves property; because of this it gave the slave owners the right to punish a runaway slaves as they saw …show more content…

Although it is challenging to forgive, as a Christian, it is important to recognize that forgiveness is the result of God’s grace. We are blessed to have God’s grace, and because of that, forgiveness serves as a characteristic of who we are as a Christian. When there is human conflict it comes from human nature apart from God. Every individual is doing what seems right in their own eyes. When people do what they think is right, this will cause there to be anger, discrimination, violence and war. This is true today, we see this in the hate coming from North Korea, in Charlottesville over the weekend, and unfortunately all over the World. The letter to Philemon shows us that the way to peace is for everyone to do their best to live their life as described in the pages of the Bible. Looking at Paul’s teachings, and keeping in mind Paul's words to Philemon, “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit” Christians should treat their community, employees, and their family members with grace and as brothers in Christ (Coogan, 2010, p. 2101). In today’s society, Christians should not view employees, students or anyone else as a stepping stone to achieve their goal. All Christians in leadership positions should recognize that God holds them accountable for the treatment of those who work under them. It does not matter if those involved are Christians or not; everyone deserves the grace of God; and

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