These small group studies of Philemon 17-25 contain commentary, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications. 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.
Philemon 17-25 Inductive Bible Study With Questions
Philemon 17-25 Bible Study Video
Podcast
Outline
I. Paul’s appeal gets personal (17-21)
II. Final greetings (22-25)
I. Paul’s appeal gets personal (17-21)
Discussion Questions
• What does Paul ask of Philemon in these verses?
• What do you learn of his relationship with Philemon?
• How does Paul use his personal relationship in this appeal?
• Should Paul bring his personal relationship into this issue? Why or why not?
• What can we learn from that?
• What did Paul offer to do on behalf of Onesimus?
• What does this show you about his attitude toward Onesimus?
• Are there any lessons from this chapter that can help you solve conflicts or relationship issues?
Cross-References
Matthew 10:40-42 – Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Exodus 22:1 – If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
Colossians 3:13 – Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Proverbs 10:12 – Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.
Jeremiah 31:25 – For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. If you consider me your partner – Paul gets personal. In appealing on Onesimus’ behalf, Paul pulls out all of the stops. In verses 17-20, he emphasizes his own relationship with Philemon.
There were many reasons that Philemon should receive Onesimus back as a brother. If all of the other reasons failed to convince Philemon, this was Paul’s trump card. Paul was, in essence, saying, “if you won’t do it for him, do it for me.”
Rejecting Onesimus was then made equal to rejecting Paul himself.
Paul laid out a compelling argument and really put the charm on. While we do not see in Scripture how Philemon responded, it is hard to imagine that he could or would deny this request.
Paul used every way he could to try to convince Philemon to do the right thing. He utilized logic and he used his personal relationship with Philemon. The wisdom to share these things was from God.
Application – Use every tool in the toolbox to convince others to do what is right, according to the wisdom from God.
2. Receive him as you would receive me – Philemon was encouraged to treat Onesimus as he would treat Paul. That is a very high standard. It reminds us that forgiveness is more than just mumbling some words such as “it’s ok.”
Forgiveness is reflected by action. You cannot claim to forgive someone if you still hold what they did against them. Except in some rare cases, forgiveness includes restoration and receiving. If you tell your friend, “I forgive you, but I don’t want to ever see you step foot in my house,” odds are, you haven’t forgiven them.
If you tell your spouse, “I forgive you for adultery but am filing for divorce tomorrow,” you are kidding yourself.
Note this doesn’t mean that forgiveness absolves the offending party of all consequences. In many situations, forgiveness may not guarantee restoration to the exact same relationship as before.
You may forgive a relative who stole money from you but should be careful in entrusting more money to him until he earns the trust back. You may forgive a spouse who has been abusive in the past but may still need to take precautions to ensure your and your children’s safety.
Application – Forgiveness includes receiving. Evaluate your relationships and ask yourself if you have completely forgiven past transgressions to the point that you are willing to receive that person into your home and treat them as you would Paul.
3. If he has wronged you or owes you anything, charge it to my account – Paul offered to pay any outstanding debt that Onesimus owed. This is very much like what Jesus did for us on the cross. He took our sins and debt and charged them to His own account, sacrificing Himself for us.
Therefore, the story of Onesimus is much like our own. Onesimus was a slave. We are slaves of sin. Onesimus used his own methods to try to solve the situation, but his position had not changed. We can try every way to get out of sin but still cannot free ourselves. The Lord found Onesimus, and his status was elevated (from slave to brother). When the Lord rescues us from our sins, we are elevated and have a new position in Christ. As his debts were charged to Paul, ours are charged to Christ.
We also learn two more lessons from this.
A. Repentance involves restitution – If Onesimus had stolen money or caused a loss to Philemon, it needed to be repaid.
If I steal your phone and then say, “I’m sorry,” but keep the phone, that is not genuine repentance. True repentance demands that everything possible be done to make restitution (Exodus 22:1).
Sometimes restitution is not possible. This could be because the crime is too great or the criminal is too poor. Onesimus’ case was one of these. He was unable to make restitution for himself. Paul stepped in on his behalf.
Regarding our salvation, we are unable to pay God back because our sin is too great.
Application – Do everything in your power to make a situation right if you have wronged someone. Make restitution if you can. At the same time, remember that Jesus paid our debts, and His grace covers us.
B. Paul was willing to sacrifice his own well-being for Onesimus – Paul practiced what he preached in Philippians 2:4.
4. I write this with my own hand – Paul often had other people transcribe his letters. Writing it with his own hand made it very personal and showed how important this request was to him.
5. I will repay it – Paul promises that he is good for it. He will pay back whatever is required.
It seems unlikely that Philemon would actually ask Paul to do that. But regardless, Paul was willing.
6. To say nothing of your owing me even your own self – We can call a spade a spade. Paul lays it on pretty thick. He mentions that Philemon is heavily indebted to Paul. It is unlikely this is a reference to any financial debt. Paul was a poor missionary. More conceivably, this is a reference to some spiritual blessings Philemon had received due to Paul’s influence on his life. Perhaps Philemon’s salvation was a result of Paul’s ministry.
7. Refresh my heart in Christ – In verse 7, we learned that Philemon was gifted at refreshing the hearts of the saints. Now Paul wants to experience a bit of that himself! To hear a favorable response from Philemon would give him great spiritual encouragement.
8. Knowing you will do even more than what I say – Paul had confidence that Philemon would respond well to his letter. He expected Philemon to go above and beyond and do even more than was required.
This statement puts the ball in Philemon’s court. Philemon was free and even encouraged to do considerably more for Onesimus.
Application – Let us go above and beyond in our service to others. Think of someone who has wronged you. Have you forgiven them? If so, consider what act of kindness you could do on their behalf to show them that all is well.
II. Final greetings (22-25)
Discussion Questions
• What can we learn about hospitality?
• What do you know about each of Paul’s team mentioned in verse 24? (Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke).
Cross-References
Acts 15:36-40 – And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
2 Timothy 4:10 – For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Prepare a guest room for me – Paul hoped to visit Philemon in person. Hospitality to visitors was ingrained into the culture. It would be unthinkable to allow a visiting missionary like Paul to have to scrounge the town for accommodations.
This simple statement shows us the intimate nature of fellowship during the New Testament church. Believers were family, and they acted like it. The terms “brother” and “sister” were not empty titles.
Application – How can you show hospitality to your spiritual family today in the twenty-first century? Write down several specific ways (try to focus on things you don’t already do).
2. Closing greetings – Paul mentions five different teammates in his closing greetings. Each man was his fellow worker. Paul’s ministry team was dynamic. There were many types of people serving together. Each came from a different background and was blessed with different strengths and giftings.
Epaphras was a fellow prisoner with Paul. Likely, he was also being persecuted for the faith.
Mark had deserted Paul previously but was now vital to him.
Aristarchus is seen as Paul’s companion in Ephesus when the populace rioted (Acts 27:2).
Luke is the writer of the Gospel of Luke and a physician. He accompanied Paul as he was taken prisoner to Rome.
Demas was a member of Paul’s ministry team who would abandon the group to pursue the world soon after this letter was written (2 Timothy 4:10).
3. Closing benediction – Paul starts (verse 3) and closes his letter with a spiritual blessing. It is an appropriate benediction to mention the grace of the Lord as it connects to the theme of Philemon, which is extending grace to Onesimus.
Philemon Bible Study Guide – If this study is helpful, you can download the complete Philemon study in PDF or get the paperback from Amazon.
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