Navigating the Bible: Philemon

“I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus . . . I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced . . . He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.” Philemon vs. 10, 14, and 16. The book of Philemon is unlike any of Paul’s other letters. Or, perhaps I should say it this way, it is unlike any of Paul’s other full letters. We’ve seen Paul admonish or encourage specific people amidst some of his other letters, but here we have a standalone letter from Paul to Philemon asking him a favor regarding Philemon’s slave, Onesimus. This letter is important for many reasons as it teaches us from multiple different angles. What can we learn from what Paul is saying to Philemon? What can we learn from what Paul is saying about Onesimus? And what can we learn from how Paul says these things? It’s a little letter but there’s a lot to unpack, so to help us navigate the book of Philemon is Dr. Dennis Edwards, Vice President for Church Relations and Dean of the Seminary at North Park University in Chicago and author of the “Philemon” section of the The New Testament in Color multiethnic Bible commentary. Doable Discipleship is a podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. Subscribe to the Doable Discipleship podcast at Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doable-discipleship/id1240966935) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1Zc9nuwQZOLadbFCZCmZ1V) Resources Related to This Episode: https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-Color-Multiethnic-Commentary/dp/0830814094 Related Doable Discipleship Episodes: Navigating the Bible: Pastoral Epistles - https://youtu.be/4FHKBg9HHxc Navigating the Bible: 1 & 2 Thessalonians - https://youtu.be/d1X-noxGo4g Navigating the Bible: Colossians - https://youtu.be/-V_E8eSyJ54 Navigating the Bible: Philippians - https://youtu.be/WOzz_E-F8Ao Navigating the Bible: Ephesians - https://youtu.be/1HMX5ACIDUE Navigating the Bible: Galatians - https://youtu.be/WV2Cu_wTe_g Navigating the Bible: 2 Corinthians - https://youtu.be/ZwaCL0Njfs4 Navigating the Bible: 1 Corinthians - https://youtu.be/qqja13uz6BA Navigating the Bible: Romans - https://youtu.be/KLh2yjIT7IM Navigating the Bible: Acts - https://youtu.be/p9ovQQUuX2A Navigating the Bible: John - https://youtu.be/VBovsFhP0i8 Navigating the Bible: Luke - https://youtu.be/GqEnToBadPk Navigating the Bible: Mark - https://youtu.be/h1Hy9t1rbQk Navigating the Bible: Matthew - https://youtu.be/nZMtZXWx4lI Navigating the Bible: Knowing God Through the Old Testament - https://youtu.be/UwWEadWpG-c Navigating the Bible: Malachi - https://youtu.be/CRVx-Ni0S-w Navigating the Bible: Habakkuk - https://youtu.be/3xfXFKBZRFg Navigating the Bible: Nahum - https://youtu.be/PE96s4ra6qM Navigating the Bible: Micah - https://youtu.be/sq32a24vGpk Navigating the Bible: Jonah - https://youtu.be/Vh4VjS7RdhU Navigating the Bible: Daniel - https://youtu.be/v_F7CadyUUg Navigating the Bible: Ezekiel - https://youtu.be/Q0u4td1tYWA Navigating the Bible: Lamentations - https://youtu.be/3JArxJSekq0 Navigating the Bible: Jeremiah - https://youtu.be/H8ZW6tnr4Uc Navigating the Bible: Isaiah - https://youtu.be/yDhZAXFa8ig Navigating the Bible: Song of Songs - https://youtu.be/09eruUCXMbM Navigating the Bible: Ecclesiastes - https://youtu.be/226hY2qOr08 Navigating the Bible: Proverbs - https://youtu.be/-5NJNmBc3bg Navigating the Bible: Psalms - https://youtu.be/sSB6thFWk2w Navigating the Bible: Job - https://youtu.be/AA1Q6cVWoqo Navigating the Bible: Esther - https://youtu.be/TkQtX8wtmbQ Navigating the Bible: Nehemiah - https://youtu.be/zWR-5pSzk1c Navigating the Bible: Ezra - https://youtu.be/23Sdch-pZK0 Navigating the Bible: 2 Kings - https://youtu.be/vuCefx3wha0 Navigating the Bible: 1 Kings - https://youtu.be/EQjzZ0lvLjo Navigating the Bible: 2 Samuel - https://youtu.be/9UOoIvfwXy0 Navigating the Bible: 1 Samuel - https://youtu.be/kWKqWlB8pkE Navigating the Bible: Ruth - https://youtu.be/shGuoDkiFkg Navigating the Bible: Judges - https://youtu.be/Sz6TL_w-gpc Navigating the Bible: Joshua - https://youtu.be/5gldD5FM-wk Navigating the Bible: Deuteronomy - https://youtu.be/JidwMnYL51k Navigating the Bible: Numbers - https://youtu.be/V60gGr-9pHw Navigating the Bible: Leviticus - https://youtu.be/1-I-QdjB700 Navigating the Bible: Exodus - https://youtu.be/1ELkgAlWFGg Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/5zXHObysL6g Inspiring Dreams by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/