In our previous lesson we looked at a man named Philemon who had a runaway slave named Onesimus. Paul’s message to Philemon was the need for forgiveness. But the way Paul speaks to the need for reconciliation and forgiveness was not through command or obligation but out of love. In this lesson we are going to examine the letter for how one is to receive a person back…
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The book of Philemon is a personal letter written to a slave owner named Philemon who has a runaway slave named Onesimus, whom Paul is sending back to Philemon. Because this is the purpose of the book, Philemon is an often skipped book. A letter to a slave owner about a runaway slave. Does this book have anything for us? Can this book be useful to us? There are a couple of reasons for us to study this book and recognize that it can be useful for us today. First, this personal letter was kept by God as scripture for us today. Second, notice that this book was not written to Philemon alone, as we might assume. Carefully read verse 2 and you will see that not only is this letter written to Philemon, but also Apphia, Archippus, and the church in your house. This letter was read to the church. So, though this situation is a personal matter regarding Philemon and Onesimus, its message is important and practical for us today…
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The first word in Romans 12:3 is the word “for.” This tells us that we are continuing the discussion that began in Romans 12:1-2. Remember that in Romans 12:2 that we were told that being living sacrifices means that we must not be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can discern the will of God. God wants us to know his will through his word. But discerning his will requires a transformed mind. This is where Paul is going now in Romans 12:3-8. We need to have a different way of thinking. We also noted in our last lesson that, before we come to Christ, our thinking is darkened and futile (cf. Ephesians 4:17-18). So we need our minds renewed. We need a new way of thinking as disciples of Jesus. Paul is going to teach us how to think about ourselves, how to think about others, and what to do with this new way of thinking. Open your copies of God’s word to Romans 12:3-8 and let us consider together the new way of thinking God wants for each of us…
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