Apostle Paul wrote this personal letter to Philemon, a slave owner in Colossae. His slave Onesimus had escaped to Rome and was converted there by Paul (Phm 1:10).
Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with this letter as protection against the harsh punishments that could await a runaway slave (Phm 1:12). Even Philemon had been converted through Paul's teaching and had become a Christian (Phm 1:19b).
The slave Onesimus was a bondservant (doulos in Greek, meaning one who is subservient to his master and completely at his master's disposal, that is, a slave) (Phm 1:16).
A bondservant can be a person who has willingly chosen to be a servant for life, usually due to well treatment by his master. Such a person was usually a slave because of some financial debt that he couldn't pay. When the depth was worked out, some slaves wanted to continue to work for their owner rather than be set free (Exo (2 Mos) 21:5–6). Then they became bondservants for life. In this case, it's unclear why Onesimus ran from his master Philemon.
Paul clearly noted in this letter that the bondservant Onesimus and his master
Philemon were brothers in Christ and of equal status before God (Phm 1:15–16). Furthermore, Paul told Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would receive Paul
(Phm 1:17). This means that he, as a fellow believer, should be treated with respect.
Paul indirectly suggests giving Onesimus his freedom (Phm 1:18).
Tradition shows that Onesimus later became a church leader.
Martin Luther writes the following about this letter:
"Here we see how Paul lays himself out for poor Onesimus, and with all his means pleads his cause with his master: and so sets himself as he was Onesimus, and had himself done wrong to Philemon. Even as Christ did for us with God the Father,
thus also Paul does for Onesimus with Philemon."
What we can learn from this letter is to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave us (Eph 4:32).
See also The New Testament of the Bible.
