Paul’s epistle to Philemon, one of only four one-chapter-books in the New Testament and one of only five in all of Scripture, makes up in message what it lacks in magnitude. Paul’s authorship of Philemon is made unquestionable by the Apostle’s three references to himself (vs. 1, 9, 19) and from the epistle’s Pauline salutation (v. 3), benediction (v. 25), language and style. Paul’s references to himself as "a prisoner of Christ Jesus" (vs. 1, 9), mark this epistle as one of Paul’s four prison epistles.

Called the most personal of Paul’s epistles, this letter is addressed to: "Philemon, our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your [Philemon’s] house" (vs. 1-2). It is presumed that "Apphia" is Philemon’s wife and "Archippus" is his son. Also, since Paul gives specific instructions to the Colossians to pass on to Archippus [see Colossians 4:17], many believe Archippus was pastor of the church that met in his father’s house.

Philemon was a rich resident of Colosse, who owned slaves and a home large enough to house a church. He was also a convert of Paul’s (v. 19). Since we have no evidence of Paul ever visiting Colosse, Philemon was probably converted during Paul’s three-year ministry in nearby Ephesus (Acts 19). Paul’s reference to Philemon in verse 1 as his "co-worker" is probably indicative of the fact that following Philemon’s conversion he worked to establish the church in Colosse while Paul continued his work in Ephesus. This explains why Paul "always [thanked] God when [he mentioned Philemon] in [his] prayers" (v. 4).

Paul’s prayer for Philemon in verse 6 must not be passed over. The New International Version translates this verse, "I pray that you will be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." The implication is clear: the more we share the truth of Christ with others the more we’ll come to understand the truth ourselves.

The purpose of this epistle is Paul’s entreating of Philemon to welcome back and forgive a fugitive slave named "Onesimus." Along with running away from Philemon, Onesimus appears to have also robbed his master; see verse 18. Fleeing to Rome, in hopes of becoming inconspicuous in the great metropolis, this runaway slave ran into the imprisoned Apostle Paul. Soon thereafter, the fettered Paul led the fugitive slave to faith in Christ (v. 10). Onesimus proved to be a great asset to the imprisoned apostle (vs. 11-13). Still, Paul refused to retain Onesimus’ services without Philemon’s consent (v. 14). Thus, he sent Onesimus with Tychicus, the carrier of Paul’s epistles to the Colossians and Philemon, back to Colosse (Colossians 4:7-9).

Paul’s appeal to Philemon in verses 17-18, to "accept" Onesimus back as Philemon would accept Paul and to "charge" any wrong Onesimus had committed to Paul’s "account," is perhaps the greatest example in the Bible of the doctrine of imputation. The biblical word "impute" means to "set down in a record or ledger." Paul’s personal IOU in verse 19, proves that he wanted his account charged for Onesimus’ sins so that Philemon could accept Onesimus as he would Paul. Likewise, the sin debt of the world was "Master Charged" by Christ on the cross of Calvary so that we can be "accepted [by God] in the beloved" (Ephesians 1:6 KJV). Since our sin has been charged to Christ’s account, all who believe in Christ become as acceptable to God as Christ Himself! No wonder the hymn writer, Elisha Hoffman, wrote, "What a Wonderful Savior!"