Summary: The book of Philmeon is a letter Paul wrote to a Christian man named Philemon. Philemon had a servant named Onesimus. Onesimus was not a Christian. He ran away from Philemon. When Paul was in prison, he met Onesimus. Paul told him about Jesus, and Onesimus became a Christian, too.<br> Onesimus decided to return to Philemon, so Paul wrote this letter and sent it with Onesimus. In the letter, Paul asked Philemon to show grace and forgiveness to Onesimus. Notice that Paul started and ended the letter with words about Gods grace (verses 3 and 25). This is more than just a greeting; it helped remind Philemon about the grace he had received from God.<br> In verses 18-20, Paul says that if Onesmius had hurt Philemon, Paul would accept responsibility for the things Onesimus did. This is similar to the way Jesus accepted the punishment for our sins! The book of Philemon is a good lesson for us about grace.
