Sermons By Ed

Study Notes Ed Underwood Philemon Bondage to BrotherhoodTherefore, if you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me. (Paul to Philemon, concerning Onesimus, Philemon 17) The thirteen Pauline Epistles develop the foundational truths of Christianity introduced in the Gospels. Paul wrote nine letters to churches and four to individuals. He writes from the perspective of the Apostle to the Gentiles, church-planter, pastor, and friend. His letters contain instructions, exhortations, and corrections that were real-time—messages to real people, gathered in real churches, with real problems as they endeavored to follow Christ and make a difference in their world. One consistent theme undergirds all of Paul’s teaching—the reality of every believer’s position in Christ. Philemon is one of the most unique books of the New Testament. Much like Ruth in the Old Testament, Paul’s letter to his friend is an illustration of some of the greatest themes in Scripture. Philemon was a wealthy citizen of Colossa