Philemon 1 Footnotes

10-11 This letter portrays conversion in terms of an authentic relationship with Christ and as a life-transforming event.

16 Given the injustice of the institution of slavery, why didn’t Paul directly request that Onesimus be freed? Paul was not addressing the Roman Senate (1Co 7:21-23) but rather a middle-class businessman in a rural village. His priority at this point was to restructure the relationships within the Christian community based on the love and forgiveness of Christ.