The Art of Successful Letter Writing
Author: Hugh H. Morgan
In reading the personal letter of the Apostle Paul to his own convert Philemon after reading it many times in my 87 years, I discovered something that I had forgotten or maybe never knew. It has been reported by numerous Biblical scholars and even critics that this letter to Philemon with only 25 verses is indeed a masterpiece of letter writing. It may be said that it is the template for the best in writing personal letters.
Today, we don’t write letters like we use to. We use emails, texts, or social media.
The Apostle Paul is in a prison in Rome. He says he is now aged and a prisoner of Jesus Christ. He has been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the midst of it all, God is not unmindful of Paul’s particular situation. In the providence of God, a runaway slave who is also a thief, found his way to find Paul in the prison. His name is Onesimus. Nothing happens by accident in God’s economy. Paul wins Onesimus to Christ and began the process of discipling him.
The date of writing this letter is about A.D. 62.
In that day, slavery was one of the curses of the Roman Empire and helped to bring about its destruction. The historian Gibbon reported that one-half of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves. Roman Law declared that slaves had no rights, and they were at best objects not persons under the authority of their owner. For a slave to run away and steal he positioned himself to be punished by death.
Onesimus was not only a runaway slave, but he was a thief. He apparently has stolen from his master Philemon who was a Christian, who was a convert of Paul.
Paul writes to Philemon to appeal to him to receive Onesimus not as a servant but above a servant, a brother in Christ. He has served Paul well, and he believes it is fitting and proper to send him back, not as the old servant, but brand-new and better than before. He goes further to state that if Onesimus has wronged Philemon, or owes him anything to credit that to Paul’s account. He will repay it. It is interesting that Paul doesn’t use the word for slavery, but the whole spirit of Paul’s letter carries the spirit of being opposed to slavery.
When God saves a sinner no matter how far in sin he has gone, God charges up to the sinner’s account His perfect righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ.
I now want to encourage you to read the Book of Philemon in the New Testament. It comes after the Book of Titus.
Author: Hugh H. Morgan
In reading the personal letter of the Apostle Paul to his own convert Philemon after reading it many times in my 87 years, I discovered something that I had forgotten or maybe never knew. It has been reported by numerous Biblical scholars and even critics that this letter to Philemon with only 25 verses is indeed a masterpiece of letter writing. It may be said that it is the template for the best in writing personal letters.
Today, we don’t write letters like we use to. We use emails, texts, or social media.
The Apostle Paul is in a prison in Rome. He says he is now aged and a prisoner of Jesus Christ. He has been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the midst of it all, God is not unmindful of Paul’s particular situation. In the providence of God, a runaway slave who is also a thief, found his way to find Paul in the prison. His name is Onesimus. Nothing happens by accident in God’s economy. Paul wins Onesimus to Christ and began the process of discipling him.
The date of writing this letter is about A.D. 62.
In that day, slavery was one of the curses of the Roman Empire and helped to bring about its destruction. The historian Gibbon reported that one-half of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves. Roman Law declared that slaves had no rights, and they were at best objects not persons under the authority of their owner. For a slave to run away and steal he positioned himself to be punished by death.
Onesimus was not only a runaway slave, but he was a thief. He apparently has stolen from his master Philemon who was a Christian, who was a convert of Paul.
Paul writes to Philemon to appeal to him to receive Onesimus not as a servant but above a servant, a brother in Christ. He has served Paul well, and he believes it is fitting and proper to send him back, not as the old servant, but brand-new and better than before. He goes further to state that if Onesimus has wronged Philemon, or owes him anything to credit that to Paul’s account. He will repay it. It is interesting that Paul doesn’t use the word for slavery, but the whole spirit of Paul’s letter carries the spirit of being opposed to slavery.
When God saves a sinner no matter how far in sin he has gone, God charges up to the sinner’s account His perfect righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ.
I now want to encourage you to read the Book of Philemon in the New Testament. It comes after the Book of Titus.