Chapter 3 begins with a warning against opponents who insist on circumcision as compulsory in the Church Age. Paul re-affirms the “spiritual” circumcision which occurs at the point of salvation. He further asserts that righteousness comes on the basis of faith in Christ and not on observance of the Law. All of his supposed advantages as a Jew, ancestry and accomplishments, he considered worthless compared to the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ.
Chapter 1 begins the account of Ruth who traveled from Moab to Israel to care for her grief-stricken mother-in-law, Naomi.
Philemon 1:1-5 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, 2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints;
The letter to Philemon is the shortest of Paul’s letters. Also, it is more closely related to an ordinary personal and private correspondence compared to other Pauline letters that are primarily addressed to groups. As the letters to Timothy and Titus, this letter is addressed to an individual. However, the letter to Philemon possesses a different tone (e.g. general instructions to communicators vs. an appeal to the grace orientation of an individual). Here, Paul functions as an intermediary between a master and his slave. In this regard, Paul displays sensitivity and tact when dealing with a potentially volatile situation.