Philemon 1:5

“Hearing of thy love and faith, &c.] Those two spring from the free favour and love of God, and are the pure gifts of his grace; and therefore thanks are to be given for them to God; nor are they to be ascribed to the power and will of man; they are the fruits of the Spirit of God; and are the principal ingredients in sanctification, which is entirely his work; and they are in all regenerate persons; and are the evidences of regeneration; by which it is known that men are passed from death to life; and they always go together, and are inseparable from each other: there cannot be true faith where love is wanting, for faith works by love; and there cannot be real love, where there is not faith;…”

“Hearing--the ground of his thanksgiving. It is a delicate mark of authenticity, that he says "hearing" as to churches and persons whom he had not seen or then visited. Now Colosse, Philemon's place of residence, he had never yet seen. Yet Plm 1:19 here implies that Philemon was his convert. Philemon, doubtless, was converted at Ephesus, or in some other place where he met Paul. love and faith--The theological order is first faith then love, the fruit of faith. But he purposely puts Philemon's love in the first place, as it is to an act of love that he is exhorting him. toward . . . toward--different Greek words: "towards" . . . "unto." Towards implies simply direction; unto, to the advantage…”

“Hearing of thy love and faith - Either by Onesimus, who, after his conversion, would be disposed to state all that he knew that was favorable of Philemon, or hearing it by some other persons who had come from Colosse to Rome. The faith which is mentioned here refers to the Lord Jesus; the love, to the saints. The order in the Greek is indeed the same as in our version, but it is not unusual by synthesis, or uniting two or more things together, to arrange words in that manner. Thus Matthew 12:22, “The blind and dumb both spake and saw;” that is, the blind saw, and the dumb spake. The meaning is, that he had strong faith in the Lord Jesus, and ardent love toward all who were Christians. See a…”

“Hearing - Probably from Onesimus. Philemon 1:6”

“1:5 It is by faith in Christ that we are saved, and it is by love for fellow Christians that we live out our salvation.”

“Hearing: Gal 5:6; Eph 1:15; Col 1:4 toward the Lord: Plm 1:7; Psa 16:3; Act 9:39-41; Rom 12:13, Rom 15:25, Rom 15:26; Co1 16:1; Jo1 3:23, Jo1 5:1, Jo1 5:2 Philemon 1:6”