ARE WE PRISONERS OF CHRIST LIKE PAUL?
by Tim Thomas
January 1, 2006
Ephesian 3:1-6
New International Version
1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles --
2Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. 6This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
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Paul begins this passage describing himself as the prisoner of Jesus Christ. This seems to be an intentional play on words, bringing forth two meanings. Theologians believe that Paul was communicating matter-of-factly that he was in fact in a very real prison (believed to be in Rome) because of his service of Jesus. But the second meaning is one that perhaps we can identify more with, that because of how Jesus so apprehended Paul's heart, Paul could be no other than a person constrained and confined by Jesus. His love for God was so much that his heart's desire was to do only what His first love bid him do. So in the sense of his heart being captivated by Jesus, Paul was His prisoner.
We must each ask ourselves, "Am I a prisoner of Christ? Am I so captivated by His love for me, and my love for Him, that my life is confined by His mission and calling?" In all honesty, most of us -- and here I include myself -- cannot say that we are prisoners of the Lord, because a true prisoner is confined 24/7, and not only when he or she chooses. Most of us live compartmentalized lives, where we have a God sphere of influence or time, and a "Me" sphere of influence or time. Some of us have greater portions of our lives devoted to God than others of us, but nonetheless, we have "Me" spheres that are alive and well. Why is this?
The old Marine in me says that at least part of the answer is lack of self-discipline. We fail to "beat our bodies" as the Apostle Paul writes elsewhere (1 Corinthians 9:27), to bring ourselves into full submission to Jesus. But knowing human nature (and Marines) as I do, I know that self-discipline is only part of the answer. The fuller answer is that we have both an incomplete faith in all that Jesus is and all that He has promised us and told us is true, and perhaps just as important, we have not received a complete revelation of His love for us. Mike Bickle says in his book "Passion for Jesus", "We will never have more affection or passion for God than we understand He has for us." I have noticed that as I have become more aware of the depth of love He has for me, I am more able to stay focused on the Gospel.
The rest of this passage refers back to ideas and themes presented earlier in this letter. In verses 2 to 3, Paul speaks of a revelation of the Good News, that reconciliation to God comes through faith and not by our own acts of righteousness. Verse 6 reminds us that one particularly startling aspect during Paul's time, but taken for granted by us today, is that Gentiles were invited into the Kingdom of God, alongside God's chosen people, Israel. Verses 4 and 5 refer back to Paul's earlier comment about apostles and prophets, and confirms our primary understanding that this magnificent mystery of salvation through faith and welcoming in of Gentiles was ushered in by God's revelation through these particular ministers of God.
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