The Word of God Is Not Bound

Paul sits in prison. Prison was familiar to Paul, and conditions varied from the relative comfort of house arrest to much harsher conditions.

This time is not good. Paul sits in Rome surrounded by soldiers of the elite Praetorian Guard. He expects that he will soon be executed by the government. He has no freedom and no future.

In that context, Paul writes: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with...