Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter: “Wherein I suffer hardship unto bonds as a malefactor: but the word of God is not bound” (2 Timothy 2:9).
Several years had passed from that fateful day in Jerusalem when an adversary of Paul’s from Ephesus spied him in the temple and cried out, “Men of Israel, help. This is the man that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place; and moreover, he brought Greeks into the temple and hath defiled this holy place” (Acts 21:28). These words were not true but were still the spark which ignited a riot which resulted in Paul being a prisoner of Rome. The words from 2 Timothy were written almost a decade later.
Paul suffered imprisonment without whimpering. He had received a commission from God to be His apostle to the Gentiles, and although he was restricted in his actions, he was not silenced. His behavior, coupled with the gospel, had a powerful influence upon those with whom he had contact. Paul had told the authorities who controlled the ship that the plight they were experiencing would end in shipwreck. They could have avoided these disastrous consequences had they heeded Paul’s earlier warnings that such a venture would end badly. Paul’s message from God, which he conveyed to his shipmates who had lost all hope of surviving, was received with comfort and gladness. The message was that every person on the vessel would survive — and they all did! Later, when the shipwreck did occur, the centurion’s respect for Paul saved him and the other prisoners from death at the soldiers’ hands. Paul was bound, but his words had a powerful impact on the centurion. Paul might be bound, but his words were not.
Once all the folks were safely on land and warming by a fire made by the natives of the island upon which they were cast, the natives were convinced Paul was a malefactor or evil person because a deadly viper attached itself to Paul as he helped gather wood for the fire (Acts 28:3-4). They expected he would shortly die. When he did not, they changed their mind and said he was a god. Paul had suffered no ill effect because Jesus had promised His apostles such things would happen (Mark 16:17-20). This sign was one of many works God gave them to perform to prove the words He gave them to preach were true. This miracle and others which followed had a profound effect on the people who saw the miracles and heard Paul preach (Acts 28:8-10). When fair weather came and the shipwrecked people could safely proceed on their travels, the islanders helped them greatly in their travels. Without doubt Paul left many Christians behind because the miracles the apostle worked were not solely for the physical benefit of the one upon whom the miracle was wrought. The principal purpose was to cause that person and those who witnessed it, to give attention to the words of the gospel which the messenger would speak. You can be certain Paul preached the gospel to them. Paul was bound, but the word was not.
When he finally arrived in Rome, he was “loosely” a prisoner (he was allowed to rent his own house but still was guarded at all times by a soldier (Acts 28:16). Still, he was bound. Yet the word continued to have its power! To the Philippians he wrote, “Now I would have you to know, brethren, the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the gospel, so that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest” (Philippians 1:13). Paul did not mean by these words that people became aware he was a prisoner; they became aware of the unjustness of his imprisonment, just as those who heard Paul before Agrippa concluded, “This man hath done nothing worthy of death or of bonds” (Acts 26:31).
The gospel preached by Paul the prisoner could have been the reason why “they who are of Caesar’s household” were saints (Philippians 4:22), but not necessarily so. There were Christians in Rome long before Paul arrived there and might have been the reason there were “saints in Caesar’s household”. Yet without doubt Paul, despite his bonds, was responsible for the conversion of Onesimus, a slave of Philemon, of whom Paul wrote. Paul regarded Onesimus his “son in the faith” because he had converted him while in prison (Philemon 9-10). Paul was bound, but the gospel was not.
Perhaps you are restricted in travel or confined completely to your home. You may “be bound” but the word is not. You can, through letters or calls on the phone, still preach the saving gospel. But, if you are unable to either call on the phone or contact by letter, you can pray. “The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working” (James 5:16). We can pray for the preservation of loved ones in their travels, for healing in their illnesses, for comfort in their sorrows, and we can certainly pray that they might come into contact with the precious word which is able to save their soul!
There is power unto salvation in the gospel (Romans 1:16). God’s word is “living, and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). Don’t weary with speaking the word for of His words Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto thee, they are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). Paul wrote, “Preach the word. Be urgent in season, out of season …” (2 Timothy 4:2). Preach it over and over again. There is no substitute for it. No matter your circumstances, while you may be bound by either infirmity or simply old age, the word is not bound. Remember the indispensable words of Isaiah the prophet: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
Jim McDonald