Ephesians 6:20 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

Navigator

Ephesians 6:20

Comments

Paul wrote from prison – Colossians and Philemon and Ephesians are known as the prison epistles and give evidence of having been written during the same imprisonment, and Philippians also seems to come from the same situation – probably in Rome during his first Roman imprisonment around AD 62.He uses a remarkable expression here, one which has within it what seems like an impossibility. He says, ‘For which I am an ambassador in bonds.’ An ambassador represents another nation, and the ruling power in that nation. He is afforded special protection under international law today, and in all ages it has been recognised that to enable dialogue between nations even in times of tension, ambassadors and other diplomats must be allowed to operate freely. It would therefore be a shocking move to imprison an ambassador and one which was in danger of provoking war between those nations. But Paul was an ambassador in bonds, in prison. He was the ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ who had come to all the peoples of this world representing heaven, and speaking on behalf of the kingdom of heaven. How was he treated? In the same way that his Lord was treated: he was arrested and later put to death. Now he is in prison? Does that mean that he is unable to operate any longer? This would be true of any earthly ambassador: how can he speak to the people he needs to speak to when his freedom has been taken away? How can he retain the honour and dignity he neds in order to represent his country when he has already been humiliated by this unworthy treatment? But Paul could still function as the ambassador of Christ, even under such circumstances. The Lord sent Paul to speak to earthly kings and dignitaries even while he was in bonds, and to testify to them as one who had been deprived of his freedom. He did not need honour from men for his message to be respected, for his words carried their own authority. When Paul spoke to Felix, Felix trembled. What! At the words of someone who was a mere prisoner before him? Yes, because it was Christ speaking through the apostle, and Christ would one day require Felix to give an account of his life before the Judge of all the earth. This was Paul speaking boldly; this was why he was not ashamed to be the ambassador of Jesus Christ even though he was in bonds.

Application

There is no situation in which the believer, living in obedience to God, can have his testimony made ineffectual by the actions of an unbelieving world. Christ tells his disciples, ‘They shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist’ (Luke 21:12-15). Yes, we too can be Christ’s ambassadors regardless of our liberty or lack of it, our riches or poverty, our strength or weakness, our being clothed or naked. Satan cannot take away from us what God has given us. We can have instrumentality as long as we live righteous and holy lives for the Lord.

But there must be prayer also. Nothing can be accomplished without prayer, and often persistent prayer, and prayer with faith and desire. Would it not be easier for God to do it all anyway? He certainly could but prayer achieves the following:

{

1. It establishes God’s sovereignty – we have to ask his permission;

2. It brings us into fellowship with God – we ask him as our loving Father;

3. We are made much more conscious of his blessing – these things don’t just happen automatically; we see his wisdom in the way he answers;

4. He reminds us of the magnitude of our privileges – we are nothing and yet he says come to me;

5. We learn to be dependent beings – the opposite of Adam and Eve in Eden;

6. We are delivered from pride – we learn where the blessing must come from;

7. Prayer increases faith – maybe we received no answer the first or second or 10^th time; we learn to persist;

8. Prayer produces gratitude – we remember answered prayer;

9. Prayer comforts us – I can pray in all manner of circumstances;

10. Prayer keeps us under his authority – I am under the direction of God in all things.

}

Questions

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Ephesians 6:20 Commentary and Bible Study

Explain meaning of Ephesians 6:20