Cannot Be Chained

2 Timothy 2:9 “And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained” (NLT).

Paul was in chains in prison because of the Good News he preached. When Paul said that Jesus was God, he made the Jews very angry because the Jews had condemned Jesus for blasphemy. [Jesus claimed that He is the Son of God]. But many Jews became followers of Christ (1Cor.1:24). Paul, also, made the Roman angry because they worshiped their emperor as god. But still some in Caesar’s household turned to Jesus for salvation (Phil.4:22).

When Paul said that Jesus was human, he angered the Greeks, who thought divinity was soiled if it had any contact with humanity, still many Greeks accepted the faith (Acts11:20,21). The truth that Jesus is one person with two united natures has never been easy to understand, but it is being believed by people every day. Despite the opposition, continue to proclaim Christ. Some will listen and believe. (Notes from QVLAB)

Paul was in the house of arrest for two years, although he had been chained like a criminal, yet Paul was able to receive visitors and preach the gospel to them (Acts28:30). During this time he wrote the Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. In A.D. 64, Paul was released and continued to missionary works. During this time he wrote I Timothy and Titus. Paul was again arrested about A.D. 67, and was taken back to Rome. 2 Timothy was written during this second imprisonment at Rome. Paul’s imprisonment ended by his being behead, suffering martyrdom under the Roman emperor Nero. (Notes from Donald C. Stamps, The Full Life Study Bible).

This is probably an early Christian hymn. God is faithful to His children, and although we may suffer great hardships here, God promises that someday we will live eternally with Him (2 Timothy 2:11-13 NLT).

THE SONG OF THE MARTYR

If we die with him,

we will also live with him.

If we endure hardship,

we will reign with him.

If we deny him,

he will deny us.

If we are unfaithful,

he remains faithful,

For he cannot deny himself.

We have the Bible, the Word of God has not been be chained since Paul wrote less than 2,000 years ago. This is an awesome study to make me appreciate that God’s Word cannot be chained.

Dorothy