Letters Written from Prison: Studies in Paul’S Prison Letters

By Don Stormer

Letters written under difficult circumstances are writings that reveal what is most important to the writer. Pauls prison letters are no exception. They show the depth of his spiritual understanding. In particular, he reveals his deep appreciation of who Jesus Christ is in the opening chapter of Ephesians and in the Christ-hymns of Philippians 2 and Colossians 1.
As is customary with Paul, we read first about the doctrinal foundations of our faith. Once the doctrinal foundation has been taught we move to the practical outworking of the truths. This truth is not so that we have a head knowledge of the faith, but is something intended to change our behaviour.
In Ephesians Paul discusses our position in Christ, that we are seated in heavenly places in Him as the basis for our Christian walk and warfare.
In Philippians two words or word groups are prominent: joy and mind. Christians are to have the same mind as Christ, earnestly following His example. It is for good reason that Paul says Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Then we can rejoice in the Lord.
Colossians teaches that following a set of rules is not the way to follow Christ while the letter to Philemon is a plea on behalf of a converted slave.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jun 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524635664

Don Stormer

Don Stormer continues to be active in a teaching ministry. After several years as a secondary school teacher in New Zealand, he and his wife, Helen, went to Fiji in 1976 where Don served as Principal of Gospel High School. After a further period in New Zealand and a second term of service in Fiji, they went in the late 1980s to Sydney, Australia, where Don was appointed Academic Dean of Emmaus Bible College, later serving as Principal for a number of years. Since then, Don has been involved in an itinerant teaching ministry in different local churches and has had many opportunities to teach by interpretation in South Korea, Romania, Moldova, and Armenia.

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© 2016 Don Stormer. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Scripture quotations are taken from the World English Bible.

Published by AuthorHouse 06/29/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-3567-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-3565-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-3566-4 (e)

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Preface

Foreword

Ephesians:

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Philippians:

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Colossians:

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Philemon

Epilogue

PREFACE

This is another book which has, in part, grown out of my service in Eastern Europe. Though I have, naturally, written in English, my original purpose was that the commentary be translated into Armenian. Eighty years of communist suppression followed by comparative poverty has meant that many believers do not have basic Bible helps in their reading of the Scriptures.

Writing for translation into Armenian has been a rewarding experience. Travelling to Eastern Europe and teaching the Scriptures there has always been an encouraging experience. It is a joy to see people who have such a deep desire to know the Scriptures better. It is also a privilege to help provide basic commentaries to assist in this desire.

This commentary is now available for English speaking Christians who seek a basic understanding of Paul’s prison letters. An attempt is made to explain each passage in its context, and to apply the message to our lives today. However, many academic issues are intentionally avoided.

Questions have been supplied at the end of each chapter. These have been designed for either personal reflection or for use in a group Bible study. Group members are able to read the commentary before they meet and use the questions as a starting point in discussing what the passage means and how the biblical text applies to us here and now.

A book like this is never the work of one person. Once again, there are people to whom thanks is due. First is the constant encouragement I receive from my wife, Helen. She has been my chief proof reader, correcting errors and suggesting better ways of expressing the ideas. Lynn McCrindle and David Lawson have checked the work to help avoid grammatical and stylistic errors. My thanks go to each one.

My prayer is that the Lord will use this book to help people grasp the wonderful truths of the faith. To Him shall be all the glory.

Don Stormer

June 2016

FOREWORD

The Bible has an indispensable part to play in the lives of Christians for personal reflection and for teaching and instruction. It is a clear book, the clearest and simplest of all books found the world over and throughout time. Translations in recent times mean its style is popular; its language is that of everyday life. However, it is not always well understood or accurately interpreted.

Letters Written from Prison follows the same genre as Don Stormer’s first book Letters to Scattered Christians. This new commentary is helpful for both understanding and communicating the word of God – representing contemporary scholarship in a form that does not require formal theological education to understand.

From the depths of a Roman prison, or possibly during his time under house arrest, Paul sent words of instruction and encouragement in a series of letters to Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae and Philemon. Don’s commentary on Paul’s letters to these three churches and to Philemon examines the text, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, explaining its meaning in everyday language.

The provision of study questions at the conclusion of each chapter complements the commentary, lending itself to both personal reflection and group study. Although it is always wholesome to learn from Scripture, it is often in its application that many Christians have difficulty with what they have learnt. Application of the Scriptures is hard work and requires serious effort; Don has also provided the reader with an application from each chapter.

We grow spiritually and become mature Christians by applying God’s word to our lives. Just as Paul taught the believers in Philippi, Don follows the teaching of Paul and encourages his readers to put into practice what they have learnt, with practical applications for us ‘to do’ in our lives. Paul taught The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things (Philippians 4:9).

For those new to Paul’s teaching, the book provides insight and helpful consultation. For those who have studied Paul before, it is a helpful reminder of the sound, applicable and life-altering teaching that Paul presents to us all.

Leonard Smith

Principal

Emmaus Bible College

Sydney NSW

PAUL’S LETTER

TO THE EPHESIANS

Sitting

Walking

Standing

INTRODUCTION

The letter to the Ephesians differs from many of Paul’s other letters in that he does not appear to be correcting any obvious errors, whether of doctrine or of practice. He writes of the Christian’s position in Christ and then develops the way that this position and its truth should mould our daily lives. In fact this letter represents, in some ways, the highest point in Pauline theology. Paul takes us into the heavenly places, or the heavenlies, and teaches us some of the most profound thoughts that have ever been expressed on the work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We see the way the three Persons in the Trinity work together in God’s eternal plans for the blessing of all who believe – those who are the elect.

Authorship, canonicity and authenticity

The letter makes an internal claim to have been written by the apostle Paul and it has been attested as Pauline from very early times. It was possibly referred to by Clement of Rome about AD95; if so, attestation runs back to the first century. Those in the second century and later who mention the letter include Polycarp, Irenaeus and Tertullian; in fact by the third century, both orthodox and heretical believers were attributing the letter to Paul. The external evidence leaves us with no doubt that this letter was from the apostle.

Pauline authorship was accepted until the end of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries when the traditional understanding was questioned. These questions could not be raised on the external evidence; the evidence for Pauline authorship is too strong. So any questions had to be raised on internal evidence. Those who question Pauline authorship must therefore find something in the letter that will prove conclusively that it could not have been written by him. What points are raised?

The questions raised include its similarity to Colossians and the particular words that have been used. Paul used words in this letter that he did not use in other Pauline letters. However, this argument is of very doubtful validity. It does not take into account the fact that we do not have enough of Paul’s writings to say whether he did or did not use certain words. Nor does it allow for the fact that a different topic requires a different vocabulary.

It is argued that because Colossians and Ephesians are so similar, that one writer used the other man’s letter as the basis for his own letter. But this is pure conjecture, something seen in the fact that those who argue this way cannot agree about which was written first. Nor can they explain why someone writing the letters at the same time could not use the same ideas even if he had a slightly different purpose in mind. But more serious questions are raised. If one was a later imitation of the other, the reference to Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21, Colossians 4:7) would have immediately indicated that the letter was not genuinely Pauline and that letter would never have been accepted as one written by the apostle.

None of the suggested hypotheses is convincing; any questions that critics raise can be satisfactorily answered. More definite proof, instead of unproved and unprovable assumptions, is needed to prove that either letter is pseudonymous. Further, the burden of proof must lie with those who challenge historical beliefs that have come to us from the earliest period of church history.

Date and place of writing

This letter is normally included among Paul’s prison letters. But, questions have been asked about which prison Paul was in. Most people would consider that the letter was written from Rome. However, Paul had suffered imprisonment a number of times before that. In the second canonical letter to Corinth he had talked about being in prison more frequently than other apostles, and this was before the two years he spent in Caesarea Philippi or the two years in Rome. If Peter had been imprisoned twice (Acts 5:18, 12:4), then Paul had been imprisoned at least three times before he wrote his second letter to Corinth. However, the only imprisonment that we can be definite about is the one in Philippi (Acts 16). Did the other occasions include a period of imprisonment in Ephesus? The answer to this question is tied up with who the recipients of the letter were, but there is not enough evidence to be dogmatic. Fortunately the answer to the question does not affect our understanding of the message of Ephesians.

To whom was the letter written?

Our translations indicate that the letter was written to saints in Ephesus. However, the words in Ephesus are not found in all manuscripts. This raises questions. Was the letter written to Ephesus or to one of the other churches in the province of Asia? The reason why the question is asked is that in 1:15 Paul speaks about having heard of these believers’ faith in the Lord Jesus and of their love for all the saints. But if the letter were addressed primarily to the Ephesian believers, Paul did not receive his information from some other source. He had known these believers from the very beginning, having spent three years with them while establishing the church. So it is possible that this letter was a circular one intended for more than the members of the church in Ephesus.

There is a further possibility. If the apostle was imprisoned in Ephesus he was writing to churches in the province which he himself had not visited. We know that the church in Colossae had been taught by Epaphras and that Philemon was one of the members of that church. It is most likely that Philemon became a believer, and a son of Paul in the faith, while Paul was planting the church in Ephesus. How many other churches there were like this we do not know, but believers in both Laodicea and Hierapolis are referred to in the letter to the Colossians. It is possible that the canonical letter to the Ephesians is the letter to the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16). If so, the comment Paul makes about having heard of the believers’ love and faith raises no problems at all. Alternatively, if Paul wrote the letter from Rome, then there were believers in Ephesus whom he had not met, but whose faith he had heard about. For these, as well as for those he knew, the apostle prayed.

Structure

The genre of Ephesians is that of a letter, but it is different in form from other Pauline writings. One difference is seen in the introduction where Paul does not begin with his usual commendation of the believers; that waits till verse 15. There are not the usual greetings to different friends. Some people comment on the impersonal nature of the letter. Like the letter to the Romans it is a clear doctrinal statement followed by practical instruction. This aspect is definitely Pauline; practical instruction flows out of basic doctrinal teaching.

The message of Ephesians

It is often noted that there are three characteristic words in this letter, words that are not so apparent in modern English translations. The words are used by Watchman Nee as the title for his brief commentary on this letter – Sit, Walk, Stand. In the first three chapters Paul writes about the position that all Christians have. They are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The glories of this position are dwelt upon. Then from 4:1 to 6:9 Paul talks about our walk (KJV), a word that usually appears as live in modern translations. Finally, in the rest of chapter 6 he speaks of the warfare of Christians and calls on us to stand, and to stand firm.

Sitting in heavenly places

The theme of chapters 1–3 is being seated in heavenly places. The phrase in the heavenlies or in the heavenly places is used four times in these chapters: 1:3, 1:20, 2:6 and 3:10. Though believers are on earth, their eternal position is already determined; they are seen as being already seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

The word seated, or variations of it, appears in 1:20, where it refers to Christ being seated at the right hand of the Father, and in 2:6 where the reference is to our being seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Christ is seated in heavenly places; we sit together in Him. Paul concentrates on our position in Christ and how that has come to be true.

Walking

From 4:1 to 6:9 the emphasis changes and we think of our responsibilities here rather than our inheritance in the future. The repeated word walk (or live) is found in 4:1, 4:17, 5:2, 5:8 and 5:15. With the first two there is a contrast between the way we are to live and the way we are not to live. We are to lead a life that is worthy of the calling with which we have been called but are not to walk as the rest of the Gentiles do. We are also to walk in love, to walk as children of light and to walk circumspectly.

Standing

Finally the apostle calls us to stand firmly in the faith (6:11, 6:13). Having learned that we have a position in which we are already seated in heavenly places, and having begun the practice of a Christian walk, we now find we have to take a stand. Our stand is against the wiles of the devil and we stand, not in our own strength, but in the armour that God provides.

The order in which these words appear is different from what we would expect in ordinary life. A baby first sits, then stands, and finally walks. But in the Christian life a believer is seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus from the very beginning. The believer then learns to walk the Christian life. Finally we stand. Standing firm in the truth is the hardest aspect of the Christian life, and the apostle leaves this part of his teaching till the end.

Other aspects of the theology of Ephesians

The mystery

Paul speaks about a mystery more than once in this letter. In fact, in writing to the Ephesians, he discusses aspects of various mysteries more fully than anywhere else. In chapter 1:9 he refers to the mystery of God’s will. In 3:4 he discusses the mystery of Christ, including the fellowship of the mystery. In 5:32 he mentions more specifically the mystery concerning Christ and the church, while in 6:19 he talks about the mystery of the gospel. A major aspect of Paul’s teaching in this letter is that Jewish and Gentile believers are formed into one body. The enmity that existed between the two has been abolished by our Lord Jesus Christ through His death on the cross.

One thing we need to be clear about is what the New Testament means by a mystery. It is not a mystery in the sense of being something difficult to understand, nor is it to be treated as a problem that is hard to solve. A mystery is a truth that had existed in the purposes of God since before time began, but which had hitherto not been revealed to mankind. There is much truth that was not revealed in the Old Testament; only after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost were truths relating to the church revealed. There is more than one mystery; other mysteries include the mystery concerning Israel (Romans 9–11), a mystery relating to the rapture (1 Corinthians 15) and the mystery of godliness (1 Timothy 3:16).

In Christ

One of the phrases that Paul uses very frequently is in Christ. Saints are the faithful in Christ Jesus (1:1); they have come to faith in Him. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (1:3). In the purposes of God we are already seen in heavenly places in Christ. He is the one who gives us title to be there. We were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (1:4) and now that we have believed we have been made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (2:6). The blessings of salvation that we have received (redemption, forgiveness) have been received in Him. It is in Christ Jesus that we who were once far off have been brought near to Christ by His blood (2:13). In Christ we will be to the praise of His glory (1:12). Constantly we are reminded that the blessings we have do not come through our own efforts but come to us in Christ. All this is a good reminder that we do not have anything in ourselves to boast about; everything we have is in Christ.

Love

Paul also talks about love in this letter more than in any of his other letters, except possibly in the concentrated passage on love in 1 Corinthians 13. This letter contains the classic teaching on husbands loving their wives as they love themselves; they are to love their wives because Christ loved the church.

Analysis

This analysis largely follows the scheme that is suggested from reading Watchman Nee.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction – greetings

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(1:1-2)

[1] Paul began with traditional greetings but gave them a Christian re-direction. First century letter writers always began by naming themselves. Paul does the same. He had originally been Saul the persecutor, but he wrote as Paul, an apostle who now belonged to Jesus Christ. An apostle is basically a messenger, and the qualifications of an apostle are mentioned by Paul in his letters to the church in Corinth. He had seen the risen Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:1). The signs of an apostle had been demonstrated by him among the believers in Corinth (2 Corinthians 12:12). Paul had not made himself an apostle; he was what he was by the will of God. His task was to proclaim the message of the resurrection and lead in the work of establishing churches in different localities.

Though he talks about himself as an apostle in Galatians 1, the emphasis there is on the fact that Paul was not made an apostle by man, but by God. In this letter – particularly this chapter – Paul is emphasising the will of God. The authority for his apostleship was the will of God; this emphasises God’s sovereignty. In His will, God also has a purpose for each one of His children. In verse 5 we will note that the will of God is vitally important in election. In verse 9 we read about the mystery of God’s will, and in verse 11 about the counsel of His will.

The concept of the will of God is very extensive in New Testament Scriptures. In Romans 12:1-2 we learn that the will of God is that we live transformed lives. In Galatians 1:4 we learn that the Lord Jesus gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us according to the will of God. In Ephesians 6:6 Paul instructs slaves to serve as the bond-slaves of Christ and do the will of God from the heart. The will of God includes His purposes both in time and in the lives of believers.

The second thing a first century letter writer did was to name the person or persons to whom he was writing. Paul writes to saints in Ephesus. We must not think in twenty-first century terms about how one becomes a saint. In the first century – and in the mind of God – saints were not people who were already in the grave! They were very much still physically alive!

The words saint and holy refer to the same concept. In the tabernacle the vessels that were used for service were said to be holy or set apart for divine use. Saints are those who have been set apart for God. They are sanctified, or declared holy. All believers are saints. The believers in Ephesus were also described as faithful; both trust and fidelity are included in this thought. Here we have two important continuing principles for believers. We have been set apart for God to be used for Him and by Him. As we live for Him we are to remain faithful to Him each day.

The words in Ephesus are omitted from some manuscripts, including some of the more important ones. A number of scholars consider that Ephesians was a circular letter to churches in the province of Asia. It is argued that the letter was intended for more than one church. The absence of local colour supports this suggestion. Also, if Paul experienced a term of imprisonment in Ephesus, and if he wrote this letter from prison in Ephesus, he could have written to the growing number of churches which were being established in Asia. This would explain the absence of the name of the church to which the letter was sent; it also would explain the comment in 1:15 where Paul speaks about his prayers after he had heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus. In this connection we may have an explanation of Paul’s request to the Colossians (4:16) to send their letter on to Laodicea and to read the letter written to the Laodiceans.

[2] The third part of a first century letter was an expression of goodwill in which a blessing from the gods was invoked. Paul invokes a blessing from the one true God. He takes the Greek chairein, greetings, and changes it to charis, grace. He combines it with the Hebrew shalom, peace. Grace and peace are blessings which have their source in both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We also note that we experience grace and peace in the order in which Paul uses them. We receive the grace of God first and then realise the peace that comes from Him. Grace and peace are words that recur throughout this letter.

In each part of this introduction Paul speaks of the Lord Jesus, but in different ways. Paul is an apostle of Christ Jesus and the saints are the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace and peace have their origin in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul normally uses the order Christ Jesus where Peter has Jesus Christ. This is because Peter knew the Lord in the days of His flesh, but Paul first met the Lord as the exalted Christ of God.

The greatness of what God has done (1:3-14)

Paul’s normal practice in writing a letter was to select an outstanding feature of the believers to whom he was writing and praise them for what they were doing, encouraging them to continue steadfastly in the faith. The letter to the Galatians, where Paul moves immediately into condemning the heresy that was being propagated and which needed urgent correction, is an obvious exception. In quite a different way, this letter is also an exception in that Paul first bursts into a paean of praise to God before he