The Word of God cannot be chained
Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you… and make you like a warrior’s sword.
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles –
I have been thinking about the concept of being a prisoner of hope. To summarize: one is either a prisoner of this world (to all the world provides, mainly to doubt), or they are a prisoner to the hope found only in Jesus Christ. Everyone is a prisoner whether they know it or not. Freedom comes in realizing that the prison walls of Jesus’ loving arms are a fortress and a shelter to all who seek Him.
The reason that we are a prisoner of hope of Jesus Christ is because when you receive Jesus as your Savior, He is deposited within your soul as a guarantee of what is to come: eternal life.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.
He even protected us from our own loop-holes of doubt. Just in case you think that your mere decision to quit is good enough reason for Him to let you quit, He built in a protective factor. You see, Christ can’t deny Himself. When you accept Christ in you, Christ is in you! Therefore, even if you quit, Christ won’t quit on Himself within you – so you are stuck with the hope of Christ in you!
If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
Much of what Paul wrote to us he wrote from prison, but Paul’s soul was not chained because it was continually nourished by the hope of Christ within Him. Paul understood that God’s word is not chained. And because we know that the Word of God is God (John 1:1), we know that the Word of God, i.e., God, cannot be chained! Therefore, Paul lived, and wrote with the authority of an unchained soul who continually sought the Savior. May we do the same.
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.
Originally published Tuesday, 23 March 2021.
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