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| LETTERS FROM PRISON |
| Time at last to tackle the grandest question of all. |
| I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it [the gospel] fearlessly, as I should. 6:20 |
| To stimulate creativity, many authors seek out a scenic setting. Yet some of the world's most famous literature originated in, of all places, a prison cell. John Bunyan wrote his Pilgrim's Progress there. Alexander Solzhenitsyn's vast output had its conception behind barbed wire, as did Dostoevsky's. Parts of the Bible were written in prison as well. Ephesians represents one of Paul's "prison letters" (along with Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). Time on His Hands Prison offers authors one precious commodity: time to think and reflect. When Paul wrote his prison letters, he was no longer journeying from town to town, stamping out fires set by his enemies. Settled into passably comfortable surroundings (probably confined to a house), he could slip off his sandals and devote attention to lofty concepts. Unlike Paul's other letters, Ephesians does not address any urgent problems. With a sign of relief, the apostle turned to the grandest question of all: "What is God's overall purpose for this world?" Paul answers the question this way: "To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (1:10). A Positive Approach The apostle Paul often borrowed from athletics to press home a crucial point, and Ephesians ends with a well-composed pep talk. In keeping with this letter's uplifting style, Paul does not scold or warn; rather, he begins. "I urge you to live a life worthy of your calling" (4:1). Already Paul had taught that Christ lives in each Christian - we are his body. Now he exhorts his readers to think |