Prisoner (1198) (desmios from desméo = bind from desmos = bind, chain) is a captive or one who is bound or who is in bonds. One under custody in prison. Paul became the Lord’s prisoner on the road to Damascus and never sought to be free of that divine imprisonment. He may be reminding his readers of his imprisonment to present them a realistic picture of what he was willing to go through to “walk worthy” as a model to them, and what it might cost them to walk worthy. Webster says that a prisoner is "a person deprived of liberty and kept under involuntary restraint, confinement, or custody." Yes, Paul was a prisoner to Rome but much more significantly he was a prisoner of Christ voluntarily and at liberty, which is the antithesis of the worldly definition of a prisoner! May God grant each of us the will by His Spirit to make the wise choice to be prisoners of Christ! Amen TDNT... Actual imprisonment underlies the usage, but the real bondage is to Christ for whose sake it is suffered and to whom self-will is offered in sacrifice. In answer to the idea that Paul borrows here from the concept in the mysteries that katoche precedes the final dedication, it should be noted that Paul nowhere calls imprisonment a penultimate stage prior to being with Christ ( Phil. 1:23). Imprisonment symbolizes his whole life and ministry. Desmios - 16x in 16v - Mt 27:15, 16; Mark 15:6; Acts 16:25, 27; 23:18; 25:14, 27; Acts 28:17 (Desmios has no definite article which stresses the character); Eph 3:1 (Prisoners often had time to think, read, write, etc); Eph 4:1; 2Ti 1:8 (To show sympathy to a prisoner and to offer him help could be very dangerous since it involved one in the charges against the prisoner); Philemon 1:1, 9; Heb 10:34; 13:3. NAS translates as prisoner(12), prisoners(4). Desmios - 4x in the non-apocryphal Septuagint - Eccl 4:14; Lam 3:34; Zech 9:11, 12. Uses in the Apocrypha - 2 Macc 14:27, 33; 3 Macc 4:7; 7:5; Wis 17:2; Moule... His bonds are due to his union with Christ. They are thus a strong Christian argument with his converts...Under all aspects of life Paul belongs to Christ. Whatever he is, does, or suffers, it is as Christ’s property. There is also an obvious reference to the fact that his imprisonment was for Christ’s cause; but this is not all. (Cambridge Bible Commentary) John Eadie comments that Paul's... writing to them while he was in chains proved the deep interest he took in them and in their spiritual welfare—showed them that his faith in Jesus, and his love to His cause, were not shaken by persecution—that the iron which lay upon his limb had not entered into his soul—and that his apostolic prerogative was as intact, his pastoral anxiety as powerful, and his relation to the Lord as close and tender as when on his visit to them he disputed in the school of Tyrannus, or uttered his solemn and pathetic valediction to their elders at Miletus. Letters inspired by love in a dungeon might also have a greater charm than his oral address. (cp Gal 6:17) (A commentary on the Greek-Page 267) MacArthur writes that... By mentioning his imprisonment he gently reminds his readers that he knows the worthy Christian walk can be costly and that he has paid considerable cost himself because of his obedience to the Lord. He would not ask them to walk in a way in which he had not himself walked or pay a price that he himself was not willing to pay. His present physical circumstance seemed extremely negative from a human perspective, but Paul wanted his readers to know that this did not change his commitment to or his confidence in the Lord. (MacArthur, J: Ephesians. Chicago: Moody Press) McGee comments that Paul... is a “prisoner of the Lord.” He is a prisoner because of his position in Christ. Isn’t it interesting that Paul can be seated in the heavenlies in Christ and can also be seated in a prison because he was a witness for Christ to the Gentiles? (McGee, J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson) Theodoret comments that... “What the world counted ignominy, he counts the highest honor, and he glories in his bonds for Christ, more than a king in his diadem.” The Prisoner of the Lord The great Apostle called himself "The prisoner of the Lord;" He was not held by Roman chains Nor kept in Caesar's ward; Constrained by love alone, By cords of kindness bound, The bondslave of the living Christ, True liberty he found. Oh, happy those who see In poverty and pain, In weakness and in toil, Their Father's golden chain; Who feel no prison walls Though shut in narrow ways, And though in darkness fettered fast Can still rejoice and praise; From sin's dread bondage bought, They own their Master's ward, They bear the brand of Christ, Blest prisoners of the Lord! --Annie Johnson Flint Of the Lord - not of Rome (which was the reality). But Paul walked not by sight (seeing Roman prison) but by faith (seeing His risen Lord) and with an eternal purpose, for he knew that his tribulations were not wasted but were for the sake of the Gentiles. This divine purpose gave him an eternal perspective on his afflictions. This description is literally not "of the Lord" but "in the Lord". S Lewis Johnson explains that... In the Greek text, it is not “of” but “in,” so he speaks of himself as the prisoner in the Lord. In other words, it is his relationship of vital communion to the Lord Jesus Christ that lends authority to what he is saying. He’s a prisoner alright, but he’s a prisoner in the Lord. So what he says is to be regarded as coming from someone who is in vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the ancient church fathers said, “He glories in his chains more than a king in his diadem.” Paul had reason in the chains in which he found himself, because he was in those chains because of his testimony for Jesus Christ. A man has a perfect right to glory in the marks that mark him out as one who belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, if it is because of his relationship to the Lord. But of course if he suffers merely because he has been out of the will of God or has done something foolish, and as a Christian at the same time, then he has no right to glory in the things that have happened to him. Peter tells us that we ought to suffer as Christians in our suffering. So, the Apostle speaks of himself as a prisoner in the Lord. (Unity of the Body) I implore you - I beseech you continually. I beg you continually. I am earnestly asking you. He is urging them in order to stimulate them to begin the process of progressive, step by step (like walking), sanctification (growth in holiness), growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is saying in essence that truth demands an appropriate response. In other words a true understanding of Christian doctrine should stimulate a desire to live a holy life, the character of that life he will outline in these next 3 chapters. Are you living in the light of the of the unfathomable riches of Christ which you are learning that you possess from your study in Ephesians? Are these great truths in Ephesians making any perceptible difference in your Christian life? If not, why not? The truths about our heavenly position and possession are wonderful but Paul wants to make sure that these believers are not so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good to God and His work! McGee makes an interesting observation of the flow of these first six verses writing that... In his discussion of this walk of the believer, Paul speaks first to the individual. The individual is to walk in lowliness and meekness. Then he widens out to the entire church, which is one body and one spirit. Finally, he brings this passage to a great, tremendous crescendo, which pictures the eminence and transcendence of God. (Ibid) "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/ephesians_41.htm#pr