For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
What does Ephesians 6:20 mean?
The gospel was a mystery till made known by Divine revelation; and it is the work of Christ's ministers to declare it. The best and most eminent ministers need the prayers of believers.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Ephesians 6:19-20 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Ephesians 6:20
For which I am an ambassador in bonds - In chains (see the margin); or in confinement. There is something especially touching in this. He was "an ambassador" - sent to proclaim peace to a lost world. But he was now in chains. An ambassador is a sacred character. No greater affront can be given to a nation than to put its ambassadors to death, or even to throw them into prison. But Paul says here that the unusual spectacle was witnessed of an ambassador seized, bound, confined, imprisoned; an ambassador who ought to have the privileges conceded to all such people, and to be permitted to go everywhere publishing the terms of mercy and salvation.
Key words
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For which I am an ambassador in bonds,.
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For which I am an ambassador in bonds,.
Context in Ephesians 6
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Ephesians 6 belongs to the closing movement of the book, especially the section often described as household life and spiritual warfare. Ephesians presents the church as Christ’s body and temple, chosen in grace, united across dividing walls, and called to mature holy life. Read this chapter with the wider themes of union with Christ, church, and grace in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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Key passages on God's unmerited favour, the grace of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and how grace transforms the way believers live.