For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Read Chapter 3
Gaius Marius Victorinus
AD 400
It remains, after he has stated the truth that all their hope is in Christ and thus they are all being built up together in the Spirit to be the dwelling place of God—it remains, I say, that he should teach them who he himself is and whether he himself is contributing to building them up together through the gospel and can give a reason for his own authority so that they may believe him. –.
For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner The sense seems to be, I, Paul, am a prisoner; otherwise the sense will be suspended, and interrupted by a long parenthesis till the 14th verse, where it is again repeated, "for this cause I bow my knees. "(Witham)
We often read that the body is called the prison of the soul. The soul is confined as if in a cage. Paul, for example, was constrained by the ties of the body and did not return to be with Christ so that the preaching to the Gentiles might be perfectly accomplished through him. But I grant that there are some who introduce another meaning here: Paul before his birth was predestined and sanctified from his mother’s womb for the purpose of preaching to the Gentiles. For this vocation he took on the bonds of flesh. .
After a diligent search I have found nothing that answers to his prior clause…. For he does not say, “For this reason I, Paul, have done this or that or have taught this or that.” Instead, leaving the thought in suspense, he goes on to other matters. Perhaps we ought to pardon him for what he himself has admitted when he said, “if unschooled in speech, at least not in knowledge,” and look for order in his meaning rather than in his words. This can be rendered as follows: “I, Paul, in the chains of Jesus Christ and in chains for you Gentiles, have learned the mystery so that I may hand it on to you.” .
He has mentioned Christ's great and affectionate care; he now passes on to his own, insignificant indeed as it is, and a very nothing in comparison with that, and yet this is enough to engage them to himself. For this cause, says he, am I also bound. For if my Lord was crucified for your sakes, much more am I bound. He not only was bound Himself, but allows His servants to be bound also—for you Gentiles. It is full of emphasis; not only do we no longer loathe you, but we are even bound, says he, for your sakes and of this exceeding grace am I partaker.
