Remember Those in Bonds

When I think about a person in prison, I have to remember what would have become of me without the mercy of God.

I could have died in my sin, with my heart still hard toward Him. Having no prison sentence would not have made me righteous before His judgment. I needed forgiveness. I needed a new heart. I needed Christ.

That is where this begins for me.

I am not claiming that I have committed every crime another person has committed, or that every sin causes the same harm. I am confessing that I had no innocence of my own with which to stand before a holy God. Even beside someone whose crimes horrify me, I could not plead my own righteousness as the reason God should receive me.

The judgment from which I needed rescue reaches beyond any earthly prison. Jesus spoke of final judgment with words we should tremble to hear: “wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42). Left in my sin, I had no claim on heaven.

My hope is Jesus Christ, who had mercy on me.

And if I believe that, it must affect the way I look at people behind bars.

Remember what we were

Paul tells believers to be gentle toward all people. Then he gives a reason that leaves very little room for looking down on others:

“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived…”

— Titus 3:3, excerpt

“Sometimes” here means formerly. Paul asks Christians to remember their own former condition. He includes himself.

Then comes the kindness of God. Salvation rests on His mercy, through Jesus Christ, and believers are justified by His grace (Titus 3:4–7). To be justified is to be declared righteous before God. We do not earn that standing through good deeds. Verse 8 calls those who believe to practice good works as the fruit of the salvation they have received.

This gives us a searching question: when we speak about someone whose wrongdoing is public, have we forgotten the mercy that covered our own guilt?

An offense may need to be named plainly. A sentence may be just. We can acknowledge both without contempt for the person.

The heart I could not change

In Ezekiel 36, God promises cleansing and a new heart to the house of Israel. He acts for His holy name's sake, despite their unfaithfulness. The promise includes removing the stony heart and putting His Spirit within His people, causing them to walk in His ways (Ezekiel 36:22–27).

We should hear that promise in its original setting. We should also see how deeply it exposes our need for God to do what outward respectability cannot accomplish. A hard heart needs more than a better appearance.

The renewal described in Titus 3:5 is God's merciful work. That leaves me grateful, dependent, and without a reason to boast over another sinner.

Romans 6 describes those who belong to Christ as people who once served sin and have been brought into a new obedience:

“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

— Romans 6:18

Freedom in Christ gives us a new Master and a new way to live. Grace does not make sin harmless. It breaks sin's claim to rule us.

Spiritual bondage and physical imprisonment are different things. A person can walk freely through town while remaining enslaved to sin. A believer behind a locked door can belong to Christ. Neither a clean public reputation nor a criminal record tells us everything about a person's standing before God.

Remember them as bound with them

Hebrews gives a command we cannot reduce to a passing feeling:

“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them…”

— Hebrews 13:3, excerpt

The letter speaks to people acquainted with persecution. Hebrews 10:32–34 recalls suffering and costly solidarity. Imprisoned believers belong especially in view here; we should not lose that setting.

But notice the depth of the remembrance. Imagine their confinement as something that concerns you. Let their suffering interrupt your comfort.

Onesiphorus did this for Paul. He refreshed him, was not ashamed of his chain, and searched diligently until he found him in Rome (2 Timothy 1:16–18). Paul was suffering for the gospel. The example shows love willing to seek someone out when association with him could bring shame.

For us, remembering may mean a letter, an approved visit, prayer that continues after the first conversation, or dependable support for someone already serving inside a facility. It means allowing a person to remain a person in our minds.

What if the person is guilty?

This is where compassion becomes difficult.

Some prisoners are suffering injustice. Others have done terrible things. Christian love must be truthful enough to recognize the difference and humble enough not to pretend we know every case.

Romans 13:1–7 recognizes the authority of civil government to punish wrongdoing. Mercy does not require calling a just sentence persecution. Nor does respect for authority require pretending that every conviction or every act of punishment is just.

Yet guilt does not place a person beyond the reach of Christian concern. Jesus commands love even for enemies and points to the Father's kindness toward the unthankful and evil (Luke 6:27–36). If we may love only those whose conduct we approve, we have made that command much smaller than He gave it.

Matthew 25 also speaks of visiting prisoners and of Christ's identification with His brethren. Christians differ over whether “the least of these my brethren” refers specifically to His needy disciples or more broadly to people in need. Matthew 10:40–42 gives substantial support to the disciple reading. We should acknowledge that honestly. Our duty of mercy toward people generally also rests on the clear commands of Titus 3 and Luke 6.

We do not need to force one passage to carry the whole argument.

The people who were harmed matter

An offender's need for mercy does not diminish a victim's suffering.

The person who was assaulted, the family grieving someone who was killed, the child who was abused, and the neighbor living with fear must not disappear from our concern because we have begun talking about restoration.

Love does no harm to its neighbor (Romans 13:10). In practice, that means taking protection seriously. A profession of faith does not automatically restore trust, qualify someone for leadership, or give access to vulnerable people. Appropriate boundaries can remain while Christians pray for repentance and provide accountable help.

A wounded person should not be pressured into visiting an offender or accepting unsafe contact as proof of faith. Others may be able to provide care that the victim cannot safely provide.

The prisoner's children also deserve kindness without being treated as guilty by association. Families and correctional workers have burdens of their own. There is room for all these neighbors in our concern.

Mercy must be truthful enough to face the whole suffering a crime has caused.

A guilty man beside the innocent Savior

At Calvary, one of the condemned men acknowledged that he and the other criminal were receiving the due reward of their deeds. He also confessed that Jesus had done nothing wrong.

Then he turned to Him:

“Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

— Luke 23:42

Jesus answered with the promise that he would be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:43).

There was real guilt and real mercy. The man's earthly punishment continued, but his hope had changed completely.

The innocent Son of God was there giving Himself for sinners. He died and rose again. Forgiveness is costly because sin is serious, and Christ Himself supplies what guilty people cannot supply. We receive salvation through faith in Him, never by accumulating enough good works to outweigh our evil.

The man beside Jesus had no impressive record to offer. He had Christ to turn to.

So do we.

He saves to the uttermost

The security of this salvation rests in God.

Romans 8:29–30 traces His purpose from foreknowledge and predestination through calling and justification to glorification. Those whom He predestined to be conformed to His Son are not an unfinished project He forgets. Paul speaks of their final glory with the certainty of God's saving purpose.

Christians differ over how to explain foreknowledge and predestination. The passage itself places our confidence in God's action and directs the outcome toward likeness to His Son. It gives us no permission to regard ourselves as naturally more deserving than others.

Hebrews 7:25 says Christ can save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, because He lives to intercede for them. His priesthood does not end in death. His saving care does not run out halfway through our need.

That assurance is for those who come through Christ. It does not promise salvation merely because someone suffers, enters prison, or adopts religious language. Nor is it permission to cherish sin. The Savior who forgives also changes His people.

For the repentant person who fears that the past is too terrible, this is substantial hope. Christ's sufficiency is greater than our ability to repair ourselves.

A faithful beginning

We do not all have the same opportunities, strength, or responsibilities. Remembering prisoners does not mean every Christian must personally enter a prison. It does mean their confinement should not make them disappear from our love.

A beginning may be simple:

• Ask an established church ministry or facility chaplain what help is actually needed and permitted.
• Write through an approved correspondence program, or provide requested Scripture materials through authorized channels.
• Support a prisoner's family with a meal, practical help, or patient friendship.
• Help with suitable employment preparation or other practical needs after release, with accountability and appropriate safeguards.
• Continue caring for victims with the same seriousness and generosity.

These are possible ways to obey, not a new set of requirements for earning God's acceptance. Begin with what you can faithfully sustain. Keep your promises. Let people retain their dignity and privacy.

We can offer the gospel, prayer, presence, and practical help. We cannot produce repentance by force or guarantee the outcome of another person's life. We can entrust people to the Lord while doing the good that is before us.

I keep coming back to the mercy I needed myself.

If Christ has received me, I have no ground for treating another sinner as beneath my concern. I can tell the truth about what someone has done and still carry the good news of what Christ has done for sinners.

We remember those behind bars because we have not forgotten the bondage from which Christ set us free.

Read the passages in context

• Titus 3:1–8: gentleness, former sin, mercy, and the good works that follow faith.
• Ezekiel 36:22–27: God's promise of cleansing, a new heart, and His Spirit.
• Romans 6: freedom from sin and new obedience in Christ.
• Hebrews 10:32–34 and 13:1–3: persecution, solidarity, and remembering prisoners.
• 2 Timothy 1:16–18: Onesiphorus's care for Paul.
• Luke 6:27–36: love for enemies and the Father's mercy.
• Matthew 25:31–46 and 10:40–42: Christ's identification with His people.
• Romans 13:1–10: civil authority, wrongdoing, and neighbor-love.
• Luke 23:39–43: the condemned man and Christ's promise.
• Romans 8:29–39 and Hebrews 7:23–27: God's saving purpose and Christ's enduring priesthood.
• Matthew 13:36–43: the seriousness of final judgment.