Christians have no excuse for not loving, "because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Rom. 5:5). We do not have to manufacture love; we only have to share the love we have been given. We do not have to be humanly taught to love, because we ourselves "are taught by God to love one another" (1 Thes. 4:9). We are therefore told to "pursue love" (1 Cor. 14:1), to "put on love" (Col. 3:14), to "increase and abound in love" (1 Thes. 3:12; Phil. 1:9), to be sincere in love (2 Cor. 8:8), to be unified in love (Phil. 2:2), to be "fervent" in love (1 Pet. 4:8), and to "stimulate one another to love (Heb. 10:24).
John MacArthur

PRISONS

PRISONS

PRISONS

  1. Antiquity of # Ge 39:20
  2. KINDS OF, MENTIONED 2a) State

    # Jer 37:21 Ge 39:20

2b) Common # Ac 5:18 3) Dungeons attached to # Jer 38:6 Zec 9:11 4) Were under the care of a keeper # Ge 39:21 5) USED FOR CONFINING 5a) Persons accused of crimes # Lu 23:19 5b) Persons accused of heresy # Ac 4:3 5:18 8:3 5c) Suspected persons # Ge 42:19 5d) Condemned persons till executed # Le 24:12 Ac 12:4,5 5e) Enemies taken captive # Jud 16:21 2Ki 17:4 Jer 52:11 5f) Debtors till they paid # Mt 5:26 18:30 5g) Persons under the king’s displeasure # 1Ki 22:27 2Ch 16:10 Mr 6:17 6) Confinement in, often awarded as a punishment # Ezr 7:26 7) Confinement in, considered a severe punishment # Lu 22:33 8) PLACES USED AS 8a) Court of the king’s house # Jer 32:2 8b) House of the king’s scribe # Jer 37:15 8c) House of the captain of the guard # Ge 40:3 8d) Prisoner’s own house, where he was kept bound to a soldier # Ac 28:16,30 2Ti 1:16-18 9) The king had power to commit to # 1Ki 22:27 10) Magistrates had power to commit to # Mt 5:25 11) PERSONS CONFINED IN 11a) Said to be in ward # Le 24:12 11b) Said to be in hold # Ac 4:3 11c) Often placed in dungeons # Jer 39:6 Ac 16:24 11d) Often bound with fetters # Ge 42:19 Eze 19:9 Mr 6:17 11e) Often chained to two soldiers # Ac 12:6 11f) Often fastened in stocks # Jer 29:26 Ac 16:24 11g) Often kept to hard labour # Jud 16:21 11h) Often subjected to extreme suffering # Ps 79:11 102:20 105:18 11i) Fed on bread and water # 1Ki 22:27 11j) Clothed in prison dress # 2Ki 25:29 11k) Sometimes allowed to be visited by their friends # Mt 11:2 25:36 Ac 24:23 11l) Might have their condition ameliorated by the king # Jer 37:20,21 11m) Often executed in # Ge 40:22 Mt 14:10 12) The king had power to release from # Ge 40:21 13) Magistrates had power to release from # Ac 16:35,36 14) KEEPERS OF 14a) Strictly guarded the doors # Ac 12:6 14b) Responsible for the prisoners # Ac 16:23,27 14c) Put to death if prisoners escaped # Ac 12:19 14d) Often used severity # Jer 37:16,20 Ac 16:24 14e) Sometimes acted kindly # Ge 39:21 Ac 16:33,34 14f) Sometimes entrusted the care of the prison to well-conducted prisoners # Ge 39:22,23 15) ILLUSTRATIVE OF 15a) Deep afflictions # Ps 142:7 15b) Hell # Re 20:7 15c) Bondage to sin and Satan # Isa 42:7 49:9 61:1