Prisoners can profit from fellowship with believers from outside of prison, but the thought does not even pass through the minds of many Christians. Chaplains will tell you that there is a relative abundance of those who want to “preach” and “evangelize,” but few who come to fellowship.

Whom Will You Find In Prison?
Do not assume that all prisoners are guilty! Many in prison have pled guilty although they are actually innocent. An expert on our system of justice said, “Plea bargaining has become so coercive that many who are innocent have no option but to plead guilty. Our system makes it a rational choice to plead to something you did not do.”¹

One may also find convicts who became believers while in prison and who would be released on parole if they would plead guilty to a major charge of which they are actually innocent. This would be lying! All we can do is to advise them to act as Christians while they are confined, to pray to God and trust Him even if they have to suffer for not lying. Such counsel is not very encouraging, but God tells us, “If anyone suffers as a Christian ... let him [or her] glorify God in that name” (1 Pet. 4:16 ESV).

Joseph Is A Biblical Example Of The Innocent Being Convicted
Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him. Later, they sold him as a slave to Ishmaelites who in turn sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh (Gen. 37:1-36). Potiphar “saw that the LORD was with [Joseph] ... and he made him an overseer of his house” (39:3-4). Joseph was “handsome in form and appearance” (v.6), and Potiphar’s wife wanted to have sexual relations with him. However, when he would not, she framed him and charged him with attempted rape (vv.16-19).

As a result, he spent years in prison until God miraculously arranged for him to become second to Pharaoh in authority, responsible for his granary. Joseph collected one-fifth of the grain harvested during seven years of plenty, selling it in the years of famine about which God had revealed to Pharaoh in dreams (41:1-7). Thus what Joseph’s brothers meant for evil against him, God arranged “for good to bring it about that many should be kept alive” (50:20).

In counseling an inmate who says that he or she has been wrongly convicted, we can use the account of Joseph to teach that God has a purpose in everything He allows, “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom. 8:28). However, we should not imply that the realization of this is guaranteed to occur in our lifetime, as it did for Joseph. Nevertheless, Joseph’s cooperation with the keeper of the prison, called a “warden” today, undoubtedly helped him, and we can suggest that others do likewise (Gen. 39:21-23).

Imprisoned Or Punished For Doing God’s Will
Peter and some of the apostles, although having been forbidden by the authorities to teach in the name of Jesus, taught the people and were consequently imprisoned. “During the night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors ... and said, ‘Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life’” (Acts 5:19-20). From there, they were again brought before the council and reminded that they had been charged not to speak in the name of Jesus. But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men” (v.29). The apostles were beaten and charged not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then let go; however, Peter and the apostles did not heed the authorities and “did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus” (v.42).

In our time in the United States there was a similar case. A man was allowing a group of Christians to gather in his home for worship, prayer and Bible Study. The local authorities charged him with violating zoning law by allowing his house to be used as a “church,” but he insisted that the constitution gave believers the right to gather for religious services, and the Supreme Court agreed. The assembly won their case against the local authorities, but the believers still suffered through the legal action, court costs and lawyers’ fees. Making decisions contrary to the authorities is to be done only after considering the Scriptures and thoughtful prayer.

Let us consider Acts 16:16-19: Paul and Silas had cast out a “spirit of divination” from a slave girl, and her owner lost much money from her “fortune-telling.” The owner complained, and the magistrates not only imprisoned Paul and Silas but also had their feet fastened in the stocks. In this most uncomfortable position, what did they do? They sang hymns to God (v.25). What an example for us! Then came an earthquake that loosened their bonds, but none of the prisoners escaped. As a result of these events, Paul and Silas were able to speak “the word of the Lord [to the jailer] and to all who were in his house” (v.32). The jailer “rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God” (v.34).

Believers who are in prison for whatever reason can be used to do the work of the Lord. I correspond with an inmate who is on death row for a horrible crime. He became saved and has been conducting a fruitful ministry ever since. We note however that inmates who witness for the Lord can expect to be ridiculed or ignored (Jn. 15:20).

Prison As Chastening
There are those whom the Lord allows to be imprisoned for their blessing. Peter advised us who are born again (see 1 Pet. 1:3) that we may experience sufferings, but he warned, “Let none of you suffer as a ... thief or an evildoer, or a meddler” (4:15). If we are chastened ² of the Lord by a term in prison, we are not to be “weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:5-6).

Jehoiachin,³ king of Judah, as a young man had done “what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Ki. 24:9), and the LORD allowed him to become a prisoner of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon (v.12). Apparently the prison term had a chastening effect on King Jehoiachin, because when Nebuchadnezzar was replaced as king of Babylon by Evil-Merodach, the LORD had Jehoiachin graciously freed and treated well (2 Ki. 25:27-30).

Note also that when Joseph was a teenager he offended his brothers and his father by the telling of his dreams. “His father rebuked him saying, Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves before you?” (Gen. 37:10). God had given Joseph his dreams because He wanted him to know what He had in store for him, but He did not instruct Joseph to tell the dreams as he did! Joseph got himself into trouble and was sold into servitude and imprisonment, and the suffering seemed to have had a positive effect on him. When two of his fellow inmates had dreams, he did not brag about his ability, but he said, “Interpretations belong to God” (40:8). Similarly, when Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams and asked him to interpret them, he modestly answered, “It is not in me; God will give ... [an] answer” (41:16). What Joseph did is what we should do when we get spiritual insights: Give God the credit!

A Prison Sentence Can Be A Blessing
God disciplines us for our good, “that we may share His holiness” (Heb. 12:10). Many individuals in jails and prisons can testify to the fact that God has used their time of suffering while detained to bring blessing to them! Let us emphasize this fact in our counseling with one another.

ENDNOTES
1. Yoffe, Emily, “Innocence Is Irrelevant”; The Atlantic, Sept. 2017, pp.70-71.
2. To be chastened means that suffering was inflicted upon us for the purpose of moral improvement (Dictionary.com).
3. Jehoiachin is listed in the geneology of our Lord Jesus in Matthew 1:11-12 (ESV) as Jeconiah, footnoted Jehoiachin in some other translations. The account of the succession in 2 Kings 2:30-50 is very confusing. It is simplified in Matthew by calling Josiah the “father” of Jeconiah, rather than “grandfather.” This kind of substitution merely indicates forefather.

By Alan H. Crosby