Paul rejoices to live or die for Christ
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
The apostle’s great desire to glorify Christ in living and dying is beautifully summarized in the familiar words of verse 21. These words have been described as Paul’s “magnificent obsession.” “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” From the dramatic moment on the Damascus road when Paul came to know the risen and glorified Christ to his anxious days as a prisoner for Christ in the world capital, all of Paul’s life and living was for Christ.
By grace he had been made a new creature in Christ. In Baptism he had put on Christ. Daily he lived in the knowledge that his sins were covered with Christ’s righteousness. He drew his strength for living from Christ. His constant desire was to know Christ more deeply and to serve him more completely. Paul regarded himself as a slave of Christ with no will of his own, totally submissive to his master’s will. Christ was the secret, the source, the summary of the apostle’s life. Christ filled his life with joy and enabled him to effectively communicate that joy to others.
If a believer’s life is Christ, then it naturally follows that “to die is gain.” Throughout their earthly lives, believers are united with Christ by faith, but their oneness with Christ, their knowledge of him and service to him, are imperfect, blurred, and clouded by sin. At the moment of their physical death, all that will change for the better. What believers possess spiritually by faith here on earth they will have by sight in eternity. In eternal life they will see Christ face-to-face and glorify him with perfect service, adoration, and joy. As Paul saw it, death was gain, for death would bring more of him to Christ and more of Christ to him. If Christ was being glorified in the apostle’s life on earth, how much more would Christ be glorified through Paul’s perfect worship and service in eternity.
Having set forth the great principles that govern a Christian’s living and dying in Christ, Paul applied those principles directly to his own situation. He knew that a favorable verdict at his trial would mean more fruitful work for him. Being set free would permit him to take up his apostolic labors again. He would again be able to preach the gospel openly, among old friends and in new places. That kind of work always is fruitful labor. Jesus himself guarantees it. Through such fruitful labor, of course, Christ would be glorified.
Yet, Paul says, if the choice between living and dying were left strictly up to him, he would have a hard time making a decision. Like every believer who truly knows and loves the Savior, Paul had an intense desire to depart from this life and to be with Christ. He longed to be free from the suffering, trouble, and pain that characterize life in this sinful world and to enter into the perfect joy of heaven. There was no doubt in the apostle’s mind that at the very moment when his soul departed this life, it would be with the Lord.
Eternal life with Christ, Paul says, is better than life here on earth. Despite the obvious advantages death would bring to him, however, Paul also felt hard pressed by another consideration. “It is more necessary for you,” he tells the Philippians, “that I remain in the body.” The apostle was aware of the fact that the Philippians, as well as many of the other recently converted Christians, still needed him.
The Philippian congregation was less than ten years old. Many of its members had only recently turned from idolatry. The congregation had its weaknesses and was surrounded by dangers. If it was now suddenly deprived of its beloved apostle and his strong leadership and guidance, the congregation’s development could be seriously hindered. Personal advantage for the apostle lay with departing from this life to be with Christ, but necessity, or advantage, for his readers lay with his continuing to live on.
Paul recognized that the choice of whether he lived or died was not up to him. The Lord would make that choice for him. But on the basis of the factors he had just mentioned, the apostle permitted himself what we might call an inspired speculation. Because he was convinced that longer life for him would mean fruit resulting from more apostolic labors, and because he knew that such labors were still needed by the young churches, he was confident that he would be allowed to continue his work on earth, at least for a little while longer.
If it was God’s plan for him to forego for a time the glories of heaven so that he could continue to live and labor for the gospel, Paul would not only accept it but would rejoice in it, because Christ would continue to be glorified through his apostolic work. What special joy the Philippians and the apostle would share after the dark days of his imprisonment if they could be reunited to rejoice in their partnership in the gospel and to praise the Lord for his mercy in reuniting them.
All the historical evidence we possess indicates that the apostle’s expectations were fulfilled. Apparently, he was set free from this particular imprisonment and allowed by the Lord to carry on his apostolic labors, at least for a few more years. It is also quite likely that Paul did see the Philippians again before he was arrested and imprisoned for the second and final time. That second imprisonment and its outcome are discussed in Paul’s last letter, 2 Timothy.
Paul’s eloquent and joy-filled words in this section express the attitude every Christian ought to take toward both living and dying. For a Christian, life is Christ. Real living is impossible apart from Christ. The great goal of every Christian’s life ought to be to serve and glorify Christ. If Christ is truly our life, our obsession with him and our joy in him will be evident in everything we do. Our thinking and planning will all be centered in him, and our words and actions will constantly testify of our commitment to him who has made us new spiritual creatures through faith in him.
Living such a life and reflecting such a commitment is not always easy. There are many hindrances and enemies, including the sinful nature within us that wants us to live only for ourselves. Like Paul, though, we can find the strength to live for Christ in what the Holy Spirit supplies us through the means of grace. We can confidently pray for the Spirit’s rich supply. As we grow daily in grace and knowledge and living faith, we can make the words of Paul’s confession our own: “For to me, to live is Christ.” In such living alone can we find real satisfaction and joy.
We can also learn much from a consideration of the apostle’s attitude toward death. The apostle did not go to pieces at the prospect of death. He was not so attached to this life that he regarded death as an unwelcome intruder. For the apostle, death was gain, a personal advantage, because he knew it would mean passing from a troublesome life marred by sin to a perfect existence with the Savior. Paul was ready to go and be with the Savior at any time. Yet, if it was the Savior’s will for him to live and work on, he would gladly do that, until the Savior called him.
The apostle’s view of death avoids two extremes: an undue attachment to this impermanent life and an impatient desire for death. The former is a danger for Christians at any age. The latter can be a danger especially for suffering or aged Christians. A suffering Christian may humbly beseech the Lord to deliver him from his troubles, but not every wish to die is a pious wish. If it flows simply from a desire to escape the obligations of life or to be relieved of its burdens, it is only selfishness. Sometimes a whining desire to die is nothing less than an impatient complaint against God. In the apostle’s words, though, we note no impatience, no complaint, only a joyful willingness to glorify Christ in life or death, at the time and under the circumstances that please the Lord. This is an attitude worthy of imitation by every Christian.