Philippians Chapter One
"To Live Is Christ and To Die Is Gain"
By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
© May 21, 2010
www.godsbreath.net
Copies of this and other homilies available by
sending requests to: mikefarrar@aol.com
Paul
wrote the book of Philippians during his imprisonment in Rome. During such
trials individuals respond in different ways. Some become depressed and
despondent with their circumstances. Others become angry and bitter. Still
others will seek immoral or dishonest means to escape from their situation. But
there are those few individuals who will rise to the occasion and live a life
of courage and character. These people will remain steadfast in their moral
character. They will not let their hardship alter their dedication to God nor
their godly integrity. Paul was such a man.
Paul
always saw circumstances as an opportunity to live as a Christian, to be a
witness for Jesus or to glorify his Heavenly Father in some way. When you read
passages in Philippians you see Paul’s commitment to God being lived out, not
only in his response to trials, but also in the words he shares with those who
were to receive his letters. Today we benefit from these letters for they have
become canonized and recognized as God inspired teachings we know as the New
Testament books of the Bible.
Listen
to Philippians 1:12-14 and see if you can hear the godly mindset that puts
God’s will over Paul’s circumstance and suffering.
Philippians 1:12-14
“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has
really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear
throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for
Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been
encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
Here
we see Paul share that all the horrible things that have and are happening to
him are causing an advance of the gospel of Christ. We might, at first, not
understand Paul’s perspective. Here is one of early Christianity’s major
evangelists, an intelligent teacher, a tenacious apologist and a most humble
servant, locked away where his skills and talents are unable to be used by God
among people. But Paul’s perspective is that this persecution and imprisonment
is actually promoting the gospel. How can he say this?
Paul
understood that his Heavenly Father will use any situation to advance God’s
plans for His Kingdom. It is likely that such a key leader as Paul being imprisoned
caused Christians in numerous churches to pull together to pray for Him. His
example of strength in the midst of persecution gave a great godly example of
how to endure such tribulations. People probably were heard to say to one
another, “If Paul can remain steadfast in his faith in his imprisonment, I
can remain steadfast in my faith in my everyday living.”
There
is also something about a close friend facing suffering that will encourage
people to band together to achieve and accomplish goals like nothing else can.
Proper responses to adversity in one person’s life has a way of stimulating
others to reach out and live out strength, courage and integrity.
Another
thought is that Paul’s response to his storm of life verified the truthfulness
of the gospel. Men will endure persecution and hardship for what they know to
be true, but they will cave in and whimper off if they are either living a lie
or have been deceiving people with their talk. The gospel was advanced because
of Paul’s endurance in the suffering and isolation he was experiencing. This
gave credence and validity to the veracity of the gospel.
Paul
apparently was aware that many were attempting to fill his shoes of preaching
the gospel and taking advantage of his imprisonment. He shares in verses 15-18:
“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and
rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I
am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of
selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me
while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in
every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because
of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,”
Here we see again, Paul’s self-sacrifice for the
gospel. Apparently some were preaching the gospel out of envious motivations
for they were rivals of Paul. These men were jealous of the attention and
admiration that Paul had received for his dedication to the ministry. They now
were taking this opportunity of his imprisonment to attempt to take his place
in the hearts and minds of Christians everywhere. Paul knew that such men were
ambitious and were not just preaching the gospel, but also very likely, spreading
rumors about him. The intent was to besmirch his name and reputation in order
to gain glory for themselves. But Paul is forgiving and generous in his
attitude towards them, because he knows that no matter what they may say or
infer about him, they are still preaching the gospel of Christ. In this process
the good news of salvation was getting into the hearts and minds of people.
Even though his character was trashed, it did not matter to him as long as
people were exposed to the gospel of Christ. Paul was a man who truly believed
“to live is Christ” and he was willing to sacrifice all the honor and
admiration people had for him as long as they had a chance to hear the gospel.
Paul also shares in this portion of scripture
that there were other teachers who preached the gospel out of love, not only
for God, but also for him. He knew that this was a more commendable manner in
which the gospel should be shared, but he was most concerned that the gospel of
Christ be preached and spread abroad.
Even in
the midst of Paul’s persecution he was an encourager. In verse 19 he says, “for
I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus
Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.”
Paul
establishes here how critically important it is for people to be dedicated to
the holy habit of prayer. He ties prayer in with the help of the Holy Spirit as
the power that will sustain him with thoughts of deliverance.
In
verses 20 through 26 we see Paul’s perception of the possible options for
deliverance and that God can work in either outcome. I wonder if you or I could
have such an optimistic attitude knowing that deliverance might be life, but
could also be death. The passage states:
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in
no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always
Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to
live is Christ and to die is gain. 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! I am
torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by
far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 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, so that through my being with you again
your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.”
In these verses we again see Paul’s dedication
to God and his strong desire for the spread of the gospel. The outcome of his
imprisonment could be freedom or death. But despite either result, he sees a
benefit to God’s message of salvation in both.
He is confident that he will not dishonor his
witness for Christ and will have the courage to accept whatever result God
wills. He can do this because he can see how God could work in either case. He
has a “heavenly” outlook on these two possible outcomes and makes the
statement, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” He understands
intimately that if his looses his life he will be immediately in the presence
of God and this is a most glorious thought to him. He realizes that this is
really the better choice, to experience the presence of Christ in a way he
cannot in his earthly state. But he is also torn between this desire to be with
the Lord and the desire to continue ministering to his fellow believers. He
knows of the love others have for him and of his love for them. He realizes
that God can do great things through him if he were to live and be released from
prison. So whether he lives or dies, God is the benefactor of glory in Paul’s
life or death.
Finally Paul shares the following encouragement:
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a
manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only
hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit,
contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in
any way by those who oppose you.”
Here we see another
concern and priority of Paul’s, the living out of the gospel in the lives of
people. It is not enough that the gospel is preached; it must also be received
into the hearts of people and lived out in their lives. Paul wants to encourage
the readers of this letter to live for Christ, no matter what happens to him.
This is another purpose of his Christian example during persecution, that other
believers will model his faith so that God is glorified. He loves the
Christians in Philippians and is concerned for their spiritual health.
The Parachute Band sings
a song called “To Live Is Christ” written by Kate Wray that is based on this
scripture passage. It goes like this:
Hallelujah, I am not my own,
You are in control, Hallelujah
For me to live is Christ, And to die is gain
No matter what price I pay
I choose to give this life away
I make a vow, My life will always honour Christ
Whether I live or die, I belong to Him
He bore my sin, I owe this life to my saving King
Only by the cross I am saved
May each of us realize
we are not our own, we belong to our Heavenly Father. May you and I seek to
model ourselves after Paul, but even more so after our Savior and Lord, Jesus
Christ. May we all seek to say,
“To live is Christ and to die gain.”