Philippians
1:12-30
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has
happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that
it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest
that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers,
having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to
speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and
rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of
love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The
former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to
afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in
every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I
rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your
prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my
deliverance, 20 as it is my eager
expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full
courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by
death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is
gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means
fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I
am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for
that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh
is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know
that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the
faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory
in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the
gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear
of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by
side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in
anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction,
but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to
you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also
suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict
that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
It is not
the job of the Philippians to merely believe in Jesus Christ, but they must
also suffer for his sake. Likewise, Jesus speaks in to his disciples
repeatedly, they will suffer for his sake. Even the prophets of old suffer on
account of the message of Christ. St Paul makes known suffering to us over and
over in his letters. But now he takes it one step further.
“For to me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain.” If St Paul continues to live
and suffer on account of Christ, it will continue to proclaim the message and
truth of Jesus Christ, as it has already to the imperial guard. But if St Paul
dies as a martyr of the faith, he like James and Stephen before him will be
idolized (not worshiped) as a symbol of how we should live out our faith. St
Paul has long encouraged his readers, to use himself as an example of how to
live a godly life.
So it is
not a question of life and death, but a question of the manner in which we live
and die. If I live I will live for Christ, doing my best to follow his
commandments and proclaim the gospel to my neighbor. If I die I will die in
Christ, knowing that my hope in the resurrection or dying in the faith will
provide a great example to those who mourn my passing.
It does
not matter which comes, it is and always should be for the glory of God. I am a
sinner and deserve nothing but death and eternal punishment. But I look to the
cross and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and know my redemption price has
been paid. I will likewise look forward to his resurrection when Easter comes
with great joy and hope.
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