Phil 1,18b-26
To live is Christ and to die is gain. What a liberating and positive outlook for the Christian devoted to the glory of Christ!
#Life
#Death
#ForHisGlory
Published August 5th, 2017; Updated August 5th, 2017
Main point summary
Discourse**
Notes
notes
Main point summary
Because Paul's aim is to honor Christ in life and in death, he is confident that his imprisonment will serve Christ's glorification. In this case he is even confident that he will be released and reunited to the Philippians, because this will give them reason to glorify Christ.
Discourse**
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Philipper 1:18-26
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mine
Yes, and I will rejoice,
I rejoice if only Christ is proclaimed and I will continue to rejoice.
for I know
Because I am sure
that f through your prayers
that by means of your prayers
and g the help of h the Spirit of Jesus Christ
and by means of the Holy Spirit
series
this will turn out for my deliverance,
these circumstances (my incarceration) will have a positive outcome.
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as it is my eager expectation and hope i that I will not be at all ashamed,
Because I expect with all certainty that I will not spiritually fail
but that with full j courage now as always Christ k will be honored in my body, l whether by life
but that I will honor Christ with boldness now as I have always done, whether by living for him
or by death.
or by dying for him
alternative
For to me m to live is Christ,
Because life for me means, that Christ is everything (I live through him and for him)
and to die is gain.
and death means I will finally have undisturbed fellowship with him, which means sheer happiness.
progression
If I am to live in the flesh,
So if I continue to live in the flesh
that means fruitful labor for me.
I can work and bring fruit for him.
conditional
Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
Although living for Christ is a great prospect, it is a difficult decision between the two options (if I had to decide).
n I am hard pressed between the two.
Both seems very attractive to me.
My desire is o to depart and p be with Christ,
I long to be with Christ
for that is far better.
because this is the happiest state imaginable.
But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
But to stay alive and work for him is better for you.
q Convinced of this,
And because I am convinced that this is so,
r I know that I will remain and continue with you all,
I am sure I will stay with you
for your s progress and t joy in the faith,
so that you may grow in faith and joy
so that in me u you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus,
this is to say I will give you much cause to be happy in Christ and praise him.
because of my coming to you again.
when I will be reunited with you.
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Notes
Why is Paul so confident, that his circumstances will turn out to his deliverance? Because he is absolutely resolved that through his life and death Christ would be glorified. He is not seeking his own, but Christ's. So he can trust God, that by means of his own prayers, the prayers of the Philippians and the Spirit of Jesus Christ (who was the prototype of a man, who lived and died for God's glory and who for this very reason was delivered and exalted) he would be delivered. Although there are several ways of deliverance by death to be with Christ or by liberation from prison and the possibility to continue his life for Christ in this case, for the sake of the Philippians, the 2nd option was preferable. Paul came to this conviction - independent from his personal interests - , because his aim was the glory of Christ and he saw how much Christ would be glorified, when he would be given back to the Philippians. What a liberating and positive outlook for the Christian devoted to the glory of Christ! Even if he cannot always know, by which option Christ would most be glorified, he may embrace all possible options which God may chose for the sake of His glory.
Comments
Disclaimer: The opinions and conclusions expressed on this page are those of the author and may or may not accord with the positions of Biblearc or Bethlehem College & Seminary.