I have always loved reading Philippians. I studied it at length once and wrote a paper about it. The ideas of joy, unity and humility are fascinating concepts every Christ-follower — and perhaps every human — could benefit from. Recently, however, I have been reading it in a new light.

Because I recently found myself between living and dying, I find a passage of Philippians 1 both mysterious and rewarding.

Philippians 1:19-26 — Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 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. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to see you again.

There are a few things I want to highlight in this passage. And they all seem to point to this mystery: Is it better to live or to die?

First of all, Paul’s famous line, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” brings a great mystery to light. For the believer, there is no reason to fear death (see 1 Corinthians 15:54-55; Isaiah 25:8). But is death better than life? This is the paradox Paul finds himself in. He understands that God will be honored either way: “…with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” This is a prayer we can all embrace. May God be honored in our life and our death.

Secondly, Paul uses the word choose in this dilemma: “Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two.” Clearly the choice between living and dying is not an easy one, but is it even a choice? A little research shows that the Greek word haireo is used here which means, “to take by selecting, not by showing preference or favor.” (Thanks, Vine’s.) This means that Paul is not talking about picking one based on his preference, but rather to accept one. He is simply pointing out what he points out in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” The only thing Paul is choosing is constant contentment with the decision and sovereignty of God.

Thirdly, Paul clearly desires to be with Christ. He says, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” Here Paul seems to answer the question if it is better to live or to die. Being with Christ is the best option a believer can hope for. In fact, it is our hope. Paul says in Philippians 3:11, “that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection of the dead.” Paul deeply desires to be with Christ.

Fourthly, Paul, amid the confusion of dying and living, seems to know what will happen to him (he was right). He says, “To remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will continue with you all…” It became clear to Paul that he would remain on earth a while longer for the sake of the Philippians. I do not yet fully grasp the concept of who the Philippians are for me, but I totally relate with this passage. It has been clear to me over the past few weeks that my purpose on this earth was not yet fulfilled. I was convinced that I would remain here for a while. I do not yet know why, but you can rest assured that I am seeking that out with every ounce of energy I have.

As long as I live and I get to see others, I intend for there to be great benefit from that. My sole focus for the rest of my life is to remain consistently obedient to God.

Tags: death, life, paul, philippians

This entry was posted by zac on Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 4:21 pm and is filed under The Un-Category. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.