It has been said that in our society the only remaining obscenity is death. It is the great unmentionable. The newspaper each day is full of obituaries. Yet the meaning of death is unelaborated. We avoid public commentary upon its consequence. To where do the departed depart? What lies on the other side of the chasm? I belonged to a civic organization which observed a moment of silence when a member's death was announced. We would pause for 15 seconds, then our moderator would ring a bell, and we would carry on, just slightly awkwardly, in the presence of an empty chair where for years Mr. Jones once sat. Yet we knew that one day the bell would toll for us as well.

The specter of death haunts us all. We labor not to ponder it, and certainly not to discuss it, to consider who might be next, or when our own day might arrive. All of this is simply too uncomfortable to contemplate. Previous generations were surrounded by death. Infant and child mortality rates were high. Most deaths occurred at home. Contact with the dead was first hand. But today we strive mightily to avert our gaze. We change the subject. We carry on, politely avoiding the last obscenity.

The contrast between the general outlook today and that of the Apostle Paul could hardly be greater. The Apostle Paul says,

      For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil 1:21)

 
"To die is gain?" How is it possible to say this? "Gain," he says. He borders on insensitivity. Not only does death haunt us, but it is the occasion of our greatest grief. It deprives us of our deepest loves in life, as it cuts down our parents, spouses, children, and friends. How can he say in any way that "to die is gain?"

The answer is, death is gain for the same reason that "to live is Christ." Death is gain because it means more of Christ and consequently more of life. This is the key to the Apostle's outlook and the key to his outlook on adversity, his assurance of salvation, confidence in death, and purpose in life, all of which he touches upon in these verses.

But before we move on to look at our passage in detail, we need to establish clearly the central principle: To live is Christ. Christ is life. Christ is what life is all about. Perhaps some of us have been thinking that it is enough for Jesus to be in our life in some remote way. If we attend church periodically, say our prayers occasionally, open our Bibles now and again is enough. This is all that God expects of busy people. But to think that a nominal connection with Christ is sufficient is completely mistaken. Not only is it experientially unsatisfactory, but it is inadequate according to the claims that Jesus Himself made. Jesus says we have no life in ourselves (Jn 5:23). We are born "dead in our trespasses and sin" (Eph 2:1ff). We are the living dead, spiritual zombies. Yet we are self-deceived. We may think we are alive, and the fallen world offers counterfeits of true life. These counterfeits often prove to be quite seductive. True life, real life, the life worth living, the world says, is found in exciting experiences, in possessions, in power, in popularity, in pleasure. The world beckons; it calls us to this life. It mocks Christian discipleship as insufferably boring. Turn there, the world says, and your life is over. God will make you miserable. He will ruin your life. Stay with us, and continue to enjoy life. Live for today. Live for now. Live for pleasure. Live for power. Live for popularity. Ours is the life worth living. But Jesus says that the world's life, the natural life, is death. The world's life never has and never will satisfy the soul. Why? Because we were made to know God. Knowing God is true life and eternal life (Jn 17:3). Jesus is the key to knowing God, the source of life, and so the key to true life. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6). Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life" (Jn 11:25). Jesus says, "I am the bread of life" (Jn 6:35). Jesus says, I came that you might have life" (Jn 10:10). Jesus says, "I am the light . . . of life" (Jn 8:12). Jesus says, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (Jn 6:63).

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." (John 5:24)

The Apostle John adds this,

He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (1 Jn 5:12)

We have no life, no true life, no eternal and everlasting life, no purposeful or meaningful life without Jesus. Jesus and the Apostles make this extraordinary claim. Jesus is the source of life.

It is also true that we have no Jesus, no life, and no God without total commitment to Jesus. "To live is Christ," that is, "Christ is our life." Jesus is both the source of our life and its purpose. Jesus says,

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it." (Mt 16:24,25; cf. Jn 12:25; Mk 8:35)

Jesus says we must lose our life to gain true life. The irony is complete. One can only have life, eternal life, true life now and in eternity, through losing one's life, or surrendering one's life "for Jesus' sake." The Apostle Paul speaks of "Christ, who is our life" (Col 3:4). Jesus is the reason for our life, its purpose and meaning. The Apostle Paul says, further,

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." (Gal 2:20)

"I no longer live," he says. My old, self-centered, self-determining, self-serving life is over. My new life, he continues, belongs to Jesus. Jesus calls us to this total commitment. We are crucified. We no longer live, we have no independent life. "You are not your own," the Apostle says, "you were bought with a price" (1 Cor 6:19,20). Jesus is our salvation and our life. Our life in Christ is one of total surrender, where everything we do, where every thought and action, is governed by the desire to serve and please Him. This is our ambition (2 Cor 5:9). Listen to the Apostle Paul once more.

He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (2 Cor 5:15)

We "live no longer for ourselves," he says, but for Christ. We become slaves of Christ and of righteousness (Rom 6:16ff). The Christian life begins with the decision to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and be crucified with Christ. This decisive act of surrender ends our lives and begins a new life lived entirely for Christ. This is the decision to be saved by Him and ruled by Him, to receive life from Him and live life for Him. This new life brings with it all the benefits that we see here in this passage.

Adversity

For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, (Phil 1:19)

Is adversity a "benefit?" Indeed it is. The "this" of verse 19 refers to the hardship of the Apostle Paul's imprisonment (v. 13) and subsequent troubles (vv. 15ff) which we discussed previously. All that he has suffered, from the persecution of the Roman government to the attacks of his fellow ministers, "shall turn out for my deliverance." Because "to live is Christ," adversity can be viewed positively. It serves a positive purpose.

"Deliverance" (sōtērion) is probably a bad translation. It is the word commonly translated "salvation." It is not likely that it refers to temporal "deliverance," as in rescue from prison, because it is gained equally by life or death (v. 20). It refers not to his "immediate acquittal and discharge from prison," says O'Brien, but "his ultimate vindication" in the heavenly court.¹ Barclay says it refers to general well-being in time and eternity, paralleling what the Apostle Paul already said a few verses before. Difficult circumstances have led to "the greater progress of the gospel" (v. 12). When we view salvation as a progression from justification to sanctification, to perseverance, to final glorification, afflictions can be said to contribute to our salvation. We are saved (past tense), decisively and irreversibly. But we are also being saved (future tense). Our salvation is not yet complete. The Scripture speaks of our salvation as a past event ("having been justified by faith"), as a present event ("we are being saved'), and as a future event ("we shall be saved"). Adversity contributes to each step in the process until our salvation is complete. The Apostle Paul is saying that his troubles are meant to result in his sanctification and ultimate salvation, as God causes all things to work together for good (Rom 8:28). Barclay says, "We do well to remember that any challenge is sent to us as a tonic and strength-builder from God."² Affliction, ironically, helps.

Afflictions, troubles, and trials are not to be despised, but embraced. That difficulty in the home, that trouble at work, that conflict in the church, that persecution in the civil realm all promote our progress in Christian maturity. They serve the cause of Christ. They refine our character. They prepare us for greater fruitfulness in service. Indeed we can say that only rarely do we make any progress in our Christian pilgrimage apart from adversity. When all is well we rest content with our selfishness, worldliness, pride, and hypocrisy. Only when bitten with pain do we engage in serious self-examination and embrace repentance and change. James can say,

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (Jas 1:2-4)

Trials are to be considered with "joy" because through trials come endurance, perfection, and our completion, so that we are mature and strong, "lacking in nothing." What James says, the Apostle Paul says as well,

We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; (Rom 5:3,4)

We "exult" in our "tribulations," as opposed to merely enduring them, because they produce perseverance, hope, and "proven character" (cf. 1 Pet 1:6ff).

Transformation through affliction does not occur automatically. Left to myself adversity undermines my faith. I begin to question God's power or His goodness. I become discouraged. I may abandon the cause of the gospel. I may seek an easier path. The Apostle Paul's salvation (considered as a process) takes place "through your prayers" and through "the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ." In the Greek, there is only one definite article for the two nouns, which indicates the two are intimately related. It is as if the Apostle Paul says, 'The prayers are the means of the provision.' In answer to prayer, the Spirit of Christ provides. What "provision" does He make? He gives grace. He gives strength for perseverance. He gives peace and joy. He supplies the needs of the servants of Christ. How? Through prayer.

We need each other's prayers. This is why we are careful in our public prayer to pray for forgiveness, sanctification, and our growth in Christ. We all depend upon the real contribution that those prayers make to our sanctification and perseverance. Christians cannot be private citizens of the kingdom of Christ, self-sustaining and independent of the rest of the Body. We are mutually dependent. I need your prayers and you need mine. Without Christ's provision, my trials will be embittering, not edifying; they will sour, not sanctify. Through our finite and flawed prayers, the infinite power of the Spirit of Christ comes to work sustaining, strengthening, and transforming us. With the prayers of the saints we are fortified rather than flounder; we grow stronger rather than grow disillusioned. The human prayers trigger the divine help even as the divine help enables the human response. Matthew Henry said,

Note, whatever turns to our salvation is by the supply or the aids and assistance of the Spirit of Christ; and prayer is the appointed means of fetching in that supply.³

Perseverance

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Phil 1:20)

Because for him, "to live is Christ," he also has confidence as he contemplates the day of judgment and the consummation of all things. His "earnest expectation," and "hope," two "soteriologically charged terms," as Silva puts it, ⁴ is that he "shall not be put to shame in anything" (cf. Rom 8:19,23). This last phrase is a citation of Isaiah 28:16, also echoed in Romans 9:33 and 10:11, having to do with acquittal on judgment day.

just as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." (Rom 9:33, ESV)

The Apostle John made a similar statement:

And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. (1 Jn 2:28)

His concern is not with being shamed before his peers or in a human court. He's not worried about what others might be thinking about him. The shame about which he is concerned "has nothing to do with public opinion but relates to his standing before God," O'Brien clarifies.⁵

Because of the prayers of the people and the provision of Christ, the Apostle Paul is confident that he will not falter or fail. He will persevere. He will remain faithful. He will not be "ashamed" or "disgraced" on the judgment day. Instead, he faces that day with "all boldness," or "full courage" (ESV), with confidence and assurance. Why? Because for the Apostle Paul, "to live is Christ." Consequently, Christ shall "be exalted in my body, whether by life or death." Whatever he confronts He will serve Christ "in a bold and uncompromising manner," whether he lives or whether he dies.⁶ For the Apostle, this is all that matters.

We can be confident of our perseverance and ultimate salvation. The Bible teaches assurance. It is not presumptuous to be certain of one's salvation even if, like the Apostle Paul, we face a very difficult future, a future full of persecution and even martyrdom. The Apostle John even teaches that assurance is the purpose behind his account of the gospel.

but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. (Jn 20:31)

He says a similar thing at the end of his first epistle.

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 Jn 5:13)

We can "know that (we) have eternal life" and not be guilty of the slightest presumption. We can be certain, not because of our personal virtues or religious achievements, but because of what Jesus has done on our behalf and what He promises. Jesus says,

"All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out." (Jn 6:37)

We "shall come" and we shall "not (be) cast out." We are safe, secure. Jesus says,

"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day." (Jn 6:39)

Jesus loses none of those who are His. All are raised up to life on the last day. Jesus says,

"No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day." (Jn 6:44)

Again, those who are drawn to Christ by the Father and come to Him will be raised up in the end. Jesus says,

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." (Jn 10:27-29)

Could we possibly be safer than this, wrapped as we are in the hands of both the Son and the Father? The Apostle Paul asks,

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Rom 8:35)

He answers,

"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." (Rom 8:37)

He continues,

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created  thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38,39)

We can contemplate death, judgment, eternity, and the consummation of all things with "eager expectation and hope." We need not fear being "put to shame." We can be sure that "Christ shall . . . be exalted . . . whether by life or by death." He never meant for us eternity with fear of the unknown. He gives us assurance and boldness both in life and in eternity. No, this is not presumption. It is trust in the promises of God and power of Christ, who guarantee that "He who began a good work in you, will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil 1:6).

Confidence in Death

Finally, we find that the Apostle Paul is confident in death.

      For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil 1:21)

Death, then, is not some dark unknown only to be contemplated with fear. Confidence in perseverance translates into comfort in the face of death. Death means more of Christ and so means gain. "Death was only entrance into Christ's nearer presence," says Lightfoot. "For then my union with Christ will be more completely realized."⁷ Death is merely a change of address. Our conscious selves merely move from this world to the next. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:6-8). This is where the contrast between the believing world and the world of the unbelieving becomes most pointed. One has not seen despair until one has attended the funeral of the unbelieving. As a newly ordained young minister I was asked by a funeral home director to conduct a service for a family with no church home. I was happy to serve them in any way I could. I was shocked, however, by the depth of their despair. As far as they were concerned, their dead young family member had stepped into oblivion about which nothing could be known. They despaired of ever having any contact with him again. The loss was absolute, the chasm unbridgeable. But the Christian dies as he lives. Because he lives for Christ he gains in death, because death brings more of Christ. We receive more of the bread of life that satisfies the hunger and quenches the thirst of the soul (Jn 6:35). We enter into a more complete rest for our souls in Him (Mt 11:28,29). Now we "know in part" (1 Cor 13:9,12). Upon death we enjoy Christ in His fullness. The Apostle Paul is not sure which he'd rather do, live or die.

But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. (Phil 1:22)

For him it's a toss up. "I do not know which to do."

But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; (Phil 1:23)

He is "hard pressed" in both directions. There are important considerations on both sides of the question. He does not fear death. He is not fleeing from death. He welcomes it. It is indeed, for him, the better option. Listen to him again:

      . . . to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; (Phil 1:23b)

Death is not just better. It is "very much better." Is God not the source of all good, all beauty, and of all that delights and pleases the soul? In other words, are not the greatest goods, beauties and pleasures in this world but distant echoes of that which is to be found in God? What He creates cannot be more beautiful, more delightful, more pleasing than He is Himself. To die is gain. In the present world every picnic has its ants; every silver lining has its dark cloud; every meal has its broccoli; every relationship has its turmoil. The world at its best is deeply flawed, corrupt, and incomplete, and leaves us longing and melancholy. The next world is one in which all tears are dried and all sorrow and suffering cease and all things are made new (Rev 21:1ff). The next world is a better world. In that world, opened to us by Christ Jesus, there will be no more relational turmoil, no more vocational struggle, no more physical sickness, no more emotional stress, no more temptation, no more persecution, no more conflict, no more pain, and no more trouble. The ransomed of the Lord will shout joyfully; "everlasting joy will be upon their heads; they will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away" (Is 35:10).

Jesus utterly transforms the experience of death for ourselves and for our loved ones who die in the Lord before us. Jesus says,

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies," (Jn 11:25)

Because we believe in "the resurrection and the life," we "shall never die." Of course we die, but it's as though we don't. Death has lost its sting (1 Cor 15:55). We live on, and live on in the perfected world of which this world is but a shadow. So we say again: death becomes a mere transfer of address, a change of location, a passage of consciousness from this world into the presence of Christ, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8). This is the glory of the Christian religion.

Death has been conquered. We enter into "the death of death in the death of Christ," as John Owens, the greatest of the Puritan theologians, put it. Still we miss our loved ones because they have left us. Still we dread the dissolution of our body and soul, since it is unnatural and a judgment of God upon sin. But no longer are we in bondage to its fear (Heb 2:14). We anticipate, instead, a better world, and a reunion with our loved ones in the Lord who have gone before us (1 Thess 4:17).

Purpose

Finally, "to live is Christ" is our comprehensive purpose in life and death.

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." "To live is Christ" means "life is Christ." It means, "living has no meaning apart from Christ."⁸ Everything about life is to Christ and for Christ and of Christ. Barclay points out that for the Apostle Paul, Christ was the beginning of life (on the Damascus road), the continuing of life, the end of life, the inspiration of life, the task of life, the strength of life, and the reward of life. "If Christ were to be taken out of life," says Barclay, "for Paul there would be nothing left in life. To him Christ was nothing less than life itself."⁹ Matthew Henry adds, "The glory of Christ ought to be the end of our life, the grace of Christ the principle of our life, and the word of Christ the rule of it."¹⁰

This is why he wrestles at all between life (and what purpose he can serve) and death (the better option) as he does in verses 22-26. Death and life in eternity with Christ is better. Yet,

. . . if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. (Phil 1:22)

If he can provide "fruitful labor," he's willing to remain in this world. The possibility of making a valuable contribution to the progress of the gospel is compelling for the Apostle Paul. He is willing to stay and help, though he'd rather leave.

But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; (Phil 1:23)

"Depart" conjures up some interesting imagery. It's used of pulling up tent pegs and breaking camp, recalling for the Jew the journey from Egypt into the Promised Land.

And yet, and yet, and yet . . .

      yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. (Phil 1:24)

If fruitful, necessary, beneficial work can be done, he's willing to stay and do it.

Matthew Henry comments, "Paul's strait was not between living in this world and living in heaven; between those two there is no comparison: but his strait was between serving Christ in this world and enjoying Him in another."¹¹

In the end he is convinced that he will remain, essentially for three reasons.

First, for the sake of their "progress" in Christ.

And convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, (Phil 1:25)

Second, for the sake of their joy. "Your progress and joy," he says. Their joy is an important consideration for the Apostle Paul.

Third, for the sake of the glory of Christ.

so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. (Phil 1:26)

This last phase is yet another way of summarizing the Apostle Paul's philosophy of life and death. Silva says the words "in me" should be rendered "through my ministry," the whole meaning, "your glorying in Christ will abound through my ministry."¹² The glory is to Christ, as in verse 11. This is his aim, his goal, his ambition, his life. To live is Christ. Because it is, death brings only gain.

Let us then lift our eyes to this higher purpose in life. All that we say and do is to be dedicated to the glory of Christ. Whatever our vocations, from ditch-diggers to corporate executives, we labor not for wealth, fame, or power, but "it is the Lord Christ whom you serve," so do your work heartily (Col 3:23). Whatever our leisure pursuits, whether sports, exercise, eating, drinking, sight-seeing, "whether we eat or drink whatever (we) do, we do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31). We aim at Christ's glory now, that we might enjoy the fullness of Christ's presence then.

"To Live is Christ 1-3" Sermons 5-7 of Philippians / Philippians 1:19-26 / Feb 22, Mar 1 & 15, 2009