COMMENTARY ON PHILIPPIANS

LESSON #12

T E X T

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

INTRODUCTION

In his introduction, Paul has focused our attention on the Kingdom of God. He views the Philippians as “saints in Jesus Christ” (1:1), and prays that grace and peace from God will be their portion (1:2). His recollection of them reaches its apex when he is in prayer (1:3-4). His association with them was one of joy, because of their participation in the Gospel. From the very first, they had taken hold of the truth of the Gospel, and joined Paul in the journey to glory (1:5). The Apostle expresses his confidence that the good work God has begun in them will be performed “until the day of Christ”(1:6). How glorious to be a church that can be addressed like this!

To people like this, Paul can speak freely about his condition. He can divulge the glories of suffering with Christ, and the confidence that everything will turn out to his salvation. These people can receive this truth. He even goes so far as to share what personally motivates him – and it is lofty! The Apostle is confidently casting his pearls before these people.

HAVING THE RIGHT EXPECTATION

“ . . .according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death” (NKJV). What is to be EXPECTED by those in Christ–i.e., eagerly anticipated? Our adversary would have us expect unfettered life in this world–a life without setbacks, hindrances, or heartache. Those entertaining such notions are easily discouraged by hardship and sorrow, often drawing back from the Lord because of such things. But this is not the posture of faith.

We catch a glimpse of the heart of Paul in this statement of what he is earnestly expecting. Here he defines his “hope,” or what constrained and motivated him. Here we see what compelled Paul to do live, and respond to life, as he did. He gives both a negative and a positive view: what he is confident will NOT happen, and what he is persuaded WILL happen. These are not impersonal expectations, but reflect the fervent longings of his heart.

In nothing ashamed. Is this not a noble ambition? He is speaking of shame before the Lord. He looks to the end--the consummation of all things--and says he expects NOT to be ashamed. It is the peculiar prerogative of faith to bring this to pass. As it is written, “For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me” (Isa 49:23), and “whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Rom 9:33; 10:11). In the end, no person who has lived for, and relied upon, Jesus will be embarrassed, humiliated, or mocked. The knowledge of this reality sustained Paul in difficulty.

The fact that he says “in nothing” shows how thoroughly he lived for the Lord. He had abandoned personal interests to take hold of Divine purpose. He allowed nothing to dominate his life that was unrelated to life in Christ. We do well to maintain such a frame of spirit (Phil 3:15-16).

That Christ may be magnified. Flesh seeks self-exaltation. Spirit seeks for Jesus to become eminent. Mind you, Jesus exists and IS exalted above all. That is His current status. Paul, however, lived so this would become conspicuous. When Christ is “magnified,” He is exalted, drawing attention to Himself. But notice how Paul says this is accomplished: “in my body.”Showing this to be his consistent desire, he adds “now as always” (NASB). In beholding Paul’s condition, and response to it, attention was actually drawn to the Lord Jesus! His light was shining “before men” (Matt 5;16). Some might prefer Christ to be exalted through a great sign or wonder, or some historical event. Paul was confident it would occur in his “body.”

The means through which Christ would gain prominence were incidental. Whether in living or in dying, Paul wanted the attention to be drawn to Christ. Living well and dying well require Divine power. They require personal determination as well. The key ingredient here, however, is confidence–an“earnest expectation.” How God-glorifying it is when we exude a confidence like this: fully persuaded that Jesus will be perceptibly elevated by our living and our dying.

The manner in which we live, and the manner in which we die, is helped along by the prayers of our brethren, and supplies given by the Holy Spirit!

THE PERSONAL VIEW OF PAUL

“For to me” (KJV). When Paul says, “For to me,” he is not stating a mere opinion, or a private view. Rather, he is affirming his faith–declaring what he has been given to see through the grace of God. This is an important thing to see. He is, as Peter would say, giving us a reason “for the hope that is in him” (1 Pet 3:15). This is involved in the “profession” or “confession,”as used in the book of Hebrews. “ . . .consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus . . . let us hold fast our profession . . . Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering” (Heb 3:1; 4:14; 10:23, KJV). More recent versions use the word “confession.” This is anacknowledgment of a deeply rooted motivation.

Often men voice opinions about issues that are of little concern to them. Such things are not matters of life and death, nor are they primary incentives in their lives. Thus they entertain views about everything from politics to religion, and athletics to customs. But their lives are not shaped around these opinions. They are not an ideology or solid conviction. Let it be clear, when Paul says “For to me,” i.e., “As far as I am concerned,” he is speaking of the impetus of his life–the conviction that constrained him to do everything he did. This conviction was to his life what the heart is to the body.

He did not share with the Philippians what he thought about the government of the day (Rome), or the particular one ruling at that time (Nero). His view of the family, general social trends, or the comments of great philosophers, did not lie at the root of his thinking. None of those matters were large enough to touch every border of life. Small thinking, you must concede, makes small people!

Paul now takes an overview of life. He scans the horizon of life in this world and tells us what he sees. He rises high, where daily difficulties become small, and circumstance is incidental. He soars above the realm where men have undue concern about what they eat and drink, and how they are clothed. As a soaring eagle, he views life from the heavenly realms. He is going to tell us how it is to live with eternity in view. He will share the effect of regeneration upon life’s motivation. Life is seen through the eyes of faith, and from within the domain of good hope and everlasting consolation.

It is good for us to consider our own view of life. What really motivates us? What is your perception of living and dying? You will at once notice how different this approach is to that of the contemporary church member. Most people appear to be stimulated more by what they will receive in this world. For them, time is the real boundary line. They do not consider things before time, nor are they disposed to contemplate realities enduring beyond time. Such approaches to living are not of God, and have no place in the body of Christ. Let it be clear, Paul’s confession is the manner of the Kingdom. His was not an isolated view, but one common to all who are in Christ Jesus.

Since we have been “illuminated” (Heb 10:32), we see life differently. When asked to give a “reason for the hope that is in us,” we rise beyond the realm of time. We are constrained by the consideration of eternal verities– things that lie outside of ourselves, but with which we are now aligned.

LIVING IS CHRIST

“ . . .to live is Christ . . . ” (KJV). Here Paul strikes at the very heart of true and “pure religion” (James 1:27). The Apostle now explains why he is content to either live or die. He sees advantage in both of them. In life he gains benefit, as well as in death. This is triumphant language. Again, it is the norm of the Kingdom. This is the way in which regenerative life speaks.

What a remarkable statement! He does not say living is “for Christ,” but that it “IS Christ.” The phrase “for me to live is Christ” equates with the Psalmist’s expression “my Portion” (Psa 73:26; 119:57; 142:5). Jeremiah also affirmed this when he said, “The LORD is my portion” (Lam 3:24). These expressions mean more than the Lord being the REASON for living–although that is surely the case. It is more broad than living to PLEASE the Lord, i.e., obeying His commands and seeking to do His will. Paul is saying Christ is expressing Himself through him–living His exalted life in and through the Apostle.

Elsewhere the Apostle confessed, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). This is a remarkable circumstance. It is nothing less than the result of seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 6:33). Christ was “dwelling” in his heart “by faith” (Eph 3:17). This condition dwarfed all outward circumstance, reducing it to relative insignificance. Paul’s eyes were consistently upward.

See this yet another way. Christ being our life involves bringing “every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor 10:5, RSV). In this case, the intellectual life is so wrapped up in Christ that plans and hopes center in Him, and Him alone. As with Jesus, one’s “meat,” or source of nourishment and satisfaction, is to “do the will” of God, and to “finish” the work He has given us to do (John 4:24). It is a tragedy that within the professed church this noble frame of spirit is so rare. Too often we confront religious leaders who “seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:21, NASB).

By saying, “For me to live is Christ,” the Apostle expressed his oneness with Christ. To him, being “joined to the Lord” (1 Cor 6:17) was more than a legal transaction. Not only did he feel at home in Jesus, Jesus was at home in him. Having taken up His “abode” with Paul, Jesus was making Himself known to and through him (John 14:21,23). His was a life of participation in the Divine nature (2 Pet 1:4). In an inspiring expression of this truth, Paul said he would not “speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit” (Rom 15:18-20, NASB). For him to live was “CHRIST!”

In our own measure, each of us can experience this–Christ living out His life in us. The most prodigious mind has not touched the hem of this garment! The degree to which Christ can live in us has yet to be plumbed. There is a vast world of possibility available to every believer–a world that is both effective and gratifying to the human spirit. It is found in our alliance with the Lord Jesus. It is realized when Divine purposes are fulfilled in us. Our wills are thus swallowed up by His will, and it is glorious!

HAVING THE RIGHT EXPECTATION

The manner in which we live, and the manner in which we die, is helped along by the prayers of our brethren, and supplies given by the Holy Spirit!