To Live is Messiah, to Die is Gain
1: 21-26
To live is Messiah, to die is gain DIG: What is Paul’s dilemma in these verses? What does it mean in verse 21? Why was Paul unsure of his desire to stay in this life or go to be with the Lord? Who was Paul dedicated to ministering to? Who are you ministering to this week?
REFLECT: “For me to live is ________?” Given your priorities and schedule this week, how would you honestly fill in the blank? What would change for you to fill it in with “Messiah?” Do you sometimes struggle between your personal feelings and your commitment to ministry?
Because Paul was not sure of the Lord’s will in the matter, he was not sure of his own will.
With the well-known words of verse 21, Paul’s reflection on his current situation (to see link click Ao – Paul’s Chains) takes a considerable turn. Up to this point, his primary concern has been with the advancement of the Gospel through his imprisonment and Messiah being glorified through his trial. Now he turns to purely personal reflection, but reflection of a different kind from what one might expect following verses 19-20 (see Ap – Paul’s Critics). Although the apostle assumed he would go free, the final words of verse 20 raised the possibility of execution. What he sets out to explain is his desire for Messiah to be glorified even if the verdict were to go against him. Picking up on the final words of verse 20, whether through life or through death, he vows that since Messiah is the passion for life, he wins in either case, whether released or executed.48
The Greek phrase rendered to live is Messiah and to die is gain (1:21 Greek) contains no verb. It literally reads to live as Messiah, to die gain. Paul knew the living is Messiah, because he would continue to serve Him while he lived. As he explained to the congregations throughout Galatia: My old self has been crucified with Messiah. It is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20 NLT). But he also knew that dying would be gain because then he would be in the presence of ADONAI, able to worship Him in holy perfection (see verses 23). The apostle fully understood that wealth, power, influence, possessions, prestige, social standing, good health, business or professional success, and all other such things are fleeting. Many acknowledge that truth, but not many live as if it is true. Few can say with Paul’s complete sincerity: For to me, to live is Messiah, to die is gain.
But if I live, I can do more ministry for Messiah (1:22a NLT). Adoniram Johnson was the first overseas missionary sent out from America. In the early nineteenth century, he and his first wife went to India and, a short while later, to Burma, where he labored for nearly four decades. After fourteen years, he had a handful of converts and managed to write a Burmese grammar. During that time he suffered a horrible imprisonment for a year-and-a-half and lost his wife and children to disease. Like Paul, he longed to be with the Lord, but, also like the apostle, he considered his work for God to be much more important than his personal longings. He therefore prayed that the Lord would allow him to live long enough to translate the entire Bible into Burmese and to establish a church there of at least one-hundred believers. God granted that request and also allowed him to compile Burmese-English and English-Burmese dictionaries, which became invaluable to the Christian workers, both foreign and Burmese, who followed him. He wrote, “If I had not felt certain that every trial was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my many sufferings.”
Part of spiritual greatness is to know Messiah intimately and long to be with Him. But spiritual greatness also includes being totally committed to the advancement of the Kingdom of God and serving Yeshua on earth. Every believer lives with this tension. But Paul did not escape that dilemma, which he expressed so honestly.
So I really don’t know which is better (1:22b NLT). The word know (Greek: gnorizo) is used twenty-seven times in the New Testament, over half of those times by Paul. It is used of revealing something that was previously unknown, whether by the Lord to men (as in Luke 2:15; John 15:15; Romans 9:22-23), or by men to other men (as in Acts 7:13; Second Corinthians 8:1; Ephesians 6:19 and 21). Paul’s point seems to be that he had not yet decided which was better because ADONAI had not yet revealed to him which was better. Because he was not sure of the Lord’s will in the matter, he was not sure of his own will.49
Here, Paul is laying bare his soul and frankly admitting that I am torn between the two desires: I long to go and be with Messiah, which would be far better for me (1:23 NLT). He acknowledges feeling a tension – a trying, and perhaps an almost unbearable tension – between his personal desire and his duty as an apostle. The phrase: I am torn between (Greek: synechomai), is used of personal feelings, and indicates at the very least the idea of constraint (Second Corinthians 5:14), and at worst that of torment: in Luke 4:38 of suffering from a fever; in Luke 8:37 of being overcome by terror; in Luke 12:50 of Yeshua’s distress as he anticipates His suffering on the cross. Although we cannot import the meaning of these references to Philippians, we surely miss the real importance of this passage if we fail to see it as an echo of Paul’s mental state. The nature of Paul’s tension is described most briefly and powerfully in verse 21, words that have been spoken from the lips of the faithful down through the centuries: to live is Messiah and to die is gain.50
But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for Your sake (1:24 Greek). Paul’s choice is to remain alive because the Philippians need him. The apostle doesn’t ignore the needs of this world, but in recognizing the benefits to himself of the ‘olam haba (the world to come), he chooses to minister to others here in the ‘olam hazeh (this present age).51 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you [Philippians] grow and experience the joy of your faith (1:25). The apostle knew that the Philippians still needed him. It was not that he considered himself indispensable, but rather that he was convinced that his ministry to them was not yet complete. Because he had just expressed uncertainty about whether he would live or die, it seems that his being convinced reflected his personal conviction rather than a revelation from YHVH. Had God told him that he would not die until he had finished his work in the Philippian church, his living or dying would not have been an issue in his life.
As John MacArthur relates in his commentary on Philippians, Paul was convinced that the church still needed his teaching and leadership. Despite their maturity, love, and gentleness of spirit, the Philippians needed to exemplify more of their Lord’s humility (2:1-18). They needed to be on guard against false teachers (see Bf – Paul’s Opponents), to observe Paul’s example, and to oppose the cross of Messiah (3:18). At least two members of the congregation needed to learn to settle their disagreement (see Bl – Live in Harmony). Some, perhaps many, were troubled by anxiety, so Paul had told them: Don’t be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (4:6). In addition to those things, they needed to continually keep their focus on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things (4:8).52
So that when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to boast in Messiah Yeshua because of what He is doing through me (1:26 Greek). Paul looked forward to physically returning to Philippi to personally teach and disciple believers to grow more mature in faith. The apostle spoke earlier about how lives were changed by his imprisonment, with the result that the believers in Rome were being strengthened in their faith through the witness of Paul’s life and his willingness to suffer for Messiah. Essentially, Paul argues that his return to Philippi would demonstrate God’s power, build up their faith, and give them reason for boasting in ADONAI’s ability to answer prayer.53 No circumstances, however severe, could steal Paul’s joy. Nothing could diminish his enthusiasm for the ministry. Nothing could keep him from always doing the Lord’s work as vigorously as [he could], [because he knew] that united with the Lord [his] effort [was] not in vain (15:58). May you find the joy and freedom of serving the great cause of Messiah’s glory, so that you can truthfully say in your own heart: to live is Messiah and to die is gain.
Dear heavenly Father, praise You that when life gets hard, I can trust You with absolute certainty that death will be gain! What comfort to know that trusting in Messiah as Lord and Savior will not bring shame but will bring joy and peace – that is, the word of faith that we are proclaiming: For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:8b-11). You not only redeemed for Yourself a people at a great cost (Hebrews 12:2); but You also have promised to reward those who believe in You. When focused on the joy of eternity with You, it makes death into a stepping stone to joy, not to be dreaded because it is swallowed up in victory (First Corinthians 15:54c). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and the power of His resurrection. Amen
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