Today's blog is written by Martin Davids
To live is Christ to die is gain.
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
honoured 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 labour 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 you again. Only let your manner of life be worthy of
the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may
hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving
side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by
your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your
salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake
of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
(Philippians 1:18-30)
I heard the
story of an old man in hospital reaching his last few days. Upon noticing his happiness and calmness a
young nurse asked him “Are you not afraid to die?” Answering in a way that only
saintly old people can he said, “My dear I have walked with the Lord for 89
years. Why should I be afraid to now
meet him face to face?” These are the
words of a man who knew what Paul meant “To live is Christ to die is gain.”
The Dilemma.
Paul, was
facing a dilemma. On the one hand, to live would result in fruitful labour. On
the other hand, to die would mean being with Christ. For Paul, to live would
result in fruitful labour. In either case he was able to rejoice knowing that
the saints were praying for him. In verse 19 he writes, “…for I know that
through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn
out for my deliverance.”
The word
“deliverance” in this context does not mean release from prison, but rather
something far more important: when he hears the Father say “Well done, good and
faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over
much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).
Paul wanted to
be found faithful above all else, as is made clear in verse 20, “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 honoured in my body, whether by life
or by death.” Paul’s driving concern was not that he would be delivered from
house arrest, but that he would not be at all ashamed of anything by life or by
death. To this end, he fervently asked that the Philippians would pray for him.
To summarize Paul’s thinking, he said in verse 21, “For to me to live is
Christ, and to die is gain.” In fact, Paul put it this way in verse 22, “If I
am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me.” So, the first part
of the dilemma is to live because that would result in fruitful labour. And
second, to die would mean being with Christ. This is clear in the second part
of verse 21, “…and to die is gain.” That is why Paul went on to say in verse
23, “I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with
Christ, for that is far better.” So, the dilemma is to live so that there would
be fruitful labour for Christ or to die in order to be with Christ. How does
one decide what to do?
The Decision
Paul’s decision
was to remain, as he said in verse 24, “But to remain in the flesh is more
necessary on your account.” What is astonishing is that Paul’s decision was not
based on his own welfare or comfort, but on the opportunity to serve others. In
fact, Paul was imitating Jesus when he said in verse 25, “Convinced of this, I
know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in
the faith….” Paul’s ultimate goal for his Philippian disciples was for them to
grow and glory in Christ, as he said in verse 26, “…so that in me you may have
ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.”
The Christian’s Request
Look at Paul’s
request in verses 27-28. Paul was urging the Philippians to live in a way that
was consistent with their profession of faith. They were living in a Roman city
that put enormous pressure on Christians to conform to the Roman culture.
Nevertheless, they were to live like Christians and not like non-Christians.
We are under
the same pressure today and much more could be said about this, but for the
sake of brevity, let me simply ask you: is the manner of your life worthy of
the gospel of Christ? Do your family, neighbours, and colleagues know that you
are a Christian? If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be
enough evidence to convict you?
Summing it up.
How can we look
to these passages and find contentment?
How can I be content when I am going through trials and suffering right
now? I think we can do this by reminding
ourselves of the two things Paul tells us in verses 29-30. God has granted (the Greek comes from the
root word grace) that we not only believe but suffer. Just as God has gifted us with belief he has
likewise gifted us to suffer. Being a
Christian does not mean freedom from suffering for Christ. While many do not suffer
for Christ, many others do (particularly those Christians who live in countries
that persecute Christians). As one commentator writes, “The suffering that
comes to a Christian (as a Christian) is not a sign of God’s neglect but rather
a proof that grace is at work in his or her life.” So, let us be reminded that
living for Christ involves salvation and suffering.
Prayer for the day.
Father,
At the moment
things seems very bleak for our world.
We suffer under restrictions that have meant that many are fearful for
their livelihood while others worry about their health. There is the constant pressure of an
unbelieving world that is pressing upon us and upon our young people. Many of us feel that we would be better off
out of this world and though we long to see the day of your return, we are
aware that we have kingdom work to do.
Work in our families, with our friends and in the world. Help us to find contentment knowing that you
have called us to such a time and place that we are to be ‘fishers of
men’. When we suffer Lord, remind us
that if your precious Son suffered to save us, then we likewise must be willing
to suffer to be conformed to His likeness and image.
For it is in
His name we ask.
Amen.
Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash
No comments:
Post a Comment