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19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ~ Philippians 1:19-24
In every chapter in this book of Philippians, there is a joy stealer. In every chapter there is a unique feature of the Lord Jesus accentuated. You guessed it, the unique feature of the Lord counteracts that which would naturally rob us of our joy. The joy stealer in Philippians 1 is our prisons. Our prisons can be a variety of things, they are anything which would rob us of our joy in the Lord.
The Apostle Paul reminds the Philippians in v.18, despite the fact that he is in prison, he will rejoice because the Gospel was being proclaimed. He tells them in v.19-20, he will continue to rejoice. He explains the reason for his ongoing disposition in v.19-20. He is continuing to rejoice because Christ literally will be “exalted.” His source of joy, once again, is the fact that the Gospel of Christ is being preached. And, he recognizes that those things in life which happen to us which would daunt our progress in the faith are useful to God for the advancement of a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus.
In spite of all of the difficulty the Apostle Paul encountered, he never lost his joy. He summed it up in 2 Corinthians 6:10, where he says, “Sorrowing yet always rejoicing.” The worst the circumstances, the greater the joy. This is so because as our circumstances begin to collapse around us, we are pushed into deeper trust of the Lord Jesus. The soil of our faith is broken and turned up, and we begin to extract our joy out of our relationship with the Lord. It really is His joy. When our conditions are negative and difficult and burdensome and troublesome and we have anxiety, it presses us in to the joy of faith in Him.
The joy of the Lord contains in it a confidence that is given to the believer who accesses His joy. This joy is accessed by the bowing of our will to His will. This is the same note of confidence that breathed so strongly in those five young men who went down in Ecuador in 1954 to laid down their lives under the spears of the Auca Indians. Here is a link to the trailer for the movie which chronicled those events.
Even though there was fear in their contemplation of the savage unknown, and though they realized anything could happen, and they went in with a great deal of fear and uncertainty, nevertheless they had a confidence that regardless of what happened, whether they lived or died, Christ would be exalted. It was the joy of the Lord that led those young missionaries to run that risk.
In v.21, we discover the unique feature of the Lord Jesus: His life. Paul writes, "For to me, to live is Christ." This is the key throughout all of Scriptures, the life of God in the life of a man or woman. This is the “salvation” that Paul expects in v.20. It is not his release from prison. It is the exaltation of the life of Christ in his life. You see, when Christ's life becomes our life our prisons become our pulpits.
The Apostle Paul knows that what has happened to him will turn out for his salvation that Christ will be exalted. This will happen as the prayers of the Philippians and the subsequent provision of the Spirit strengthen him so that he trusts God and courageously defends the Gospel. Thus, Christ will be exalted in his body, whether he lives or dies.
The verb “exalted” means “to make large” or “to magnify.” When Christ is exalted, He is shown to be large and seen to be large. His magnificence is revealed and becomes evident.
It’s important to note that v.21 begins with the word “For.” Paul is explaining how Christ will be exalted in his body. His explanation is offered in two lines that are succinct in their poetic structure. He says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Transliterated, it looks like this: to live Christ, to die gain. There is no verb, demonstrating clarity of purpose.
The Apostle Paul goes on to explain what this means in v.22-24. “To live Christ” means fruitful labor. The fruit is the Philippians’ and his “progress and joy in the faith.” “To die gain” means departing and being with Christ. Paul expected to gain Christ in death which means being with Christ on earth or in heaven. This anticipated joy is defining the Apostle.
Finally, notice in v.23 the Christian view of death. In just two words, "with Christ," it is summed up. Facing the possibility of death does not mean we are tired of life on this earth, it translates into a deeper companionship with Him. This is what makes life worth living, a deeper intimacy with Him.
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