To Live Is Christ

A “letter of friendship” (Fee, 2).
“Paul’s happiest letter” (Peterson, 1619).

With phrases such as these biblical scholars refer to the New Testament correspondence known as Philippians. Throughout the next few weeks, we will focus on this friendly, happy, and pastoral letter from Paul to the first century believers living their everyday, ordinary lives in the Greek town of Philippi.

Paul wrote the letter around the year 60. As we prepare to read from Philippians we do well, first, to familiarize ourselves with events that occurred approximately a decade prior to the writing of the epistle. Luke, the writer of Acts and the traveling companion of Paul provides the details.

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Acts 16:9-15 (NIV)
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Four devout men of faith (Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke), led by Paul’s God-sent vision, traveled to Philippi and taught the truth of the gospel. This was during Paul’s second missionary journey. Among the first hearers - who were women - Lydia eagerly responded.

Acts 16:14c (NIV)
One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

To her conversion and baptism, she added faithfulness. With her gift of persuasion that served her well as a businesswoman in sales, she convinced the men to use her house as a home in which the first European church would be birthed.

If we continued to read in Acts 16, we would discover that the next conversions Luke recorded were those of a demon-possessed female slave and a Roman jailer along with his family.

Do not miss the identity of the founding members of the church in Philippi - one a woman, Greek by birth; a woman freed from possession and slavery; and a jailer in the service of the pagan empire of Rome. Only God can do such a wonderful work! At the start of chapter seventeen Luke informs his readers that Paul and his companions left Philippi to continue spreading the gospel. There the use of the pronoun “we” changes to “they.” Heeding grammar, we learn that Luke stayed behind. We surmise he remained to shepherd the young church.
    
We gather from Paul’s decade-later letter that Lydia, the jailer, and Luke led well as God grew the Macedonian church. We turn now to that letter.

Philippians 1:1-11 (NIV)
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Within those introductory words you hear the friendship and happiness to which scholars refer. You also hear Paul’s vulnerability. Paul, the counter of joy in all things, bares his soul. He reminds the believers of his prayers for, devotion to, and love for them. Let us focus on the connections between his devotion and love with his prayers. Paul prays for the Philippians for reasons.

Reasons Paul Prays
1) Paul loves them.

Philippians 1:7 (NIV)
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.

2) Paul recognizes them as partners.

Philippians 1:3-5 (NIV)
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

While Paul, in his letters, will often refer to his readers as children, he does so out of love and a healthy sense of pride. He did not view them as inferior, but rather as servants on par. Imagine their joy in being referred to as partners in ministry with Paul.

3) Paul prays from Christ’s love.

Philippians 1:8 (NIV)
God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

As John wrote, “we love because [Christ] first loved us.”

For those reasons Paul prays. He shares the substance of his prayers.

Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Work backward through those verses with me.

1. Paul’s prayer asks for outcomes that result, ultimately, in glory and praise to God.
   
2. Paul’s prayer would be visibly observed as answered if and when the believers grew in discernment and bore the fruit of righteousness.
   
3. All of that would occur when the believers grew in their love.
   

What does it mean to grow in their love? By that, Paul meant a love based in knowledge and insight. Here’s a bit of what he meant.

1) Uneducated love decomposes quickly.
Take a marriage as an example. After the “honeymoon period” husbands and wives learn more and more about their spouse—even the annoying things. Love based in knowledge loves “for better or for worse.” Love based on feeling alone crumbles. What is true in marriages is also true in relationships within the church. We love each other even though we know each other.

2) Educated love produces insight.
Knowledge is gained information. Wisdom is using that information appropriately.

Paul truly loved the Philippians.

The knowledge of his love for them aids our understanding of the next section of verses.

Philippians 1:12-26 (NIV)
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 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. 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. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 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! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Paul’s love for the people allowed him to focus on the theme of central importance.

Philippians 1:18 (NIV)
But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Because Paul loved the people his main concern was that they heard the gospel. He, even though he recognized the self-serving nature of some others’ preaching, rejoiced that they preached the gospel.

Paul’s love for the people allowed him to maintain a desire for life even though he preferred the opportunity to rest from all his struggles in death.

Philippians 1:21-26 (NIV)
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 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! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

He knew his was a win/win situation. In life and likewise in death he would win. His confidence in that fact fueled his obedience to his Lord. Come what may, Paul would be ready and faithful.

Verse twenty-one is a piece of knowledge upon which we do well to focus as we conclude this post. As I said previously, wisdom is using knowledge appropriately. Here’s my question for you. Do you know that to live or die is a win/win situation?

Listen to a reminder from Gordon Fee . . .

Death, after all, because it is “ours” in Christ Jesus has thereby lost its sting. It should go without saying that such a statement has meaning only for one to whom faith is a vibrant, living reality. Otherwise death is loss, or “gain” only in the sense of escape. (142)

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

If you live for Christ even your death will be gain. If, on the other hand, you live without Christ, your death will be loss.

Do you live for Christ?

If yes, then rejoice in your win/win situation.

If no, then call upon Christ and accept His forgiveness. Call Him Lord today.       

#ordinarylives                                                                     

For further reading:
Fee, Gordan D. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1995.
Peterson, Eugene. The Message. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2005.