Paul says of himself that it is all the same to him whether to remain in this world a while longer or to leave it. He is ready, following Christ's will, to choose what is better...
Paul says of himself that it is all the same to him whether to remain in this world a while longer or to leave it. He is ready, following Christ's will, to choose what is better for the ministry entrusted to him. The apostle himself would like to be released and be with Christ, but if it is more useful for his brothers that he continue his earthly path, he agrees to this as well.
Paul considers this attitude toward life and death normal and natural for a Christian, and he calls his Philippian brothers to look at life and death the same way he himself does. And that is no surprise: with the coming of Christ, much here really did change. And above all, the relation between our untransformed world and the Kingdom, which, in the Savior's words, "has drawn near," changed.
Previously, before the coming of Christ, death one way or another meant departure into the world of shadows, which in the Bible is called sheol (in Greek and Greek-language books the Greek analogue of sheol is mentioned, hades, from which, incidentally, comes the Russian word ad, "hell"). There were also, for example in Egypt or Greece, ideas about another kind of afterlife, but it is difficult to say exactly what stands behind them, what kind of spiritual experience. The idea of the world of shadows can be considered universal, common to humanity; in one form or another it exists among all peoples. There, in the world of shadows, there is no life, but only its pale likeness, which can be called life only with a great stretch.
Rather, it is a kind of existence between being and nonbeing, in which no memory of earthly life remains and self-awareness barely smolders. With the coming of Christ, however, everything changes. The process of the general resurrection begins already at the moment of the Savior's death on the cross; the first risen ones come out of the tombs precisely at this moment. And afterward it continues: sheol, the world of shadows, no longer exists in its former form, and if before death meant the final loss (until the coming of the Messiah) of the fullness of life, now it is only a boundary dividing the stages of the Christian's path.
The completion of earthly life means for a Christian only the beginning of a new one, and what it will be depends on how he has walked his earthly path. That is why the apostle says that for him there is no difference between life and death: he does not live according to his own will; his earthly path is determined by Christ's will, and therefore Christ Himself will also determine the moment when this path is completed. Such is the path of a Christian, and this is the very path Paul calls his Philippian brothers to walk.
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1:12 The things concerning me - My sufferings. Have fallen out rather to the furtherance, than, as you feared, the hinderance, of the gospel.
1:13 My bonds in Christ - Endured for his sake. Have been made manifest - Much taken notice of. In the whole palace - Of the Roman emperor.
1:14 And many - Who were before afraid. Trusting in the Lord through my bonds - When they observed my constancy, and safety not withstanding, are more bold.
1:15 Some indeed preach Christ out of contention - Envying St. Paul's success, and striving to hurt him thereby.Not sincerely - From a real desire to glorify God. But supposing - Though they were disappointed. To add more affliction to mybonds - By enraging the Romans against me.
1:16 See note ... Php 1:15
1:17 But the others out of love - To Christ and me. Knowing - Not barely, supposing. That I am set - Literally, I lie; yetstill going forward in his work. He remained at Rome as an ambassador in a place where he is employed on an important embassy.
1:18 In pretence - Under colour of propagating the gospel.In truth - With a real design so to do.
1:19 This shall turn to my salvation - Shall procure me an higher degree of glory. Through your prayer - Obtaining for me a larger supply of the Spirit.
1:20 As always - Since my call to the apostleship. In my body - however it may he disposed of. How that might be, he did not yet know. For the apostles did not know all things; particularly in things pertaining to themselves, they had room to exercise faith and patience.
1:21 To me to live is Christ - To know, to love, to follow Christ, is my life, my glory, my joy.
1:22 Here he begins to treat of the former clause of the preceding verse. Of the latter he treats, Php 2:17.But if I am to live is the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour - This is the fruit of my living longer, that I can labour more. Glorious labour! desirable fruit! in this view, long life is indeed a blessing. And what I should choose I know not - That is, if it were left to my choice.
1:23 To depart - Out of bonds, flesh, the world. And to be with Christ - In a nearer and fuller union. It is better to depart; it is far better to be with Christ.
1:25 I know - By a prophetic notice given him while he was writing this. That I shall continue some time longer with you - And doubtless he did see them after this confinement.
1:27 Only - Be careful for this, and nothing else. Stand fast in one spirit - With the most perfect unanimity. Striving together - With united strength and endeavours. For the faith of the gospel - For all the blessings revealed and promised therein.
1:28 Which - Namely, their being adversaries to the word of God, and to you the messengers of God. Is an evident token - That they are in the high road to perdition; and you, in theway of salvation.
1:29 For to you it is given - As a special token of God's love, and of your being in the way of salvation.
1:30 Having the same kind of conflict with your adversaries, which ye saw in me - When I was with you, Act 16:12, Act 16:19, etc