NOTES for Php 1:12-30

Speaking about his arrest and imprisonment, Paul views even them in terms of how much and in what way they can contribute to the task the apostle always considered most important for himself: witness (vv. 12-14). It is no longer entirely clear what Paul has in mind when he speaks of certain preachers who preach Christ "not sincerely," trying to worsen the situation of the imprisoned apostle (vv. 15-17). But whatever the case, Paul himself is not frightened by this: he thinks not about his own life, but only about witness, so his own situation concerns him little if the witness does not cease (vv. 18-20). And here before us, as can be seen, is not simply fearlessness in the face of death, the kind that distinguished martyrs for an idea. For the apostle, the Kingdom is not an idea, but a reality, and not the reality of some future that awaits a person after death, but the reality of the present in which he lives already here and now.

Paul says not figuratively but quite literally that his life is Christ, that he lives one life with Him, the life of the Kingdom, and therefore earthly life is for him neither more nor less valuable and important than the death that awaits everyone here. For the apostle, the question is only what is more needed and important to God: that he remain in the world, where further witness will be required of him, or that he be freed from earthly life in order to acquire the whole fullness of the life of the Kingdom and communion with Christ (vv. 21-26). Here Paul shows us a typical example of the Christian martyr, whom in early Christian times they called not martyrs but witnesses.

Christians are far from the only ones who know how to die for an idea. Christians died, and often die today, not for some new idea or new religion; they only give up that part of their life which their persecutors want to take from them, so as not to lose it entirely. Everyone who lives the life of the Kingdom understands that no one can take the Kingdom away from a person if that person does not renounce the Kingdom. And a Christian, agreeing to give up earthly life, thereby witnesses that he has something incomparably greater, that he has the Kingdom to which he bears witness. Then not only the Christian's life, but also his death, becomes witness.

What is witness to Christ? Who can be a witness? It usually seems self-evident to us that only a Christian, a person who follows Christ and is faithful to him, can be Christ's witness. But Paul, judging by the words of his letter, thinks otherwise. It turns out that Christ can also be preached "in pretense." What does the apostle mean when he speaks of "pretended" preaching? Judging by his own words, he is speaking of people who preach Christ in order to worsen his situation, in particular to discredit him before the authorities (v. 16). It would seem that such witness cannot be considered witness at all.

And yet Paul regards it precisely that way. He understands that even fierce denial, lies, and slander draw attention to the One to whom he himself bears witness. Of course, if Christianity were simply one more new religion, such scandalous notoriety could only harm it. But that is precisely the point: Christianity is not a religion at all. Christianity is life with Christ in his Kingdom. And this life speaks for itself. Here it no longer matters what draws a person to it: sincere searching or interest in various sensational facts.

The apostle is not concerned with how a person learns about Christ and the Kingdom, from whom and in what context he hears about the new life. Paul understands perfectly well that as soon as a person experiences this new life, he will immediately forget all the bad things he may have heard about it from people hostile to Christ and to the Kingdom. If the matter concerned a new teaching or a new religion, much would depend on people's attitude toward it. Every human word would either support this teaching or religion and strengthen it, or deny it and undermine it.

Paul knows from his own experience, as no one else does, that no person can take anything away from the Kingdom or add anything to it. Just as no person can diminish Christ or exalt him. All words spoken by a person about Christ and the Kingdom characterize only the speaker himself and determine only his own path. A path leading either to salvation or to ruin. Those who listen to the speaker make their own choice. And what they choose or reject is not someone else's words, but the salvation offered to them themselves.

At first glance the apostle's words may seem strange. Indeed, preaching Christ and the Kingdom is too important a matter to do it with impure motives. And how can a person be a genuine witness if inwardly he at least does not support what he is witnessing to?

But, as can be seen, witness truly can be different. In the biblical books there are examples of people far from the God of Abraham who nevertheless testified to His power or wisdom when they encountered the obvious. Apparently Paul too understands that if someone mentions Christ, if he cannot simply remain indifferently silent, then Christ has touched this person; and if so, his very reaction becomes witness, even if not always positive.

The enemies of Christ and the Kingdom, testifying to their hatred, prove the reality and power of what they hate. Hypocrites who attach themselves to the cause and try to make witness profitable for themselves thereby testify to the Kingdom as something on which one can try to parasitize; and even parasites choose objects for parasitism that can give them food. Of course, for such "witnesses" this kind of "witness" gives nothing; it only distances them from Christ and the Kingdom. But it attracts the attention of those who may look at Christ and the Kingdom quite differently, truly becoming a witness of which the "witnesses" themselves never even thought.

In these words of the apostle Paul the whole newness, the whole specific character of the Christian attitude toward life and death is expressed. In fact, the way we relate to death is entirely determined by our relation to life. If for us life is above all our biological existence, then we cling to it with all our strength, health becomes our god, and we fear nothing as much as death; this fear of death poisons every second of our being. If for us life is above all spiritual being, then the body becomes for us a constant brake on the path, a "prison of the spirit," and disembodiment, physical death, is perceived as the highest good, while bodily life here is perceived as an annoying and senseless delay.

For Christians the essence of life is union with Christ, which is realized already here and now, but continues no less after physical death. Therefore, on the one hand, life in this world is not meaningless and there is no desire to part with it as soon as possible, and on the other hand, there is no fear of death. Moreover, as Paul writes elsewhere, here it is "as though through a dim glass," and then "face to face" (see 1 Cor. 13:12); therefore death is gain, but not a gain of such a level that one must break off all the bonds, relationships, and ministries that make up the life of Christ in our life here. Then it is understandable that when we are sick, we pray for healing and seek treatment, but if death comes, we can accept it as "sister" (in the words of Francis of Assisi).

In these words of the apostle Paul, is expressed all the novelty, all the specificity of the Christian relation towards life and death. Effectively, because the way we behave towards death, is completely defined by our relation towards life.

If life for us is above all our biological existence, then we hang on to it with all strength, and health becomes our god, we are so afraid of nothing, like death; this death anxiety poisons every second of our being. If life for us is above all the spiritual being, the body becomes for us a constant brake on the road of the "darkness of the spirit ", and excarnation, the physical death is perceived as extremely good, and the physical life here below - as an annoying and absurd retention.

The purport of life for Christians is in union with Christ, which already comes true here and now, and continuous to a large extent after the physical death. That is why, on one hand, life is not absurd in this world and there is no desire to part from it as quick as possible, and on the other hand, there is no death anxiety. Furthermore, as Paul writes somewhere else, here is " a glass, darkly ", and after - "face to face" (see 1Cor. 13:12), that is why death is gain, but gain not of such a level, for which it is necessary to cut all links, relations and services constituting Christ's life in our life here below. It is then clear that, when we are sick, we pray for the cure and we undergo treatment, but if death comes, we can accept it as a "sister" (according to Francis of Assisi).

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.