Paul’s letter to the Philippians is considered one of the undisputed letters of the apostle. He writes this letter from prison and is potentially facing execution for the Gospel. And yet even though he appears to be in a lose-lose situation, Paul shows us how we as Christians have the opportunity to see anything as a win-win.
In Philippians 1:21, St. Paul writes, “For me, to live is Christ and death is gain.” Those first words, “For me,” indicate the fact that Paul is opening himself up in a very personal way. The previous verses involved Paul writing about his imprisonment and all the good things that God had been doing. But Gerald Hawthorne writes in Word Biblical Commentary (Vol. 43): Philippians that starting in verse 21, “Paul then permits the Philippians to have a unique look into his own inner-most being…” (Hawthorne 1983, 55). In this passage, Paul explains to the Philippians how he is caught between two choices: to keep on serving the people in life or going to Christ in death (Hawthorne 1983, 44).
When he writes that “to live is Christ,” he is saying that “Christ and Christ alone gives inspiration, direction, meaning and purpose to existence.” (Hawthorne 1983, 45) Saying that death is a gain has its parallels to other ancient writers like Sophocles, Euripides, and Plato where they express “a very human and universal sentient: death is a gain to those whose life has become weighed down with well-nigh unbearable burdens.” (Hawthorne 1983, 45) However, Paul’s statement is different, because his gain is not simply a running away from suffering, but a running towards Christ. Hawthorne writes, “Life which is Christ is thus not destroyed by death; it is only increased and enriched by death…” (Hawthorne 1983, 46)
In verse 22, Paul writes that “If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose.” Hawthorne points out that even though Paul sometimes uses “flesh” in a negative sense, here it simply means a continued bodily existence (Hawthorne 1983, 47). This means that as long as Paul continues to live in this world, he will do the work of spreading the Gospel. But Hawthorne also points out that when Paul writes “I don’t know…” that this is better translated as “‘I dare not reveal’ my preference..[or] ‘I cannot tell’ what I would choose.” (Hawthorne 1983, 47) Paul is not claiming dealing here with the realm of some divine revelation. Instead, he is expressing how he will not choose either option.
In verses 23-24, he says, “I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ [for] that is far better.” This description of being caught is found in other places in Scripture. It can “describe a person who is hemmed in on both sides so that he has no room to move (Luke 8:45), or a city encircled by enemies who are closing in on it from every side (Luke 19:43).” (Hawthorne 1983, 47) Paul feels an immense amount of inner anguish over being pulled in either direction. When he describes death here, he does not say that he wishes to be martyred. Instead he uses the phrase “to depart,” which could be a reference to Israel’s Exodus or a ship released to set sail (Hawthorne 1983, 48). But grammatically, Paul links “depart this life” and “be with Christ,” as two linked ideas. As Hawthorne points out “He makes the two infinitives share one article in Greek… thus binding the two together.” (Hawthorne 1983, 48)
Paul ends this section by writing. “And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.” (Philippians 1:25-26) Here Paul expresses his confidence that because the Philippians have need of him, he has confidence of his continued living (Hawthorne 1983, 51-52). Hawthorne makes clear that is not Paul making a choice, since he was caught between the two. Instead Hawthorne writes that “Paul did not make the choice – he could not make the choice. God made it for him.” (Hawthorne 1983, 52)
Thus, Paul resolves the problem of his inner anguish by surrendering to the will of God.
This gives us an important lesson even in the face of death: surrender to God is our ultimate calling. Whatever God has in store for me, I must have faith that His plan is greater than my own. This is not always easy, especially in days of suffering and loss. That is why those like Paul show us the way. Even in their suffering and sadness, they can reach to us through the centuries and comfort us in our sorrow with the joy of Christ. And the joy of Christ is this:
To live is Christ and death is gain.
Copyright 2025, WL Grayson
W.L. Grayson
I am a devoutly Catholic theology teacher who loves a popular culture that often, quite frankly, hates me. I grew up absorbing every movie, TV show, comic book, science fiction novel, etc. I could find. As of today I’ve watched over 2100 movies and tv shows. They take up a huge part of my life. I don’t know that this is a good thing, but it has given me a common vocabulary to draw from in order to illustrate whatever theological point I make in class. I’ve used American Pie the song to explain the Book of Revelation (I’ll post on this some time later) and American Pie the movie to help explain Eucharist (don’t ask). The point is that the popular culture is popular for a reason. It is woven into the fabric of our lives and imaginations, for good or ill. In this blog I will attempt to bring together the things of heaven with the things of earth. Of course this goal may be too lofty for someone like me.
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