Philippians 1:19-30
Christ Is All We Need: How Paul Faced Life, Suffering and Death - Philippians 1:19-30
Philippians 1:19-30 (NIVUK)
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 labour 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. 25 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, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved - and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Commentary
Revd. Mark Fletcher: Isn’t that stunning? There is a clarity to this that perhaps we don’t get to see most of the time in the busyness and the muddle of our lives. But in times of darkness, the light shines more clearly than ever. And Paul knows that when Christ is all we have, then we discover that Christ is all we need. It is Jesus who is our guide through the storms, our strength and our consolation. It is he who goes before us, he who gives hope and meaning to our struggles, the one who makes sense of our lives, of our joys and our sorrows. I think I’m conscious that we need to be a little careful with this verse. It is a verse to be inspired by, not a measure to judge ourselves by. We may not be able to express this with the clarity that Paul does; we’re not all Saint Paul. But it is essential to recognise that the Christian faith has been tried to the uttermost and proven trustworthy.