“For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me, yet I cannot say which I will choose. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better, but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.”

Philippians 1:21-24

One of the advantages of studying the Bible in a group setting is hearing different opinions on the meaning of scripture. As Baptists, we cherish freedom in many forms. One of those freedoms is “Bible freedom,” the concept that all believers are free to study and interpret scripture for themselves. (For more on Baptist freedoms, I would encourage you to read Walter Shurden’s book, The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms.)

In Bible study last week, our passage from Philippians was a familiar one to many folks. One verse in particular is an often quoted verse. Paul writes “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” I am sure that I learned and remembered that verse from the King James Version: “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

The commentator N.T. Wright reminds us that Paul did not have a death wish. He was not “longing to get out of this life as quickly as possible.” However, being in a Roman prison, he certainly did not know whether he had much time left in this world.

During our discussion, someone pointed out something that I had not thought of before. His opinion was that Paul really meant to say, “To live is Christ and to die is Christ.” Think about it. For Paul, this was a “win-win.” He was with Christ both here and now and in the hereafter.

Most of us, I would imagine, believe that, when we die, we will go to heaven to be with Christ. We are comfortable singing “in the mansions bright and blessed he’ll prepare for us a place.” However, how often do we ponder that we really are living with Christ right now–day to day? Does that perspective affect how we live our lives? Does it affect how we prioritize what matters in our lives? Does it affect us when we really don’t “feel” it?

It certainly did for Paul. It’s one reason he was able to withstand his circumstances…“For me to live is Christ.” Yes, it was a “win-win” for Paul. It can be for us, too.