the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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Revised Standard Version
Philippians 1:21
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- InternationalDevotionals:
- DailyParallel Translations
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
To me, living means I get to keep riding for Jesus, but dying means I get to go be with him . . . and that is even better.
For to me life is Christ and death is profit.
For for me to live [is] Christ, and to die gain;
For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For, with me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
For to me to liue is Christ, and to die is gaine.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For Christ is to me life, & death is to me auautage.
and if I die, I gain.
For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity].
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For Christ is to me lyfe and deeth is to me a vauntage.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain.
for to me to live [is] Christ, and to die gain.
To me the only important thing about living is Christ, and dying would be profit for me.
For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more.
For to me, life is the Messiah, and death is gain.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For Christ is to me both in life, & in death aduantage.
For Christ is my life, and to die is gain.
For to me to live is Messiah, and to die is gain.
For to me, to go on living is Christ, and to die is gain.
For my life is the Meshiha; and if I die, it is gain to me.
For my life is, the Messiah; and if I die, it is gain to me.
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.
To me, living means having Christ. To die means that I would have more of Him.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.
For, unto me - living, is Christ, and, dying, gain.
For to me, to live is Christ: and to die is gain.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
For Christe [is] to me lyfe, and death [is] to me aduantage.
To me, the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be for my benefit.
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more.
For me to lyue is Crist, and to die is wynnyng.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
to live: Philippians 1:20, Philippians 2:21, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Galatians 6:14, Colossians 3:4
to die: Philippians 1:23, Isaiah 57:1, Isaiah 57:2, Romans 8:35-39, 1 Corinthians 3:22, 2 Corinthians 5:1, 2 Corinthians 5:6, 2 Corinthians 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15, Revelation 14:13
Reciprocal: Numbers 23:10 - the death Joshua 1:15 - Until 1 Kings 19:4 - he requested Psalms 73:26 - flesh Proverbs 14:32 - the righteous Ecclesiastes 7:1 - the day Song of Solomon 6:2 - and to Jonah 4:3 - take Matthew 10:39 - General Matthew 24:46 - General Luke 12:37 - Blessed Acts 21:13 - for Romans 8:23 - even we 1 Corinthians 9:26 - not 1 Corinthians 13:3 - though I give 2 Corinthians 5:15 - live unto 1 Thessalonians 3:8 - we live 1 Timothy 6:6 - godliness Hebrews 12:23 - the spirits 1 Peter 5:1 - a partaker
Cross-References
to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so.
And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you, to keep them alive.
they and every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every bird of every sort.
Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh--birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth--that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth."
And every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves upon the earth, went forth by families out of the ark.
And you, be fruitful and multiply, bring forth abundantly on the earth and multiply in it."
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For to me to live is Christ,.... Christ was his life "efficiently", the efficient cause and author of his spiritual life; he spoke it into him, produced it in him, and disciplined him with it: and he was his life, objectively, the matter and object of his life, that on which he lived; yea, it was not so much he that lived, as Christ that lived in him; he lived by faith on Christ, and his spiritual life was maintained and supported by feeding on him as the bread of life: and he was his life, "finally", the end of his life; what he aimed at throughout the whole course of his life was the glory of Christ, the good of his church and people, the spread of his Gospel, the honour of his name, and the increase of his interest; and this last seems to be the true sense of the phrase here;
and to die is gain; to himself, for death is gain to believers: it is not easy to say what a believer gains by dying; he is released thereby, and delivered from all the troubles and distresses of this life, arising from diseases of body, losses and disappointments in worldly things; from the oppressions and persecutions of wicked men; from indwelling sin, unbelief, doubts, and fears, and the temptations of Satan; he as soon as dies enters into the presence of God, where is fulness of joy, and is immediately with Christ, which is far better than being here, beholding his glory and enjoying communion with him; he is at once in the company of angels and glorified saints; is possessed of perfect holiness and knowledge; inherits a kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world, and wears a crown of life, righteousness, and glory; enters upon an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled; is received into everlasting habitations, into mansions of light, life, love, joy, peace, and comfort; is at perfect rest, and surrounded with endless pleasures. This is the common interpretation, and is countenanced by the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, which read, "to die", or "if I die, it is gain to me": but instead of reading the words as consisting of two propositions, they may he considered as one, and the sense be either this; Christ is gain to me living or dying in life or in death; for Christ is the believer's gain in life; he is all in all, his righteousness, his wisdom, his sanctification, his redemption, his life, his light, his food, his raiment, his riches, his joy, peace, and comfort; he is everything to him he wants, can wish for, or desire: and he is his gain in death; the hope he then has is founded on him, and the triumphs of his faith over death and the grave arise from redemption by him; his expectation is to be immediately with him; and the glory he will then enter into will lie in communion with him, in conformity to him, and in an everlasting vision of him: or thus, for me to live and to die is Christ's gain; his life being spent in his service, in living according to his will, in preaching his Gospel, serving his churches, and suffering for his sake, was for his glory; and his death being for his sake, in the faith of him, and the steady profession of it, would be what would glorify him, and so be his gain likewise; and this seems to be the genuine sense of the words, which contain a reason of the apostle's faith, why he was persuaded Christ would be magnified or glorified in his body, whether by life or by death.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
For to me to live is Christ - My sole aim in living is to glorify Christ. He is the supreme End of my life, and I value it only as being devoted to his honor - Doddridge. His aim was not honor, learning, gold, pleasure; it was, to glorify the Lord Jesus. This was the single purpose of his soul - a purpose to which he devoted himself with as much singleness and ardor as ever did a miser to the pursuit of gold, or a devotee of pleasure to amusement, or an aspirant for fame to ambition. This implied the following things:
(1) A purpose to know as much of Christ as it was possible to know - to become as fully acquainted as he could with his rank, his character, his plans, with the relations which he sustained to the Father, and with the claims and influences of his religion; see Philippians 3:10; Ephesians 3:19; compare John 17:3.
(2) A purpose to imitate Christ - to make him the model of his life. It was a design that his Spirit should reign in his heart, that the same temper should actuate him, and that the same great end should be constantly had in view.
(3) A purpose to make his religion known, as far as possible, among mankind. To this, Paul seriously gave his life, and devoted his great talents. His aim was to see on bow many minds he could impress the sentiments of the Christian religion; to see to how many of the human family he could make Christ known, to whom he was unknown before. Never was there a man who gave himself with more ardor to any enterprise, than Paul did to this; and never was one more successful, in any undertaking, than he was in this.
(4) It was a purpose to enjoy Christ. He drew his comforts from him. His happiness he found in communion with him. It was not in the works of art; not in the pursuits of elegant literature; not in the frivolous and fashionable world; but it was in communion with the Saviour, and in endeavoring to please him.
Remarks On Philippians 1:21
- Paul never had occasion to regret this course. It produced no sadness when he looked over his life. He never felt that he had had an unworthy aim of living; he did not wish that his purpose had been different when he came to die.
(2)If it was Paul’s duty thus to live, it is no less that of every Christian. What was there in his case that made it his duty to “live unto Christ,” which does not exist in the case of every sincere Christian on earth? No believer, when he comes to die, will regret that he has lived unto Christ; but how many, alas, regret that this has not been the aim and purpose of their souls!
And to die is gain - Compare Revelation 14:13. A sentiment similar to this occurs frequently in the Greek and Latin classic writers. See Wetstein, in loc., who has collected numerous such passages. With them, the sentiment had its origin in the belief that they would be freed from suffering, and admitted to some happy world beyond the grave. To them, however, all this was conjecture and uncertainty. The word “gain,” here, means profit, advantage; and the meaning is, there would be an advantage in dying above that of living. Important benefits would result to him personally, should he die; and the only reason why he should wish at all to live was, that he might be the means of benefiting others; Philippians 1:24-25. But how would it be gain to die? What advantage would there be in Paul’s circumstances? What in ours? It may be answered, that it will be gain for a Christian to die in the following respects:
(1) He will be then freed from sin. Here it is the source of perpetual humiliation and sorrow; in heaven be will sin no more.
(2) He will be freed from doubts about his condition. Here the best are liable to doubts about their personal piety, and often experience many an anxious hour in reference to this point; in heaven, doubt will be known no more.
(3) He will be freed from temptation. Here, no one knows when he may be tempted, nor how powerful the temptation may be; in heaven, there will be no allurement to lead him astray; no artful, cunning, and skillful votaries of pleasure to place inducements before him to sin; and no heart to yield to them, if there were.
(4) He will be delivered from all his enemies - from the slanderer, the calumniator, the persecutor. Here the Christian is constantly liable to have his motives called in question, or to be met with detraction and slander; there, there will be none to do him injustice; all will rejoice in the belief that he is pure,
(5) He will be delivered from suffering. Here he is constantly liable to it. His health fails, his friends die, his mind is sad. There, there shall be no separation of friends, no sickness, and no tears.
(6) He will be delivered from death. Here, death is always near - dreadful, alarming, terrible to our nature. There, death will be known no more. No face will ever turn pale, and no knees tremble, at his approach; in all heaven there will never be seen a funeral procession, nor will the soil there ever open its bosom to furnish a grave.
(7) To all this may be added the fact, that the Christian will be surrounded by his best friends; that he will be reunited with those whom he loved on earth; that he will be associated with the angels of light; and that he will be admitted to the immediate presence of his Saviour and his God! Why, then, should a Christian be afraid to die? And why should he not hail that hour, when it comes, as the hour of his deliverance, and rejoice that he is going home? Does the prisoner, long confined in a dungeon, dread the hour which is to open his prison, and permit him to return to his family and friends? Does the man in a foreign land, long an exile, dread the hour when he shall embark on the ocean to be conveyed where he may embrace the friends of his youth? Does the sick man dread the hour which restores him to health; the afflicted, the hour of comfort? the wanderer at night, the cheering light of returning day? And why then should the Christian dread the hour which will restore him to immortal rigor; which shall remove all his sorrows; which shall introduce him to everlasting day?
Death is the crown of life:
Were death denied, poor man would live in vain:
Were death denied, to live would not be life.
Were death denied, even fools would wish to die.
Death wounds to cure; we fall; we rise; we reign!
Spring from our fetters; fasten in the skies;
Where blooming Eden withers in our sight.
Death gives us more than was in Eden lost,
The king of terrors is the prince of peace.
Night Thoughts, iii.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 21. For to me to live is Christ — Whether I live or die, Christ is gain to me. While I live I am Christ's property and servant, and Christ is my portion; if I die-if I be called to witness the truth at the expense of my life, this will be gain; I shall be saved from the remaining troubles and difficulties in life, and be put immediately in possession of my heavenly inheritance. As, therefore, it respects myself, it is a matter of perfect indifference to me whether I be taken off by a violent death, or whether I be permitted to continue here longer; in either case I can lose nothing.
