The Pulpit Commentary — Philippians — Section 30

Yers. 21-26.-Life here and 'hereocfter. The brave apostle, a.waiting the slow issur; ,-.f his C8l!8 at Rome, has been speaking of the good effeot of his imprisonment upon the promulgation of the gospel. He can sec the good hene.'\th the apparent evil. And now 1,e speaks of the life he lives on earth and of the other life beyond the shadow of death. Let us notice the lessons as they are set before us here. I. PA UL's SELF-A DANDONll(ENT TO CHRIST. (Ver. 21.) He surrendered himself in a spirit of entire consecration to Jesus, that he might do as he pleased with him. As in tho parallel passage, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. ii. 20), Paul's life was one of inspiration. Christ's Spirit entered into him and took possession of it, and moulded it according to his own gracious pur- poses. Of course, Paul's life was not a perfect realization of this inspiration, but it was an approximate realization. "To (,fiv signifies here," says Rilliet, in loco, "the life par euelle11ce-the life a.lone worthy of this name, in opposition to .-o (?iv Iv o-up,tC-this life; it is Christ, 'O Xpurrlls, 7/ (..,~ 7/JJm" (Col. iii. 4). But the Christian, so long a.s he is here below, so long as he lives in the flesh, possesses Christ only incompletely, and has, con- sequently, only an imperfect life (cf. 2 Cor. v. 6--8)." Yet there is nothing that helps this approximation more than to face honestly the ideal that our lives ought to he lives abandoned to Christ and inspired by his Holy Spirit. IL PAUL'S GAIN AFTER DEATH. (Ver. 21.) For it is the aorist which is here used, .,.o .....,6...,Eiv, and so the apostle's meaning ma.nifesLly is, to use Alford's words, that " the state after death, not the act of dying," is the gain. Death in itself is no gain, but it leads to gain beyond it. The imperfect conditions of the present state being removed, the inspiration will ha,e freer play, and all the gain which it necessarily entails. We can only feebly image the glorious condition beyond death; but to escape sin and be filled with the Spirit of Christ must be gain incalculable. III. Pi.uL's PAUSE UPON THE BRINK. (Ver. 22.) He now speaks about the probability of his a.biciing some time longer in the flesh, and he shows that, if the fruit of his work depended upon this continuance in life, he dare not compla.iningly desire to be released. He consequently pauses and leaves the issue iu the higher hands of God. So that, as one writer sententiously puts it, he was "willing to wait, but ready to go." Bengal's remark is also most beautiful: "Alius ex opere fructum qllll3rit; Paulus ipsum opus pro fructu habet." Let it he ours not to seek our reward out of our work, but always in it! IV. PAuL's EQUILIBRIUl,L (Ver. 23.) The two desires which were so nicely balanced were-to depart and he with Christ which is very far better, and to abide in the flesh. The one would be a personal experience altogether blissful; the other would be a patience still fruitful in the welfare of others. Between the two he maintains a holy equilibrium. In either alrernative he can be happy with his Lord. V. PAUL'S ASSURANCE OF MORE WORK IN THE PRESENT WOBLD. (Vers. 24-26.) Paul did not hesitate to affirm that his life was a. valuable one to the Philippian Church. There was no false modesty about the man. Moreover, his work for them would be with a ,iew to their progress and joy in believing. Especially would this be promoted if he were allowed to visit the Macedonian Church again. If, then, this be the first Epistle of the captivity, as Lightfoot seems to think, the present assurance of Paul would corre- spond tu these pre-nwnitiona about recovery, which the Lord's servants often have in times of sickness. le there not often an impression that a sick person will recover because of his own confident assurance of it? And when this is allied to such a holy and wholesome desire for the fulfilment of the Lord's work among men as Paul here manifests, it becomes intensely beautiful We thus see that the lile here and the life Lereafter oi:Jy tally when they are consecrated to Christ. It can consequently he left tu the all-wist: Lord whether meanwhile he would have our service there or here. Thr,S!; whu L,y hiti grace are willing to serve him with their whole hearts have nothing tu fi,ar, Lut everythilig to hope for, in the unending future with all its opportunities.- L. M. K. 1111, I. 1-30,) 'J.'HE EPIS'l'U: TO 'l'HE Pll!LIPPIANS.