Win-Win

Paul wrote, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil 1:21). I always thought that was a bit odd. I get "to die is gain." That is, "When I die I will be in heaven, in the presence of Christ. I will be free from the miseries of this world and free from the propensity to sin and free from all sadness -- eternal bliss. An eternity with Christ. Gain." I get that. But "to live is Christ" seemed a bit elusive, both in its language and in its intent.

The language strikes me as odd. I would understand "to live for Christ" or something, but this phrase appears to suggest that Paul's living is Christ. Beyond that, what is he trying to say?

We would tend to think that Paul is saying that, in some sense, it is Christ-like to live a particular way. We generally think that Paul is saying that we live for Christ and dying is gain. Given the language, I think he's saying something more. I think he's saying that living is Christ. We see this in Galatians. "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20). "It is no longer I who live, but Christ." We see this in Romans. "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:11). "Alive to God in Christ Jesus." It's there in Colossians. "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col 1:27). "Christ in you." It's in Philippians. "It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). That is, repeatedly, the Christian life is Christ in you. He lives, He empowers, He enables -- "to live is Christ."

It's interesting, then, that the two sides -- live or die -- end up as the same thing. We live by means of Christ; we die to be with Christ. It's not like one is better than the other. It's that one is sort of simply a geographical location change. One is Christ living within you and the other is Christ living with you. Truly a win-win!