Philippians 1:12-26 Lesson 379

Philippians 1:12-26
Lesson 379

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Jesus is our life and our joy, even in hard times.

Paul's desire to die (1:20-25).

By an unknown artist.

Study Tip:

"In Bible reading, we need to watch ourselves very closely, lest our thoughts wander, and our reading become perfunctory and meaningless. We must determine resolutely to keep our minds on what we are reading, doing our best to form an intelligent conception of it, and being on the lookout for lessons for ourselves."

Henry Hampton Halley, minister and religious writer (1874-1965).

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Philippians

The King James Bible

Philippians 1:12-26
Advance the Gospel

12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Margin notes:

"The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel." (1:12) - "The things that happened to me have helped spread the Gospel."

"My bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace." (1:13) - It was apparent, even in the emperor's palace, that Paul was not a criminal. He was in chains because of his faith. Paul spent two years under house arrest, chained to his guards. But he made the best of the situation by ministering to them. Even members of the emperor's court converted to Christianity (Philippians 4:22).

"Waxing confident." (1:14) - "Are becoming confident."

"More bold to speak the word without fear." (1:14) - Thanks to Paul's imprisonment, believers were emboldened and began to preach.

"Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife." (1:15) - "Indeed, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry."

"The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds." (1:16) - Some preached to make a name for themselves or out of selfish ambition and to add to Paul's suffering in chains.

"I am set for the defence of the gospel." (1:17) - "I am put here to defend the Gospel."

"Rejoice." (1:18) - To rejoice is to celebrate, feel joy, be exceedingly glad, or delighted. Seeing the Gospel preached gave Paul joy.

"I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer." (1:19) - "I know your prayers will lead to my freedom (from prison)."

"According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed." (1:20) - "I expect and hope that I will not be ashamed." Read Romans 5:5 to learn why Paul was not ashamed.

"Christ shall be magnified in my body." (1:20) - "Christ will be lauded by me."

"If I live in the flesh." (1:22) - "If I (continue) to live in this body."

"I wot not." (1:22) - "I don't know."

"I am in a strait betwixt two." (1:23) - "I am betwixt and between, uncertain what is best."

"To be with Christ; which is far better." (1:23) - "To be with Christ is far better (than this life)."

"To abide in the flesh is more needful for you." (1:24) - "But if I live I can be more helpful to you." See also Romans 14:8.

"And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you." (1:25) - Paul was convinced that he would live longer.

To learn how Paul ended up in chains in Rome, see Acts 21:27-25:12.

New Living Translation

Philippians 1:12-26
Paul's Joy That Christ Is Preached

12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.

13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.

14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God's message without fear.

15 It's true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives.

16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News.

17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me.

18 But that doesn't matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.

19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

Paul's Life for Christ

20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better.

23 I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.

24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.

26 And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What did Paul mean by "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (1:21)

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Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Paul believed that regardless of what happened to him, it was good. If he survived prison, he would have more time to work for Christ. But if he died, he would begin life everlasting with Jesus. Paul had faith in Jesus' promise, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).

Application thought for the day:

Sometimes it takes a crisis for God to get our attention.
What applications does this passage have for you?

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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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