Jesus was paul's desire to depart and be with

JESUS WAS PAUL'S DESIRE TO DEPART AND BE WITH
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Philippians1:23 23
I am torn between the two: I desire
to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
A Strait
Philippians 1:23, 24
W.F. Adeney St. Paul is in a strait betweenhis personaldesire to depart and
be with Christ, and his unselfish willingness to remain on earth for the good of
the Church.
I. THE PERSONALDESIRE TO DEPART AND BE WITH CHRIST. This is
no mere sentimental yearning for death, such as very young people sometimes
dream about. St. Paul is an old man, and old men commonly cling to life. He is
in bonds, however; he has fought a goodfight; he feels the weariness ofa life
of extraordinary hardship and toil; soberly, earnestly, reverently, he longs to
be with Christ.
1. St. Paul had a gram! faith in the future life. He was not; simply resigned, he
longed for the greatchange. His was not Hamlet's wish -
"To die, - to sleep,-
No mere; and, by a sleep, to saywe end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to." Many have devoutly wished for this consummation,
longing only to be at peace, "where the wickedceasefrom troubling and the
wearyare at rest." St. Paul's great desire was positive - life with Christ.
2. The essentialChristian blessednessis to be with Christ. We know
exceedinglylittle about the future life. When we pass from rhetorical images
to distinct facts, the chief, almost the only, thing we know is that Christians
will be with Christ (John 14:3).

"My knowledge ofthat life is small, -
The eye of faith is dim;
But 'tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with him." Note:
(1) Only they who have followedChrist on earth candwell with Christ in
heaven.
(2) Only they who have loved Christ on earth canrejoice to depart and be
with Christ in heaven. It is far better to depart, just because, and only
because, Christis far dearerthan all earthly things; for where our treasure is,
there will our heart be also.
II. THE UNSELFISH WILLINGNESS TO REMAIN ON EARTH TO
SERVE THE CHURCH. St. Paul was resignedto life. His conceptionof
Christianity was unselfish service. Mensometimes ask - Why are not
Christians takenstraight to heaven out of the troubles and temptations of this
world? One reasonfor remaining here is their own discipline. Another is the
work they have to do. As Christ came into the world to bless mankind,
Christians are retained in the world that they may be the salt of the earth. But
they should remember that they are pilgrims and strangers;in the world, but
not of it; serving the world, but looking for their greatestjoyabove it. Let
every man ask him-self - Is it for the goodof my fellow-men that I should be
continued in life? How many useful lives are cut down! How many cumberers
of the ground are spared by the long-suffering mercy of God, in the hope that
they may yet bear fruit, though at the eleventh hour! - W.F.A.
Biblical Illustrator
I am in a strait betwixt two
Philippians 1:23-24
Christ is best: or, St. Paul's strait
R. Sibbes, D. D.I. ST. PAUL'S STRAIT. His soul was as a ship betweentwo
winds, tossedup and down; as iron betweentwo loadstones, drawnfirst one
way and then another. The people of God are often in greatstraits. Some
things are so exceedinglybad that without deliberation we ought to abominate
them; some things so goodthat we should immediately cling to them; others

againare of a doubtful nature, requiring our bestconsideration, as Paul's
here.
II. ONE GROUND OF THIS STRAIT WAS HIS PRESENTDESIRE.
1. I have a desire. When there is anything setbefore the soul having a
magneticalforce to draw out the motives thereof we call that a desire, even
though for the present the soul desires it not. This desire was —
(1)Spiritual.
(2)It came from a taste of sweetnessin communion with Christ.
(3)Constant. "I have," I carry it about with me.
(4)Efficacious, notthe will of a sluggard, but one which carried him through
death itself.
2. I desire to depart.(1) There must be a parting from the enjoyment of the
creature, from the body, from friends.(2) There was to be a departing also.
Here we cannotstay long; awaywe must; we are for another place (Psalm
90:2). Paul labours to sweetenso harsha thing by comfortable expressions of
it — sleep, going home, etc.
3. I desire to be with Christ.(1)Why doth he not say heaven? Becauseheaven
is not heavenwithout Christ, but He is the heaven of heaven. Every creature is
best in its own element; Christ is the elementof the Christian. If, therefore,
death is a passage to Him, what is there in it to be feared? (1 Corinthians
3:22).(2) There is none but a Christian who can desire death, for to be with
Christ is perfectholiness.
4. The consummation of this desire would be far better than anything or
everything else. Godreserves the bestfor the last. The Christian is happy in
life, happier in death, happiest in heaven.
5. How shall we attain this desire? Let us carry ourselves as Paul did (chap.
Philippians 3:20).(1) He had his conversationin heaven.(2)He loosedhis
affectionfrom all earthly things (Galatians 6:14).(3)He laboured to keepa
goodconsciencein all things (Acts 24:16;Hebrews 10:22).(4)He had the
assurance thathe was in Christ by his union with Him (Galatians 2:19).(5) He
had an art of sweetening the thoughts of death, by regarding it as the passage
to Christ and life.
III. THE OTHER GROUND OF HIS STRAIT WAS HIS PRESENT
CONVICTION that to stay was better for them.
1. The lives of worthy men are very needful for the Church of God, because
God's method is to bless man by man.

(1)By their counseland direction (Proverbs 7:21).
(2)By their reformation of abuses.
(3)By their goodexample (Philippians 2:15).
(4)By their prayers.
2. Holy men candeny themselves and their own best goodfor the Church's
benefit. Because —
(1)They have the spirit of love, and love seekethnother own.
(2)The Spirit of Christ who minded not His own things (1 Corinthians 10:24).
3. Use.
(1)Oh that we may have this Spirit to setus a work to do goodwhile we are
here.
(2)Setloving hearts full of inventions how to glorify God and do goodto man.
(3)Labour to have sufficiency that you may have ability to do good.
(R. Sibbes, D. D.)
Willing to wait, but ready to go
W. Arnot, D. D.I. THE TWO DESIRES.
1. To depart and be with Christ. This desire is composedof two parts — a
vestibule somewhatdark and forbidding, through which the pilgrim must
pass, and a temple unspeakablyglorious, which is to be his home.(1)The
exodus from this life by dissolution of the body. The band that knits body to
soul is broken at death, and the soul escapes.(2)The company to which the
exodus more directly leads is Christ. Paul knew of no place of purgation.
Wherever and whatever the place of savedspirits, one thing is certain —
Christ is there. Christians need not care for more. Christ's presence is needed
for human happiness. Heaven would not be heaven, howeverotherwise
glorious, without a human Christ to fastenthe affections upon.
2. To abide in the flesh.(1) It is a natural and lawful desire. God has placed
and visited us here, and given us something to do. This is a point of great
importance. Some rebelliously cling to life without respectto God's will;
others are troubled because in illness they discovera desire for longerdays.
Let the love of life remain, only get it so sanctifiedthat at the appointed time it
may cease.
II. THE CHRISTIAN BALANCED EVENLY BETWEEN THE TWO
DESIRES.

1. To depart was far better.
2. To stay was more needful.
3. The desire to be with Christ does not make life unhappy, because it is
balancedby the pleasure of working for Christ; the desire to work for Christ
does not make the approach of dissolution painful, because it is balanced by
the expectationof being soonever with the Lord.
4. These two constitute the spiritual man. They are the right and left sides of
the new creature in Christ Jesus. Where both grow equally, there is no
halting; where both have grown well, the step is steadyand the progress great.
III. PRACTICAL LESSONS.
1. This text is sufficient to destroy the whole fabric of Romish prayer to
departed saints.
2. The chief use of a Christian in the world is to do good.
3. You cannotbe effectivelyuseful to those who are in need on earth unless
you hold by faith and hope to Christ on high.
4. Living hope of going to be with Christ is the only anodyne which can
neutralize the pain of parting with those who are dear to us in the body.
(W. Arnot, D. D.)
The attractions of heavencheckedby the claims of earth
S. Martin.I. HAVING A DESIRE TO DEPART. A disciple of Christ may
have a desire to depart.
1. Forthe sake ofhaving the departing over. This is more terrible in prospect
than in realization or in retrospect. We shrink from the strangenessofa new
habitation howeverglorious;from the dark valley, howeverbright the yonder
light.
2. Forthe sake ofheaven's attractions as —(1) A place. It is Paradise
regained. Beauty smiles there, life reigns there, the blessing of God is
enshrined there. There is no night, no withering cold or scorching heat.(2)A
state, sorrowless,deathless,curseless,sinless.
3. Forthe sake ofthe objects of our holiest affections — our Father, our
glorified Saviour, unfallen spirits, redeemedsouls.
4. Forthe sake ofthe realizationof our highest hopes. The wearylook for rest,
the hindered workerfor unfettered action, the sad for gladness, the solitary
for congenialsociety, the fearful for safety, the doubtful for certainty.
II. THERE WERE CLAIMS WHICH HELD PAUL TO EARTH.

1. Had Paul been a husband and a father he could have turned to his
household and said, "for you." But his only tie to earth was God's Church.
There is a peculiar connectionbetweenthe man who has been the means of
another's conversionor spiritual progress whichcan never be dissolved and
which no other can take up. Paul, therefore, desired to live to instruct and
comfort his converts, guide the whole Church, and win souls for Christ.
2. This double attraction perplexed, him and it was a goodsign, a sign of life
and high sensibility. Those whose religious life is monotonous have not much
life in them.(1) A man of the world is in no such strait. He is drawn but in one
direction; by many things it may be, gold, honour, treasures, but only
earthward.(2)The hypocrite is in no such strait. His straits are connectedwith
keeping on his mask and his cloak.(3)The lukewarmand declining Christian
has no such straits.
3. This perplexity only existed until the will of God was expressedto him. As
soonas he knew that he said, "I am ready; the time of my departure is at
hand." Conclusion:The right state is to be attractedby Christ, wherever
Christ is, in His Church on earth or His Church in heaven; and to the place in
which we can most glorify Him.
(S. Martin.)
The desire of the apostle;yet his perplexity
W. Jay.Nothing is more unpleasant than uncertainty and indecision. Shall I
take a journey or not? Sometimes the ease is very important; marriage, e.g.
What a strait was Jacobin betweenstarvationand letting Benjamin go to
Egypt, and David with his three things to choose. Paulwas now in a strait not
betweentwo evil but betweentwo goodthings. It was the strait of a man in a
garden betweena peachand a nectarine;a rose and a lily. He was between
living and dying; but Christ was connectedwith both; whether he should
enjoy Christ in heaven or serve Him on earth.
I. HIS REPRESENTATION OF DEATH. Consider —
1. Its nature — departure.(1) The idea may be exemplified by the traveller's
departure from the inn, a prisoner's from his dungeon.(2)By so calling it Paul
showedthat man is a compound being. Cowperdoes not inscribe on the tomb
of his dog, "Here lies the body," but "Here lies poor Dansy." There is a spirit
in man.(3) This departure was the inlet to future blessedness. "To be with
Christ." So heaven will be a socialstate. If Socratescouldfeel pleasure at the
thought of being with Musaeus, and other worthies who had lived before him,
what must be the attraction of the believer in Jesus.

2. The preference he gives it. "Farbetter" than what?(1)Than to be stoned in
the streets ofCorinth; to fight with the beasts of Ephesus, etc.? Thatwould he
saying very little.(2) It would also be saying very little if far better than his
temporal mercies. There are things now that the believer deems far better.(3)
It would be far better than the enjoyment of the best and most spiritual things
below.
II. HIS DESIRE AFTER IT.
1. The desire of death can never be natural.
2. The fear of death is as natural as hunger and sleep;and there is no evil in it.
If anything can raise us above it it must be supernatural.
3. There may be more who feel this desire than you are aware of.
4. Christians have more of this readiness to die as they approachdeath.
III. THE COUNTER BALANCE BY WHICH HE WAS WILLING TO
REMAIN. The apostle shows the sense he had of his own importance, and the
self-denial he was willing to exercise in order to be useful. Humility does not
consistin ignorance.
(W. Jay.)
Life more our business than death
J. L. Nye., BishopBeveridge.Ata private meeting of friends George
Whitefield, after adverting to the difficulties attending the gospelministry,
said that he was wearywith the burdens of the day, and declaredit to be his
greatconsolationthat in a short time his work would be done, and he should
depart and be with Christ. He then appealed to the ministers present, and
askedif they had not entirely similar feelings. They generallyassented, with
the exceptionof Mr. Tennent. On seeing this, Mr. Whitefield, tapping him on
the knee, said:"Well, Brother Tennent, you are the oldestman among us; do
you not rejoice to think that your time is so near at hand when you will be
calledhome?" Mr. Tennent bluntly answeredthat he had no wish about it.
Being pressedfor some opinion more definite and decided; he then added: "I
have nothing to do with death. My business is to live as long as I can, and as
well as I can, and serve my Masteras faithfully as I can until He shall think
proper to call me home." It proved a word in seasonto the greatevangelist,
helping him more calmly and patiently to hold on his way.
(J. L. Nye.)
I. THE SAINTS ARE SOMETIMESIN STRAITS (2 Samuel 24:14).

II. THEY MIND NOT THEIR OWN BUT THE GLORY OF GOD AND
GOOD OF OTHERS (chap. Philippians 2:21).
III. THE TRULY PIOUS DESIRE TO DEPART AND BE WITH CHRIST.
1. What is it to depart? (2 Peter1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:1). To go into the other
world.
2. What to be with Christ?
(1)To enjoy His presence (John 12:26;John 17:24).
(2)To behold His glory (John 17:24;1 Corinthians 13:12).
(3)To have communion with Him.
3. Why do they desire to be with Christ? Because —
(1)They believe His promises (John 14:1-2).
(2)Are convincedof the creature's vanity and Christ's excellency.
(3)Love Christ above all things (Philippians 3:8-9; Psalm 42:1-2).
(4)Long to be easedoftheir sins (Romans 7:24).
(5)To be out of the devil's reach(1 Peter5:8).
(6)They have foretastes ofheavenalready (1 Peter1:8).
(7)This is the end of all their labours (1 Peter1:9).
4. It is better to be with Christ than here (Matthew 17:4). We shall have better
—
(1)Souls (Hebrews 12:23).
(2)Bodies (Philippians 3:21).
(3)Company (Hebrews 12:22-23;John 17:24).
(4)Employments (Revelation7:11-12).
(5)Honours (John 12:26).
(6)Riches (Matthew 6:19-20).
(7)Pleasures.
(Bishop Beveridge.)
St. Paul's doubt and desire
A. Farindon, B. D.I. PAUL IS HIS STRAIT. He would be with Christ and yet
with the Philippians; he would be dissolvedand yet live. He resolved, however,
at last againsthimself.

1. Forthe glory of God; the prime motive of our Christian obedience. We
must neither live nor die but to God's glory.
2. Forthe goodof the brethren, wherein God's glory is greatly manifested (2
Corinthians 12:15).
3. This was only possible to a man already in Christ, and imbued by His
Spirit.
4. If the same mind be in us which was in Paul we should look upon our
calling as Christians as the most delightful yet most troublesome calling.
II. PAUL'S DESIRE.
1. The desire carries nothing in it that hath any opposition to the will of God.
It is not wrought in us by impatience or sense ofinjuries as is the case of
Stoics.
2. This desire is from heaven, heavenly (Hebrews 4:9; 2 Timothy 4:8). We love
Christ and would be where His honour dwelleth.
3. This desire —(1) is but for a dissolving of the whole into its parts, that the
better part may have the better portion at once and the whole by and by.(2)
Brings us to Christ, and is therefore(3)the fittest object for our desire to
fastenupon.
(A. Farindon, B. D.)
Paul's desire to depart
C. H. Spurgeon.I. THE APOSTLE'S DESCRIPTIONOF DEATH.
1. Negatively. He does not call it —(1) An arrest. In the death of the wicked
the sheriff's officerof justice lays his clay-coldhand upon the man's shoulder
and he is a prisoner forever: "but who shall lay anything to the charge of
God's elect?"(2)A plunge. The wickedstand upon the precipice of a yawning
and bottomless gulf and their unwilling spirits must take a desperate leap. The
believer climbs upwards.
2. Positively. He calls it —(1) A departure, like a vesselhomeward bound.(2)
Departure to Christ.
(a)We shall see Him as He is.
(b)We shall commune with Him.
(c)We shall enjoy full fruition of Him.
II. THE APOSTLE'S DESIRE.
1. Some men are searedby it.

2. Others with a searedconsciencemeetit with an idiot resignation.
3. The apostle panted to be gone: as the captain with his rich freight longs for
the harbour, as the conqueror longs for his crown.
III. THE APOSTLE'S REASONS.
1. Others besides he have longed to die.(1) The suicide mad from life's misery
leaps from one evil to a myriad.(2) The so calledphilosopher, sick of mankind.
Not so Paul, he was neither cowardnor man hater.(3) Those who think that
by getting out of the world they will escape their disappointments and
suffering.
2. Paul felt this desire because he knew that being with Christ —(1) He would
be clean rid of sin.(2) That he would meet his brethren in the faith who had
gone before;(3) That he would be with Christ, and these words have all
heaven condensedin them.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Foreverwith the Lord
C. H. Spurgeon.I. THE APOSTLE'S CERTAINTYRESPECTINGTHE
DISEMBODIED STATE.
1. Paul was an eminently conscientious man who would not saywhat he did
not believe to be true, and a man of well-balancedreason, logic
preponderating among his faculties.
2. Now this Paul was convinced of a future state. He did not believe in
purgatory, much less that the soulsleeps until the resurrection.
3. What made this conscientious andcollectedman come to this conclusion? I
suppose he would have replied first that he had been converted by a sight of
the Lord Jesus. He was sure he had seenHim, and that He had come from
somewhere and gone somewhere;and recollecting the prayer, "I will that they
be with me where I am," he was quite certain that as soonas saints died they
were with Christ.
4. Rememberthis judicious and truthful witness had other distinct evidence of
the disembodied state. He had been caughtup into Paradise. It was, therefore,
not merely matter of belief but of observation.
5. Paul had no doubt then, nor need you. If you believe in Him there is no
condemnation, and if so, no separation(Romans 8) either in this life or that
which is to come.
II. THE APOSTLE'S IDEA OF THAT STATE.

1. It is a one-sidedidea and almost a one-wordeddescription: an inclusive
idea, for it takes in all the heaven which the largestmind can conceive.
2. Being with Christ is so greata thing that he mentioned it alone.(1)Because
his love was so concentratedon Christ that he could think of nothing else in
this connection.(2)He was persuaded that heavencould not be heavenif
Christ was not there. It would be day without the sun, existence without life,
seeing without light, the heavens without their stars. Christ is heavenand
heaven is Christ.
3. What is it to be with Christ?(1)It is to be with Him — heaven is not merely
what comes out of being with Him, His company itself is heaven.(2)It is to
have a clearervision of Him than is possible now, and this vision will be
ravishing.(3) Brighter knowledge. Here we only know in part.(4) More
intimate intercourse.(5)Unbroken fellowship.(6)A share of His glory.
III. THE APOSTLE'S ESTIMATE OF THIS DISEMBODIED STATE.
"Very far better."
1. St. Paul does not claim for this state that it is the believer's highest
condition, because one half of him is left behind. The fulness of our glory is the
resurrection. Yet for one half of his manhood to be with Christ is far better
than for the whole of his being to be here under the best possible conditions,
not merely of worldly wealth, etc. — he had got above all that — but of
spiritual excellence andblessing.
2. Concerning our departed friends, then, how canwe sorrow?
3. With regardto ourselves whatis there to fear?
4. All this points to the fountain of bliss while we are here. The nearer we get
to Christ the more we shall participate in what makes the joy of heaven.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Betterto be with Christ than hereI. WHAT IS IT TO BE WITH CHRIST? It
implies —
1. Our being where He is (John 14:2-4).
2. Our enjoying what He enjoys.
(1)Clearknowledge ofGod (John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 13:12).
(2)Perfectlove.
(3)Eternal joy (Philippians 4:1).
II. HOW IS IT BETTER?
1. In its immunities.(1) From sin (1 Corinthians 15:30).

(a)Errors in judgment (1 Corinthians 13:12).
(b)Disorder in affections.
(c)Infirmity in actions.(2)From misery (Revelation21:4).
2. In its enjoyments, which are better; because —
(1)More real (Proverbs 23:5).
(2)More spiritual (Matthew 11:28-29).
(3)More satisfying (Psalm 16:11; Psalm17:15).
(4)More certain (Isaiah55:3).
(5)More lasting (2 Corinthians 5:1).
III. USES. Labour to get to Christ.
1. Means.(1)Repent(Luke 13:3).(2)Believe on Christ (Acts 16:31).(3)Labour
after true grace, without which you shall not (Hebrews 12:14), and you cannot
enjoy God.(4) Use the means appointed (Romans 10:17).
2. Motives.(1)Labour after it. Consider —
(a)It is possible.
(b)It is desired by God (Ezekiel33:11).
(c)You will repent ere long unless you do.(2)Seek it first.
(a)It is a thing of the greatestconcern(Luke 10:42).
(b)It is the only thing needful (Luke 10:42).(3)Labour after it now (Psalm
95:8-9). Consider —
(a)Your time is short.
(b)The work is great.
(c)You know not when you will be calledto account.
(Bishop Beveridge.)
Paul and Voltaire
W. Jay.I was lately looking overVoltaire's correspondencewith one of his
literary female acquaintances, and no less than three times in his letters does
he say, "I dread death and hate life." Was it so with the Apostle Paul? Did he
dread death? What is his language — "I have a desire to depart and to be
with Christ, which is far better." Did he hate life? "Neverthelessto abide in
the flesh is more needful for you, and, having this confidence," etc.
(W. Jay.)

Strait
W. Arnot, D. D.Fromthe word strait employed in our translationwe are apt
to take up the notion of pain and difficulty. This is not the idea which the
apostle intended to express. Literally the word signifies to be betweentwo,
and held by both at the same time. In ordinary circumstances, andin the
present case especially, this is pleasanterand saferthan to be held by only
one. This strait is the happiest condition in which a living man canbe. It is not
a position of distraction from which he would fain escape, but a position of
solid repose. To be graspedand drawn by either of these emotions alone
would bend and break a man; to be attracted equally by both produces a
delicious equilibrium. The spiritual fact may be explained by a material
example. Suppose a man is standing aloft upon a pedestalwhere he finds
room to plant his feet and no more. Suppose that one neighbour stands near
him on the right hand, and another near him on the left. If one of these grasp
and draw him, his posture immediately becomes uneasyand dangerous.
Under the strain he does not keephis footing easily, and will not keepit long.
But if both should grasp him, either seizing a hand, and draw with equal force
in opposite directions, the result would be an erectattitude and an easy
position. Such preciselyin the spiritual department is the equilibrium of a
believer who is held and drawn by both these desires at once. It is the strait
betwixt two that makes him easy. Either of these desires wanting the other
would distress him in proportion to its strength. On the one hand, a desire to
abide in the flesh without a balancing desire to depart and to be with Christ, is
a painful condition. The weighthanging on one side racks the person all over.
Mostmen are crushed in this manner all their days. The Redeemerknows this
sorrow and provides relief. One specific design of His coming was "to deliver
them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subjectto bondage." As
soonas one of these tremblers is begottenagaininto a living hope, by the
resurrectionof Jesus Christ from the dead, the balance is restoredand
deliverance effected. On the other hand, the converse is equally true, although
not equally common. To experience a desire to depart, unbalanced by a desire
to abide in the flesh, is also a painful experience. ManyChristians pass
through at leasta short period of this unevenness and uneasiness before they
are setfree. Whatever may be the immediate causes whichhave made life
wearisome to a Christian, wheneverthe desire to abide dies out, the desire to
depart distracts him. It may be that most of us at present would gladly
bargain for such a state of mind at the close oflife, as being the safest;but it
is, notwithstanding, and not the less a painful state of mind.
(W. Arnot, D. D.)

Death, a departure
T. De Witt Talmage.Ishallnever forgetthe cry of the late Rev. Dr. De Witt, of
New York, as he stood at the grave of his wife. After the body had been
loweredto its resting place, that venerable man of God leaned over the open
space and said: "Farewell, my honoured, faithful, beloved wife. The bond that
bound us is severed, thou art in glory, I am still on earth, but we shall meet
again. Farewell, farewell!"
(T. De Witt Talmage.)
Heaven our home
T. Guthrie.As a home the believer delights to think of it. Thus when, lately
bending over a dying saint, and expressing our sorrow to see him laid so low,
with the radiant countenance rather of one who had just left heaven, than of
one about to enter it, he raised and claspedhis hands, and exclaimedin
ecstasy, "Iam going home." Happy the family of which God is the Father,
Jesus the elder Brother, and all the "saints in light" are brethren.
(T. Guthrie.)
Longing for home
C. H. Spurgeon.Ihave heard a story of the celebratedMr. William Dawson,
who used to call himself "Billy" Dawson, much to the point. On one occasion,
when he and some other Methodistfriends were spending the evening
together, a dear friend of mine happened to be present, and heard what
passed. Theywere praying that Mr. Dawson's life might be spared for many
years to come, that such an earnestman might be kept in the Church for the
next twenty or thirty years. At last, as they were just in the middle of prayer,
William Dawsonsaid, "Lord, don't hear 'em: I want to get my work done, and
go home; I don't want to be here any longer than there is needs be;" and the
brethren stopped their prayers, thunderstruck as they witnessedhis emotion.
Now I believe that feeling will often pass over the earnestworking Christian.
"Oh," saith he, "I am not lazy; I am not idle; but still, I would like to get my
work done."
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Deatha gain
H. W. Beecher.The mostyou can do to a goodman is to persecute him; and
the worstthat persecutioncan do is to kill him. And killing a goodman is as
bad as it would be to spite a ship by launching it. The soulis built for heaven,
and the ship for the ocean, and blessedbe the hour that gives both to the true
element.

(H. W. Beecher.)
The desire to depart
H. W. Beecher.As birds in the hour of transmigration feelthe impulse of
southern lands, and gladly spread their wings for the realm of light and
bloom, so may we, in the death hour, feel the sweetsolicitations ofthe life
beyond, and joyfully soarfrom the chill and shadow of earth to fold our wings
and sing in the summer of an eternal heaven!
(H. W. Beecher.)
To depart is to be with ChristThe Rev. Alexander Fisher, of Dunfermline, an
excellentyoung minister, in the afternoon of the day on which he died,
inquired what the hour was, and on being informed, said, "What would you
think if I were in heaventonight?" It was answered, "Thenyou will be with
your Saviour, and see Him face to face." His pale emaciatedcountenance
seemedto beam with delight, and his faltering lips uttered, "Glory, glory,
glory!"
Ready for heaven
J. N. Norton, D. D.A little child was playing with her mother, and they were
talking about heaven. The mother had been telling of the joy and glories of
that happy world. The matchless beauty of the angels, the goldenstreets and
pearly gates, and the exultant song of redemption. "There is no sicknessin
those bright realms, no pain, no death, no sorrow, nor sighing, nor tears, no
sin; for all will be pure and holy." "Oh, dear mother!" exclaimed the little
child, in her amazement and delight, "letus all go now!" "We must wait a
little," said the mother, "waituntil God shall send for us." "Well, dear
mother," respondedthe child, in a tone of disappointment, "if we can't start
now, as any rate, let us pack up and be ready!" There is a whole sermon in
that one sentence:"Let us pack up and be ready!" Oh, what a world of
difference betweenbeing ready and unready!
(J. N. Norton, D. D.)
Christ, heaven's supreme attraction
C. H. Spurgeon.Being withChrist is so greata thing that he mentioned it
alone, because his love was so concentratedupon Christ that he could think of
nothing else in connectionwith heaven. There is a wife here, perhaps, and her
husband is in India. He has been long away, and the years of his forced
absence have been wearyto her. She has had loving messagesfrom him and
kind letters, but often has she sighed, and her heart has lookedout of the
windows towards the east, yearning for his return; but now she has receiveda

letter entreating her to go out to her husband, and without hesitationshe has
resolvedto go. Now, if you ask her what she is going to India for, the reply will
be, "I am going to my husband." But she has a brother there, she has many
old friends there, her husband has a handsome estate there. Yes, there may be
other inducements to make the voyage, but to be with her beloved is the
master objectof her journey. She is going to the man she loves with all her
soul, and she is longing for the country, whateverthat country may be,
because he is there. It is so with the Christian, only enhanced in a tenfold
degree.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Depart
W. Arnot, D. D.The word "depart" means strictly to take to pieces. The living
man is contemplated as a complex machine, and it is intimated that at death
its joints are loosed, and the whole is broken up into its constituentelements.
This life in the body is like a watch. By food, and drink, and air, it is wound
up daily, and so kept going. At lastthe machinery, by gradual wearand tear,
or by some sudden accident, is brought to a stand. Then it is takendown —
takento pieces — in order that it may be purified and perfected, and set
agoing again, not to measure then the changing seasonsoftime, but to move
on, without waste or weariness, in a limitless eternity. More immediately, the
dissolution or untying probably refers to the separationof soul and body. The
band that knit them togetheris broken at death. The soul escapes, andthe
body, meantime, returns to dust. In this view the works of the watch never
stand still. When life from God was first breathed into that immortal being, it
was wound up, once for all, to go for ever. At the shock ofdeath it is severed
from its case offlesh. Outer casement, andfigured dial, and pointed hands, all
remain with us, and all stand still. But these never were the moving springs.
These were shells to protect the tender from injury where the road was rough,
and indices to make the movements palpable to bodily sense;but the vital
motion of the departed spirit continues uninterrupted, unimpeded, in a region
where no violence is dreaded, and no sign to the senses is required.
(W. Arnot, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(23)Having a desire . . .—
Properly, having my own desire for departure. The verb “depart”

corresponds exactlyto the substantive used in 2Timothy 4:6, “The time of my
departure is at hand.” It is itself used only here and in Luke 12:36, “When he
shall return (break up) from the wedding.” The metaphor is drawn either
from “loosing” from the shore of life, or (perhaps better) from striking tents
and breaking up a camp. The body (as in 2Corinthians 5:1) is lookedupon as
a mere tabernacle. Eachday is a march nearer home, and death is the last
striking of the tent on arrival.
To be with Christ.—This is contemplated by St. Paul as the immediate
consequence ofdeath, even while still “out of the body,” and before the great
day. The state of the faithful departed is usually spokenof as one of “rest”
(1Corinthians 15:51-52;1Thessalonians4:14-16;Revelation14:13), although
not without expectationand longing for the consummation of all things
(Revelation6:10-11). Such a condition of rest, and suspensionof conscious
exercise ofspiritual energy, is, indeed, that which human reasonand analogy
would suggest, so far as they can suggestanything on this mysterious subject.
But such passagesas this seemcertainly to imply that this rest is emphatically
a “restin the Lord,” having an inner consciousness ofcommunion with
Christ. His “descentunto Hades,” not only brings out the reality of the unseen
world of souls, but also claims it as His. As on earth and in heaven, so also in
the intermediate state, we are “everwith the Lord;” and that state, though not
yet made perfect, is spiritually far higher than this earthly life. The original
here is an emphatic double comparative, “far, far better.”
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary1:21-26 Deathis a greatloss to a
carnal, worldly man, for he loses allhis earthly comforts and all his hopes; but
to a true believer it is gain, for it is the end of all his weakness andmisery. It
delivers him from all the evils of life, and brings him to possess the chief good.
The apostle's difficulty was not betweenliving in this world and living in
heaven; betweenthese two there is no comparison; but betweenserving Christ
in this world and enjoying him in another. Not betweentwo evil things, but
betweentwo goodthings; living to Christ and being with him. See the power
of faith and of Divine grace;it can make us willing to die. In this world we are
compassedwith sin; but when with Christ, we shall escape sinand temptation,
sorrow and death, for ever. But those who have most reasonto desire to
depart, should be willing to remain in the world as long as God has any work
for them to do. And the more unexpectedmercies are before they come, the
more of God will be seenin them.
Barnes'Notes on the BibleForI am in a strait betwixt two - Two things, each
of which I desire. I earnestlylong to be with Christ; and I desire to remain to

be useful to the world. The word rendered "I am in a strait" - συνέχομαι
sunechomai- means to be pressedon or constrained, as in a crowd; to feel
oneselfpressedor pent up so as not to know what to do; and it here means
that he was in perplexity and doubt, and did not know what to choose. "The
words of the original are very emphatic. They appearto be derived from a
ship when lying at anchor, and when violent winds blow upon it that would
drive it out to sea. The apostle represents himself as in a similar condition. His
strong affectionfor them bound his heart to them - as an anchor holds a ship
to its moorings and yet there was a heavenly influence bearing upon him - like
the gale upon the vessel - which would bear him awayto heaven." Burder, in
Ros. Alt. u. neu. Morgenland, in loc.
Having a desire to depart - To die - to leave this world for a better. People, as
they are by nature, usually dread to die. Few are even made willing to die.
Almost none desire to die - and even then they wish it only as the leastof two
evils. Presseddown by pain and sorrow;or sick and wearyof the world, the
mind may be workedup into a desire to be away. But this with the world is, in
all cases, the result of misanthropy, or morbid feeling, or disappointed
ambition, or an accumulationof many sorrows. Wetsteinhas adduced on this
verse several most beautiful passages fromthe classic writers, in which people
expresseda desire to depart - but all of them probably could be tracedto
disappointed ambition, or to mental or bodily sorrows, orto dissatisfaction
with the world. It was from no such wish that Paul desired to die. It was not
because he hated man - for he ardently loved him. It was not because he had
been disappointed about wealthand honor - for he had sought neither. It was
not because he had not been successful - for no man had been more so. It was
not because he had been subjectedto pains and imprisonments - for he was
willing to bear them. It was not because he was old, and infirm, and a burden
to the world - for, from anything that appears, he was in the vigor of life, and
in the fullness of his strength. It was from a purer, higher motive than any of
these - the strength of attachment which bound him to the Saviour, and which
made him long to be with him.
And to be with Christ - We may remark on this expression:
(1) That this was the true reasonwhy he wished to be away. It was his strong
love to Christ; his anxious wish to be with him; his firm belief that in his
presence was "fulness ofjoy."
(2) Paul believed that the soul of the Christian would be immediately with the
Saviour at death. It was evidently his expectationthat he would at once pass to
his presence, andnot that he would remain in an intermediate state to some
far distant period.

(3) the soul does not sleep at death. Paul expectedto be with Christ, and to be
conscious ofthe fact - to see him, and to partake of his glory.
(4) the soul of the believer is made happy at death. To be with Christ is
synonymous with being in heaven - for Christ is in heaven, and is its glory. We
may add:
(a) that this wish to be with Christ constitutes a marked difference betweena
Christian and other people. Other people may be willing to die; perhaps be
desirous to die, because theirsorrows are so greatthat they feel that they
cannot be borne. But the Christian desires to depart from a different motive
altogether. It is to be with Christ - and this constitutes a broad line of
distinction betweenhim and other people.
(b) A mere willingness to die, or even a desire to die, is no certainevidence of
preparation for death. If this willingness or desire is causedby mere intensity
of suffering; if it is produced by disgust at the world or by disappointment; if
it arises from some view of fancied Elysianfields beyond the grave, it
constitutes no evidence whatever of a preparation for death. I have seennot a
few persons who were not professedChristians on a bed of death, and not a
few willing to die, nay, not a few who wished to depart. But in the vast
majority of instances it was because theywere sick of life, or because their
pain made them sigh for relief, or because they were so wretchedthat they did
not care what happened - and this they and their friends construedinto an
evidence that they were prepared to die! In most instances this is a miserable
delusion; in no case is a mere willingness to die an evidence of preparation for
death.
Which is far better - Would be attended with more happiness; and would be a
higher, holier state than to remain on earth. This proves also that the soulof
the Christian at death is made at once happy - for a state of insensibility can
in no waybe said to be a better condition than to remain in this present world.
The Greek phrase here - πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον pollō mallon kreisson- is
very emphatic, and the apostle seems to labor for language which will fully
convey his idea. It means, "by much more, or rather better," and the sense is,
"better beyond all expression." Doddridge. See numerous examples
illustrating the phrase in Wetstein. Paul did not mean to saythat he was
merely willing to die, or that he acquiescedin its necessity, but that the fact of
being with Christ was a condition greatly to be preferred to remaining on
earth. This is the true feeling of Christian piety; and having this feeling, death
to us will have no terrors.

Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary23. For—The oldestmanuscripts
read, "But." "I know not (Php 1:22), BUT am in a strait (am perplexed)
betwixt the two (namely, 'to live' and 'to die'), having the desire for departing
(literally, 'to loose anchor,'2Ti4:6) and being with Christ; FOR (so the oldest
manuscripts) it is by far better"; or as the Greek, more forcibly, "by far the
more preferable";a double comparative. This refutes the notion of the soul
being dormant during its separationfrom the body. It also shows that, while
he regarded the Lord's advent as at all times near, yet that his death before it
was a very possible contingency. The partial life eternal is in the interval
betweendeath and Christ's secondadvent; the perfectional, at that advent
[Bishop Pearson]. To depart is better than to remain in the flesh; to be with
Christ is far, far better; a New Testamenthope (Heb 12:24), [Bengel].
Matthew Poole's CommentaryForI am in a strait betweentwo; because he
knew not what to choose forthe best, he was held in suspense, Luke 12:50
Acts 18:5, as one drawn both ways with weighty reasons, whichhe amplifies
with respectto himself and the church, that Christ might be honoured in
both: his love to the enjoyment of Christ and the edification of his members
constraining him on eachhand; the former was more delightful to him, and
the latter more profitable for them.
Having a desire to depart; being held not only with a bare inclination, but an
ardent and perpetually active desire, to loose from this clayeytabernacle,
Psalm42:1,2 Ec 12:7 Luke 2:29 12:36 2 Corinthians 5:1,4 2 Timothy 4:6: so to
depart as to abide in a better place.
And to be with Christ; which is far better; upon being absent from the body to
be present with Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:8, in paradise, Luke 23:43 1
Thessalonians 4:17;so to leave the body as to live with and enjoy him in
heaven, is by far much better for me.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleForI am in a strait betwixt two,.... Life
and death; or betweenthese "two counsels",as the Arabic version reads; two
thoughts and desires of the mind, a desire to live for the reasons above, anda
desire to die for a reasonfollowing. The apostle was pressedwith a difficulty
in his mind about this, as David was when he was bid to choose whichhe
would, either seven years'famine, or three months' flight before his enemies,
or three days' pestilence;upon which he said, I am in a great strait, 2 Samuel
24:14;to which passageit is thought the apostle alludes;the same word as
here is used by Christ, Luke 12:50,

having a desire to depart; to die, a way of speaking much in use with the Jews,
as expressive of death; thus Abraham is representedby them speaking after
this manner on accountof his two sons Isaac and Ishmael, the one being
righteous and the other wicked(c),
"says he, if I bless Isaac, lo, Ishmael will seek to be blessed, and he is wicked;
but a servantam I, flesh and blood am I, and tomorrow , "I shall depart out
of the world", or "die"; and what pleases the holy blessedGod himself in his
own world, let him do: "whenAbraham was dismissed" or "departed", the
holy blessedGod appearedto Isaac and blessedhim:
and againit is said (d),
"iniquities are not atoned for, until , "a man is dismissed", or"departs out of
the world";
and once more (e),
"when a man , "departs out of this world"; according to his merit he ascends
above;
See Gill on John 13:1; the same word is used in the Syriac version here; death
is departing out of this life, a going out of the body, a removal out of this
world; it is like moving from one place to another, from the world below to
the world above;with the saints it is no other than a removing from one house
to another, from the earthly house of their tabernacle, the body, to their
Father's house, and the mansions of glory in it, preparing for them. Deathis
not an annihilation of men, neither of soul nor body; it is a separationof them,
but not a destruction of either; it is a dissolution of the union betweenthem
for a while, when both remain in a separate state till the resurrection:now
this the apostle had a desire unto, which was not a new and sudden motion of
mind; it was a thought that had long dwelt with him, and still continued; and
this desire after death was not for the sake ofdeath, for death in itself is a king
of terrors, very formidable and terrible, and not desirable;it is an enemy, the
last enemy that shall be destroyed; it is contrary to nature, and to desire it is
contrary to a first principle in nature, self-preservation;but death is desired
for some other end; wickedmen desire it, and desire others to put an end to
their lives, or do it themselves to free them from some trouble they are in; or
because they are not able to support under a disappointment of what their
ambition or lust have prompted them to: goodmen desire death, though
always when right, with a submissionto the will of God, that they may be rid
of sin, which so much dishonours God as well as distressesthemselves;and
that they may be clothed upon with the shining robes of immortality and
glory; and as the apostle here,

to be with Christ: for the former clause is to be strictly connectedwith this; he
did not desire merely to depart this life, but chiefly to be with Christ, and the
former only in order to the latter; the saints are in Christ now, chosenin him,
setupon his heart, and put into his hands, are createdin him, and brought to
believe in him, and are in him as branches in the vine; and he is in them,
formed in their hearts, lives and dwells in them by faith, and they have
sometimes communion with him in private duties and public worship; he
comes into them and sups with them, and they with him: but this is only at
times, he is as a wayfaring man that continues but for a night; hence the
present state of the saints is a state of absence from Christ; while they are at
home in the body, they are absent from the Lord, especiallyas to his bodily
presence;but after death they are immediately with him, where he is in his
human nature; and their souls in their separate state continue with him till the
resurrectionmorn, when their bodies will be raisedand reunited to their
souls, and be both for ever with him, beholding his glory, and enjoying
uninterrupted communion with him; which will be the completion and full
end of Christ's preparations and prayers: hence it appears that there is a
future being and state after death: the apostle desires to depart this life, and
"be", exist, be somewhere, "withChrist"; for the only happy being after
death is with him; if souls are not with him, they are with devils and damned
spirits, in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: and it is also manifest
that souls do not sleepwith the body in the grave until the resurrection; the
souls of the saints are immediately with Christ, in the enjoyment of his
presence, in happiness and glory, hoping, believing, and waiting for the
resurrectionof their bodies; had the apostle knownthat he must have
remained after death in a state of inactivity and uselessness, deprived of the
communion of Christ and of his church, it would have been no difficulty with
him to determine which was most eligible, to live or die; and it would have
been much better for him, and more to the advantage of the churches, if he
had continued upon earth to this day, than to be sleeping in his grave,
senseless andinactive; whereas he adds,
which is far better: to depart and be with Christ is better than to live in the
flesh in this sinful world, in the midst of a variety of sorrows andtroubles, and
in which communion with Christ is but now and then enjoyed, though such a
life is better than sleeping in the grave;but upon a soul's departure and being
with Christ, it is free from sin and sorrow, and in the utmost pleasure,
enjoying communion with him without interruption; and this is better than
labouring in the ministry: for though no man took more pleasure in the work
of the ministry than the apostle did, and no man's ministry was more

profitable and useful; yet it was toilsome, laborious, and wearisome to the
flesh; wherefore dying and being with Jesus could not but be desirable, since
he should then rest from his labours, and his works would follow him; at least
it was better for him, and so the Syriac version adds, "to me", far better for
me; and so the Arabic: to live longer might be better and more to the
advantage of Christ, the glory of his name, the goodof his churches, it might
be better for others; but leaving the world and being with Christ were better
for him; and this was an argument swaying on the side of death, and inclining
him to desire that, and made it so difficult with him what to choose,
(c) Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 11. fol. 202. 3.((d) Zohar in Numb. fol. 51. 3.((e)
Tzeror Hammor, fol. 2. 1.
Geneva Study BibleForI am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart,
and to be with Christ; which is far better:
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT CommentaryHYPERLINK "/philippians/1-23.htm"Php 1:23.
Respecting the τί αἱρήσομαι οὐ γνωρίζω, Paul expresses himself
Paul’s Desire To Depart
“Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better.”
Philippians 1:23
WE know that death is not the end of our being. By a confident faith we
are persuadedthat better things awaitus in another state. We are speeding
onwards through our brief life like an arrow shot from a bow and we feel
that we shall not drop down at the end of our flight into the dreariness of
annihilation, but we shall find a heavenly targetfar across the flood of
death. The force which impels us onwards is too mighty to be restrained by
death. We have that within us which is not to be accountedfor, if there is
not a world to come and especially, as Believers, we have hopes and desires
and aspirations, which cannotbe fulfilled and which must have been given

us purposely to make us miserable and to tantalize us, if there is not a state
in which everyone of these shall be satisfiedand filled to the brim with joy.
We know, too, that the world into which we shall soonbe ushered is one
which shall never pass away. We have learned full wellby experience that
all things here are but for a season. Theyare things which shall be shaken
and, therefore, will not remain in the day when God shall shake both
Heaven and earth. But equally certain are we that the inheritance which
awaits us in the world to come is eternal and unfailing, and that the cycles
of ages shallnever move it. The on-flowing of eternity itself shall not
diminish its duration. We know that the world to which we go is not to be
measuredby leagues, noris the life thereof to be calculatedby centuries.
Well does it become everyone of us, then, professing the Christian name, to
be questioning ourselves as to the view which we take of the world to come.
It may be there are some of you now present who callyourselves Believers,
who look into a future state with shuddering and awe. Possiblythere may
be but few here who have attained to the position of the Apostle, when he
could say, that he had a desire to depart and to be with Christ. I take it that
our view of our owndeath is one of the readiesttokens by which we may
judge of our own spiritual condition. When men feardeath it is not certain
that they are wicked, but it is quite certainthat if they have faith it is in a
very weak and sicklycondition. When men desire death we may not rest
assuredthat they are therefore righteous, for they may desire it for wrong
reasons. Butif for right reasons they are panting to enter into another
state, we may gather from this not only that their minds are right with
God, but that their faith is sanctified and that their love is fervent.
I hope that the service of this morning may have the effectof leading every
one of us to self-examination. I shall endeavorwhile preaching to search
myself and I pray that eachone of you may be led to hear for himself and I
beseechyou to put home eachpertinent and personalquestion to your own
souls, while in a quiet, but I hope in a forcible manner, I shall endeavor to
describe the Apostle’s feelings in prospectof departure. Three things I
shall observe this morning. First of all, the Apostle’s description of death.
Secondly, his desire for it and thirdly, the reasons whichjustified such a
desire.
1. THE APOSTLE’S DESCRIPTIONOF DEATH. We are to
understand this, of course, as being a description not of the death of the
wicked, but of the death of the righteous. And you will remark the Apostle
does not callit an arrest. In the death of the wicked, the sheriff’s officerof
justice does lay his clay-coldhand upon the man’s shoulder and he is his

prisoner forever. The sergeant-at-arms in the name of the justice which has
been incensed, puts the fetters about his wrists and conducts him to the
prison of despair and everlasting torment.
In the Christian’s case, however, there is no such thing as an arrest, for
there is no one that can arresthim. We sometimes talk of death arresting
the Believerin the midst of his career, but we misuse terms. Who shall
arresta man againstwhom there is neither conviction nor accusation?
Who is he that condemns the man for whom Christ has died? No, further,
who shall so much as lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? How, then,
can the Christian be arrested? It is no such thing. It is an arrestof the
ungodly, but not of the Believer.
Nor does Paul speak ofthe Believer’s death as being a sudden plunge. This
is a proper description of the death of the ungodly. He stands upon the
brink of a precipice and beneath him there is a yawning and bottomless
gulf. Through thick darkness he must descendand into it his unwilling
spirit must take a desperate leap. Not so the Believer. His is no leap
downwards–itis a climbing upwards. He has his footupon the first rung of
the ladder and joyful is the hour when his Mastersays unto him, “Come up
higher. Ascend to another guest-chamberand here feastupon richer
dainties than those I have given you below.” Yes, it is no leap in the dark. It
is no plunge into a cold sea–itis simply a departure.
Let me describe what I think the Apostle means by the figure of a
departure. Many deaths are precededby a long seasonofsicknessand then
I think we might picture them by the departure of a ship from its
moorings. There lies the ship in its haven. There is a friend of yours about
to journey awayto some distant clime. You will never see his face againin
the flesh. He is going to emigrate. He will find a home in another, and he
hopes, a happier land. You stand upon the shore. You have given him the
last embrace. The mother has given her sonthe lastkiss, the friend has
shakenhim by the hand for the lasttime and now the signalis given.
The anchoris takenup. The rope which held the ship to the shore is loosed
and lo, the ship is moving and she floats outward towards the sea. You
look, you still wave your hand as you see the ship departing. Your friend
stands on some prominent spot on the deck and there he waves his
handkerchief to the last. But the most sharp-sighted of friends in such
scenes must lose sightof one another. The ship floats on. You just now
catcha sight of the sails, but with the strongesttelescope youcannot
discoveryour friend. He is gone–itis his departure. Weep as you may, you
cannot bring him back again. Your sorrowfultears may mingle with the

flood that has carriedhim away, but they cannotentice a single wave to
restore him to you.
Now even so is the death of many a Believer. His ship is quietly moored in
its haven. He is calmly lying upon his bed. You visit him in his chamber.
Without perturbation of spirit he bids you farewell. His grip is just as
hearty as he shakes your hand, as ever it was in the best hour of his health.
His voice is still firm and his eyes are still bright. He tells you he is going to
another and a better land. You sayto him, “ShallI sing to you”–
“Begoneunbelief, my Savior is near”?
“Oh, no” says he, “sing me no such a hymn as that–sing me–
“Jerusalemmy happy home,
Name ever dear to me,
When shall my labors have an end
In joy and peace and you?”
He bids you a last farewell. You see him for a little seasonevenafter that,
although he is too far gone again to address you. It may be a partial
insensibility seizes hold of him. He is like a ship that is just going out of
sight. You look at his lips and as you bow down your ear, you can catch
some faint syllables of praise. He is talking to himself of that precious Jesus
who is still his joy and hope. You watch him till the last heaving breath has
left the body and you retire with the sweetreflectionthat His Spirit on a
glassysea has floatedjoyously to its post. Thus the Believer’s death is a
departure. There is no sinking in the wave. There is no destruction of the
vessel–itis a departure. He has gone. He has sailed over a calm and quiet
sea and he is gone to a better land.
At other times deaths are more sudden and are not heralded by protracted
sickness. The man is in health and he is suddenly snatchedawayand the
place which knew him once knows him no more forever. I am about to use
a figure which will seemto you extremely homely and certainly could not
be classical.I remember to have been once a spectatorin a sorrowful scene.
A company of villagers, the younger branches of a family, were about to
emigrate to another land. The agedmother who had not for some years left
her cottage andher fireside, came to the railway station from which they
must start on their departure. I stoodamong the sorrowful group as a
friend and minister. I think I see the many embraces which the fond
mother gave to her sonand daughter and the little ones, her grand-
children.

I see them even now folding their arms about her agedneck and then
bidding farewellto all the friends in the village who had come to bid them
adieu. And well I remember her, who was about to lose the props of her
household. A shrill sound is heard, as if it were the messengerofdeath–it
sends a pang through all hearts. In greathaste at the small village station
the passengers are hurried to their seats Theythrust their heads out of the
carriage window. The agedparent stands on the very edge of the platform
that she may take the lastlook. There is a sound from the engine and away
goes she had been accommodatedand jumping from the platform, rushed
alone the railway with all her might, crying, “My children! My children!
My children! They are gone and I shall never see them again.”
The figure may not be classical, but nevertheless I have been reminded of it
by many a death. When I have seenthe godly suddenly snatchedaway–no
time to watch them–they are gone, swift as the wind itself could bear them,
as if the hasty waves of the sea had buried them out of sight. It is our
affliction and our trouble, and we must stand behind and weep, for they
are gone beyond recall. Regardless, there is something pleasantin the
picture. It is but a departure. They are not destroyed. They are not blown
to atoms, they are not taken awayto prison. It is but a departure from one
place to another. They still live. They still are blessed.
While we weepthey are rejoicing. While we mourn they are singing Psalms
of praise. Remember this, my Brethren, in the apparel of mourning and, if
you have lostfriends of late, this may tend to console yourspirits. Death to
a Believeris but a departure, yet what a departure it is! Canyou and I
think calmly of it? The time must come when I must depart from wife and
children and from house and home, when I must depart from everything
that is dear to me on earth. The time is coming to you, oh rich Christian,
when you must depart from all the comforts of your estate, from all the
luxuries of your household, from all the enjoyments which your rank
confers upon you.
And oh, poor Christian, lover of your home, the time is coming when you
must depart from your cot, homely though it is, still dear unto you. You
must leave the place of your toil and the sanctuary of your rest. We must
mount as on eagle’s wings far from this world. We must bid adieu to its
greenfields as well as its dreary streets. We must sayfarewellto its blue
skies and to its dusky clouds–farewellto foe and friend–farewellto all we
have, alike to trial and to joy. But blessedbe God, it is not the last look of a
criminal condemned to die, it is the farewellof one who departs to another
and a happier land.

The Apostle’s description of death, however, is not finished. He has here
only pictured that which is visible. We now come to notice his description
of the invisible part of death–
“In vain the fancy strives to paint
The moment after death–
The glories which surround the saint
When yielding up his breath.
This much–and this is all we know,
They are supremely blest,
Have done with sin and care and woe,
And with their Saviorrest.”
This is preciselythe Apostle’s description of the state of the Believerafter
death. They depart–yes, but where? To be with Christ. Just observe how
quickly these scenes follow eachother. The sail is spread. The soul is
launched upon the deep. How long will be its voyage? How many wearying
winds must beat upon the sail before it shall be reefedin the port of peace?
How often shall that soul be tossedupon the waves before it comes to the
sea that knows no storm? Oh tell it, tell it everywhere–yonship that has
just departed is already at its haven. It did but spread its sail and it was
there. Like the old ship on the lake of Galilee, there was a storm that tossed
it, but Jesus said, “Peace, be still,” and immediately it came to land.
Yes, think not that there is a long period betweenthe instant of death and
the eternity of glory. There is not so much as space for the intervening of a
lightning’s flash. One gentle sigh, the fetter breaks, we scarce cansayit is
gone before the ransomed spirit takes its mansion near the throne. We
depart, we are with Christ. More quickly than I can say the words, swifter
than speechcanexpress them they become true. They depart and they are
with Christ. The same instant they have closedtheir eyes on earth they
have opened them in Heaven.
And what is this invisible part of death? “To be with Christ.” Who can
comprehend this but the Christian? It is a Heaven which the worldling
cares not for. If he could have it, be would not pawn his meanestlust to
gain it. To be with Christ is to him a thing of nothing, as gold and silver are
of no more value to little children than the pieces ofplatter with which they
will amuse themselves. So Heaven and being with Christ is of no value to
the childish sons of earthly mirth. They know not what a mass of glory is
crowdedinto that one sentence, “To be with Christ.”

To the Believerwho understands it, it means, first, vision. “Your eyes shall
see Him.” I have heard of Him and though I have not seenHis face,
unceasinglyI have adored Him. But I shall see Him. Yes, we shall actually
gaze upon the exaltedRedeemer. Think of it! Is there not a young Heaven
within it? You shall see the hand that was nailed for you. You shall kiss the
very lips that said, “I thirst.” You shall see the thorn-crowned head–and
bow with all the blood-washedthrong–you, the chief of sinners–shalladore
Him who washedyou in His blood, when you shall have a vision of His
glory!
Faith is precious but what must sight be? To view Jesus as the Lamb of
God through the glass of faith makes the soul rejoice with joy unspeakable.
But oh, to see Him face to face, to look into those dear eyes!To be
embracedby those Divine arms–rapture begins at the very mention of it!
While I speak of Him, my soul is like the chariots of Amminadib and I
desire to depart and to be with Him. But what must the vision be when the
veil is takenfrom His face and the dimness from our eyes and when we
shall talk with Him even as a man talks with his friend? It is not only
vision, it is communion. We shall walk with Him, He shall walk with us, He
shall speak to us and we shall speak to Him! All that the spouse desiredin
Solomon’s Song, we shall have and ten thousand times more.
Then will the prayer be fulfilled, “Let Him kiss me with the kissesofHis
lips, for His love is better than wine.” Then we shall be able to say, “His left
hand is under my head and His right hand does embrace me.” Then will
He tell us His love. Then will He rehearse the ancientstory of the
Everlasting Covenant, of His electionof us by His own true love, of His
betrothal of us through His boundless affection, of His purchase of us by
His rich compassion, ofHis preservationof us by His Omnipotence and of
His bringing us safe at last to Glory as the result of His promise and His
blood. And then will we tell Him of our love, then into His ear will we pour
out the song of gratitude, a song such as we have never sung on earth,
unmixed and pure, full of serenityand joy, no groans to mar its melody! A
song rapt and seraphic, like the flaming sonnets which flash from burning
tongues above. Happy, happy, happy day, when vision and communion
shall be ours in fullness! “To be with Christ which is far better.”
Nor is this all, it means fruition of Christ. Here we look and long to taste,
or if we taste, it is but a sip and we long to drink to the full. Here we are
like Israelin the wilderness, who had but one cluster from Eschol. There
we shall be in the vineyard. Here do we have the manna falling small, like
corianderseed–there shallwe eatthe bread of Heaven and the old corn of

the kingdom. We have sometimes on earth, lusts, ungratified desires that
lack satisfaction–butthere the lust shall be slain and the desire shall be
satiated. There shall be nothing we canwant. Every powershall find the
sweetestemployment in that eternal world of joy. There will be a full and
lasting fruition of Christ and last of all upon this point there shall be a
sharing with Christ in His glory and that forever.
“We shall see Him,” yes and let us have the next sentence and “shallbe like
He when we shall see Him as He is.” Oh Christian, predate Heaven for a
few years!Within a very little time you shall be rid of all your trials and
your troubles–your aching head shall be girt with a crown of glory, your
poor panting heart shall find its rest and shall be satisfiedwith fullness as it
beats upon the breastof Christ! Your hands that now toil shall know no
harder labor than harp-strings can afford. Your eyes now suffused with
tears shall weepno longer. You shall gaze in ineffable rapture upon the
splendor of Him who sits upon the Throne. No, more–upon His Throne
shall you sit. He is King of kings, but you shall reign with Him. He is a
priest after the order of Melchisedek, but you shall be a priest with Him!
Oh rejoice!The triumph of His glory shall be sharedby you. His crown,
His joy, His Paradise, these shallbe yours and you shall be co-heir with
Him who is the heir of all things. Does not this very description of the
unseen part of death stir up in the heart of the Believera longing “to
depart and to be with Christ which is far better”?
II. I have thus, as well as I was able, spokenupon the first part. And now
my Friends, let us considerTHE APOSTLE’S DESIRE. How differently
do men regard death. We have seenmen shriek at the prospectof it. I have
seenthe man driven to madness when the skeletonking has staredhim in
the face. Pacing up and down his chamber he has declaredwith many a
curse and imprecation that he would not and could not die–shrieking so
that you could scarcelybearhis company. He has lookedforward to death
as the concentrationof all despair and agonyand he has vainly strived,
with all his might, not to die. When he felt at last that death was stronger
than he and that he must get a desperate fall in the struggle–thenhas he
beganto shriek and to cry in such a strain that scarce demons themselves
could excelthe despair concentratedin eachshriek.
Others have we seenwho have met death somewhatmore calmly. Biting
their lips and setting fast their teeth, they have endeavoredto keepup
appearances,evenin the lastmoment, but they have endured the inward
suffering, betrayed to us most plainly by the staring eyes and the awful
look. Others, too, we have seen, who, callous through sin, totally deserted

by God’s Spirit and given up to a searedconscience–have gone to their
death with idiot resignation. They have even played the madman yet more
fully and have tried to brag and bully even in the jaws of Hell. Many
Christians, have we met–true Believers–whocango so far as to say they
were willing to die. Please God, wheneverthe solemn hour should come,
they were prepared to go up to their chamber and stretchthemselves upon
their bed and say, “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace.”
But the Apostle had gone further than they. He said he had a desire to
depart and the desire was a strong one. The Greek wordhas much force in
it. He pants, he longs to be gone. I might paraphrase it by one of the verses
of an old hymn–
“To Jesus, the crown of my hope,
My soulis in haste to be gone.”
He desired not to get awayfrom earth for he loved to serve his Master, but
he desired to be with Christ, which he declaredto be far better. I ask you if
you were in Paul’s condition would not such a desire contain the very
fullness of wisdom? There is a ship at sea, fully laden. It has a precious
cargo ofgold on board. Happy is the kingdom that shall receive the wealth
which is containedwithin its hold. Would you not, if you were a possessor
of such a vessel, long to be safe in port? The empty ship needs scarcelyfear
the waterfor what has she to lose? If it casts its ballastinto the sea, whatis
it the poorer? But when the ship is full of treasure, well may the captain
long to see it safelymoored.
Now Paul was full of faith and love. He could say, “I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith.” And what wonder, therefore, that he was
longing to be safely anchoredat home. So the soldier, who in the midst of
battle has smitten down foe after foe, knows that a high reward awaits him.
He has chargedupon the enemy and driven them back in many a desperate
struggle. He has already been victor. Do you wonder he wishes the fight
now were over, that his laurels may be safe? If he had played the coward
he might long that the campaign should be protracted, that he might
redeem his disgrace. But having so far fought with honor he may well
desire that the garment rolled in blood, may be rolled up forever.
Yes! And so was it with the Apostle. He had fought a goodfight and knew
that the crown was laid up for him in Heaven and he anticipated the
triumph which Christ would give him. And panting and longing, he said, “I
have a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better.” Upon
this point I am constrainedto be brief, because the next division involves

the whole matter and upon this, I would be somewhatlonger. And may
God grant that what I shall say upon it may be impressive.
III. PAUL’S REASONS FOR LONGING TO DEPART. There have been–
it is the part of candor to admit it–there have been other men besides
Christians who have longedto die. There is the suicide who, mad, from
life’s history hangs to be hurled, even though Hell receive him. Tired of all
life’s troubles he thinks he sees a way to escape from his toil and from his
sorrow through the grim gate of death. He stains his hand with his own
blood and red with his own gore appears before his Maker. Ah Fool, to
leap from one evil to a myriad! Ah, Madman, to plunge from little streams
of woe into an unfathomable gulf of agony! There can be no more absurd,
revolting, and insensible act, than for a man to take awayhis own life.
Setting aside the horrors of crime that surround it, how foolishis the
attempt to escape by rushing into the very midst of danger!
The ostrichwho buries her head in the sand and when she cannot see the
hunter thinks the hunter cannot see her, is sensible and wise compared
with such a man, who, rushing into the very thick of the battle hopes in this
way to escape from his enemy. How can it be, you foolishman? The stream
is too deep for you already and insteadof seeking to find a shore by faith in
God, do you seek the center of the stream that you may get a firmer footing
there? Oh foolish generationand unwise, “Put up your swordinto your
scabbardand do yourself no harm,” for harm you will do if you rush into a
greaterevil to escapethe lesser.
There have been other men, who with a so-calledphilosophic spirit, have
desired to die. Some men are sick altogetherof mankind. They have met
with so many ungrateful and deceitful wretches that they say, “Let me get
rid of them all–
‘Oh for a lodge in some vast wilderness,
Where rumor of oppression never more
May reachmine ear.’ "
And they have thought to find this lodge in the wilderness of death. And so
they long for the wings of a dove to flee away them. The Apostle loved his
race. He was no man-hater. He could say that he loved them all and thus he
had prayed for them all and had carried them in the heart of Christ
continually to the throne of mercy.
Others, too, have thought by getting out of the world they should getrid of
their disappointments. They have struggled very hard to getrich, or they
have strived for fame and they have not succeeded, in their ambitious

designs and then they have said, “Let me die.” Now the Apostle was never
disappointed in seeking wealthfor he never caredfor it. He had no desires
whateverbeyond food and raiment. He wished for nothing more and as for
rank, that he utterly despised. He did tread beneath his feet as the mire of
the streets allthe honors that man could give him. Nor was the Apostle in
any sense a disappointed man. He had sought to spread his Master’s fame
and he had done it. He had a standard to plant and right wellhad he
planted it. He had a Gospelto preachand he did preach it everywhere with
all his might. He was a singularly happy man and therefore he had no such
cowardlyreasons for desiring to depart.
Others, too, have saidthat they wished to depart because oftheir great
suffering. Now the Apostle thought of no such dastardly flight. He was
ready for all weathers. He had been beaten with rods. He had been stoned.
He had been shipwrecked. But he could say, “None of these things move
me, neither count I my life dear unto me.” He did not wish to escape from
persecution. He rejoicedin it. He had often sung a hymn in prison, besides
that hymn which he had sung with Silas for his companion. He had often
shouted in the prospectof the block or the flames. Nor did he wish to die
because ofold age, for he was not an agedman when he wrote this Epistle.
He was just then, I suppose, in full vigorous health and though in prison I
do think that an angel might have ransackedthe whole world before he
could have found a happier man than the Apostle Paul–fora man’s
happiness consists notin the wealthwhich he possesses. In the bare
dungeons of Rome, Paul, the tent maker, had a glory about him which
Nero never had in all his palaces. And there was a happiness there to which
Solomonin all his glory never had attained. So then, the desire of Paul to
depart is for these reasons far superior to the desire of the mere
philosopher, or of the disappointed worldling.
What, then, made Paul wish to depart? I shall put it thus–the same reasons
prompt the desires of every true Believer. But they canhave no power
whateverwith many here, who have no desire to depart–because foryou to
die would be not happiness and bliss, but an eternal weightof misery. First,
the Apostle felt a desire to depart because he knew that in departing and
being with Christ he should be cleanrid of sin. Paul hated sin. Every true
Believerdoes the same. There have been times with us, Brothers and
Sisters, whenwe could say, “Oh, wretchedman that I am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death?”
Sin has been our plague. Like righteous Lot in Sodom, the sins of others
have vexed us. But, alas, we have had to bear a Sodomin our own hearts,

which has vexed us still more. As to the trials and troubles of this world,
they are nothing at all to the Believercomparedwith the annoyance of sin.
Could he getrid of his unbelief, of his murmuring disposition, of his hasty
temper–could he getrid of the various temptations of Satan, could he be
cleanand pure and perfect, he would be thoroughly satisfied. And this
made the Apostle long to depart. “Oh,” said he to himself, one Baptism in
the streamof death and I am perfect–but to pass the chill and dreary
stream and I shall stand–without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing–before
the Throne of God."
The dog of Hell shall follow us to the very edge of Jordan, but he cannot
swim that stream. The arrows of temptation will be shot at us as long as we
are here, but on the other side of Jordan these darts can never wound us
again. Rejoice, then, Believer, in the prospect of death, because in dying
you are once and for all cleanrid of sin! When I lay down this body I have
laid down every infirmity and every lust and every temptation–and when
clothed upon with that house which is from Heaven, I have girt about my
loins perfection and unsullied purity.
But oh–you that believe not in Christ–you do not desire to die for such a
reasonas this. For you there is no such a prospect. For you to die will be
but to plunge deeperinto sin. You sin now and when you die your spirit
will descendto Hell, where, in the midst of fit companions, whose guilt is
ripened, you shall spend an eternity in oaths and curses and blasphemies.
O Sinner! Today you sow your sins in the furrows and when you die you
shall reap the harvest. Today you break the clods, today you work in the
husbandry of iniquity, then there shall be a shouting of an awful harvest
home. When presseddown with the sheaves ofyour sins, Divine justice
shall bring forth the harvest of misery and torment to you. You have
reasonenoughto long to live, because for you to die is to reap the reward
of your iniquities.
Again–Paullonged to die for another reason, because he knew that as soon
as he should depart he would meet his Brethren in faith who had gone
before. This desire also prompts you and me. I long to see, though it is but
a few hours since we have losttheir society, those two sisters and the dear
brother who during this week have departed in Christ. Worshipping
among us but a few days ago, it seems a strange thing to talk of them as
being in Heaven. But there they are, far from the reachof mortal vision. At
our departure we shall see them. It was our happiness to see them not long
before their departure and to mark it down as one of the notables of our
life, that these three, all of them alike died in quiet peace singing

themselves into Heaven, never staying their song, so long as memory and
breath held out. We shall see them. But we have others we are longing for.
Some of you may remember the departed wife, scarce coldwithin her
grave. Many of you look back to dear little ones taken awayin their
infancy, carried off to their father’s God. Many of you remember aged
parents–those that taught you in the wayof God. The mother from whose
lips you learned the first verse of Scripture and the father upon whose
arms you were carried for the first time up to the House of God. They are
gone. But the joyous reflection remains that we are going in the same
direction and that we shall meet them soon. Some of us can look back
through generations and trace our pedigree through the saints and we are
longing for the time when the whole band of us, those who have gone in
olden times and those who remain may sing togetherthat new song of
praise to our common God. Beloved, we have high joys in prospect–we
shall soonjoin the generalassemblyand Church of the first-born, whose
names are written in Heaven.
Our companions now are but poor and despised, but we shall soonbe
Brethren with princes. Moseswho was king in Jeshurun and David who
ruled over Israel, shall not be ashamedto callus Brethren, for the highest
himself shall acknowledge us and He that on the Throne does sit shall lead
us unto living fountains of waters and in His gracious fellowshipshall wipe
awayall tears from off our faces. I think that the company of Apostles and
Prophets and holy martyrs and confessors,who have gone before, will be a
very sweetpart of the bliss of the redeemed. And all this may make us pant
to depart.
But O, you ungodly ones! You who have never been convertedand who
fear not God, this hope is not for you. You must go to your own place. And
where must you go? To your drunk companions damned before you? Must
you go down to the pit with harlots and with the profane? Where to, where
to, you carelessman, you lover of sin? Where are you going when you die?
Your answermight well be this doleful ditty–“I am going to be the guestof
devils. I am going to feastwith fiends. I am going to abide with murderers
and whoremongers andadulterers and with such as God has condemned.
These must be my companions forever.”
Methinks I see the wheat of God standing in the valley every year, about to
be gathered into the garner of Heaven in its own place and yonder I see the
tares and what is the messageforthem? “Gatherup the tares and bind
them in bundles to burn them.” And who knows in what bundle you may
be? You may be bound up in the same bundle with murderers and suicides.

Yes, the men that you despise may be your companions in the bundle of the
wicked. The drunkard and the swearer, whomsome of you supposedly
goodpeople look down upon with scorn, may be your bundle companions,
your bed-fellows forever when you make your bed in Hell and abide in
everlasting torment.
But lastof all, Paul’s grand reasonfor desiring to depart was to be with
Christ. Again I say, simple though the words be–to be with Christ–have all
Heaven condensedin them. Like the sounding of the silver trumpet of
jubilee rings this precious sentence, “to be with Christ.” Like the harps of
the glorified–like the singing of the redeemed, like the hallelujahs of
Paradise, does this ring upon my ears, “To be with Christ.” Lift up your
voices, you seraphim! Tune your hearts anew, you seraphs!Shout for joy
you blood-washed–butyour loudest strains cannot excelthe thundering
glory of this magnificent but brief sentence, “to be with Christ, which is far
better.”
This, my Beloved–this shall wellrepay the tiresome pilgrimage of life. This
reward shall be sufficient for all our contests with temptation, for all the
shame we have endured in following Christ, in the midst of a wicked
generation. This, this shall be all the Heaven that our largestdesires shall
crave. This immensity of bliss shall stretchacross eternity.
But O unbeliever, what have you to do with such a hope as this? You
cannot desire to depart and to be with Christ, for what is Christ to you?
Today you despise Him. The Man of Sorrow you esteemnot. Jesus of
Nazarethyou do not regard. He is preachedto you every Sabbath Day, but
you despise Him. With many tears have I presentedHim to you, but you
have shut your heart againstHim. He has knockedatyour door and there
He stands shivering even now, but you will not admit Him. Beware,you
that despise Jesus, forin another world you shall see Him after another
fashion. You, too, shall be with Him, but it shall be but for an instant–
summoned before His bar, draggedreluctantly to His dread tribunal, you
shall see Him Whom you despise. You shall see Him and not another.
But oh, with what astonishmentwill you behold Him and what amazement
shall seize upon you! You shall see him, but no longer as the humble man!
His eyes shall be as flames of fire. Out of His mouth shall go a two-edged
sword. About Him shall be wrapped “the rainbow wreath and robes of
storm,” and He shall speak in louder tones than the noise of many waters
and in greatthundering shall He address you, “Departyou cursedinto
everlasting fire in Hell, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Oh“Kiss the
Son, lest He be angry and you perish from the way when His wrath is

kindled but a little.” Oh, go to your houses. May God the Spirit draw you
to your chambers and may you there be led to fall upon your knees, confess
your guilt and humbly seek forpardon, through that precious blood which
flows freely this day and which will freely give pardon to you if with all
your heart you seek it.
May God’s Spirit lead you to seek thatyou may find and may you and I
and all of us, in the day of our departure, see the land before us–the happy
shore of Heaven. May we know that as our vesselsails from earth it shall
only take a hasty voyage “to be with Christ which is far better.” God the
Spirit visit you now, God the Son bless you, God the Fatherremember you,
through Jesus. Amen.
[The absence ofthe regular reporter is the publishers' apologyfor the
incorrectness ofthis sermon. Mr. SPURGEON has found it utterly
impossible to recallthe words which he uttered and which many of his
hearers declare to have been attended with peculiar power.]
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Philippians 1:22-24 Commentary
Philippians 1 Resources
Updated: Fri, 05/19/2017 -14:55 By admin
PREVIOUS NEXT
Philippians 1:22. But if I am to live (PAN) on in the flesh, this will mean
fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose (NASB:Lockman)
Greek:ei de to zen (PAN) en sarki, touto moi karpoHYPERLINK
"http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=2590"sergou;kai
ti haHYPERLINK
"http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=138"iresomai
(1SFMI)ou gnorizo. (1SPAI)

Amplified: If, however, it is to be life in the flesh and I am to live on
here, that means fruitful service for me; so I cansay nothing as to my
personalpreference [I cannot choose],(Amplified Bible - Lockman)
NLT: Yet if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ. I really don't
know which is better. (NLT - Tyndale House)
Wuest: But if for me [continued] life in this physical existence be my lot,
this very thing [namely, continued life on earth] is that in which the
fruit of my ministry will be involved and is the condition of that fruit
being produced. Then what I shall prefer for myself I do not know.
Young's Literal: And if to live in the flsh is to me a fruit of work, then
what shall I choose?I know not;
But if I am to live on in the flesh: de to zen (PAN) en sarki:
• 2 Co 10:3; Gal2:20; 1Pe 4:2
But - See discussionofimportance of observing and querying terms of
contrast. What is Paul contrasting?
Dwight Edwards - And so Paul expands upon the options of life or death. If he
continues his sojourn on earth--"But if I live on in the flesh"--then he sees itas
an opportunity to bear more fruit through ministry. Again we see Paul's strict
singlemindedness (the mind of Christ)--he saw himself as an instrument for
the unleashing of God's glory as long as time permitted (cf Acts 9:15).
However, this unleashing would be a costly process--"fruitfrom my labor"--
and the prospectof leaving the battlefront and going home was appealing
indeed. So appealing, in fact, that he adds, "yet what I shall choose, I cannot
tell (lit.--I do not know)."
Brian Bill - As Paul contemplates his future, he recognizes thatif he continues
to live, others will benefit: “this will mean fruitful labor.”
Flesh(sarx) here refers not to one’s fallen humanness (Ro 7:18, 7:5) but to
physical life ("we walk in the flesh" - not the fallen flesh nature, but the
physical body which is neutral - 2Cor10:3-note; Gal 2:20-note;1Pe 4:2-note).
Paul is referring here to remaining in this world.
The following discussionis adapted from W E Vine's discussionof the various
meaning of sarx in the New Testament. The specific meaning of any Greek
word is always determined by the context and that principle is especially
critical in correctlyinterpreting the meaning of sarx.

Fleshaccording to W E Vine "has a wider range of meaning in the NT than in
the OT." The following summary of NT is basedprimarily on W E Vine's
analysis but has additional notes obtained from a variety of sources too
numerous to mention...
(a) The substance of the body. The material that covers the bones of a
human or animal body. Whether of beasts or of men.
"All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one [flesh] of men, and
another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish."
(1Co15:39)Paulspeaks ofthe amazing variety of earthly bodies God
has made. We need only look around us to see the virtually infinite
assortmentof createdbeings and things. The flesh of men is absolutely
distinct from the flesh of beasts, the flesh of birds, and the flesh of fish.
In short, all flesh is not of the same kind. In context Paul is saying that if
God is able to make different kinds of bodies for men, animals, birds,
and fish, why can He not make a different kind of body for us at the
resurrection? He has arrangedall things in nature in the differing
degrees ofglory and so has powerto bring about the state of glory to be
manifested in the resurrectedbodies of believers. Note:Differences in
degrees ofglory in the believer's glorified bodies is not in view.
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longerI who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh (in this
physical human body) I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me,
and delivered Himself up for me." (Gal2:20)
(b) “the human body,” 2 Cor. 10:3a;Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:22; (c) by
synecdoche, of“mankind,” in the totality of all that is essentialto
manhood, i.e., spirit, soul, and body, Matt. 24:22;John 1:13; Rom. 3:20;
(d) by synecdoche, of“the holy humanity” of the Lord Jesus, in the
totality of all that is essentialto manhood, i.e., spirit, soul, and body
John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7, in Heb. 5:7, “the days of
His flesh,” i.e., His past life on earth in distinction from His present life
in resurrection; (e) by synecdoche, for “the complete person,” John
6:51-57;2 Cor. 7:5; Jas. 5:3; (f) “the weakerelementin human nature,”
Matt. 26:41;Rom. 6:19; 8:3a; (g) “the unregenerate state ofmen,” Rom.
7:5; 8:8, 9; (h) “the seatof sin in man” (but this is not the same thing as
in the body), 2 Pet. 2:18; 1 John 2:16; (i) “the lowerand temporary
element in the Christian,” Gal. 3:3; 6:8, and in religious ordinances,
Heb. 9:10 (j) “the natural attainments of men,” 1 Cor. 1:26; 2 Cor. 10:2,
3b; (k) “circumstances,” 1 Cor. 7:28; the externals of life, 2 Cor. 7:1;
Eph. 6:5; Heb. 9:13; (1) by metonymy, “the outward and seeming,” as

contrastedwith the spirit, the inward and real, John 6:63; 2 Cor. 5:16;
(m) “natural relationship, consanguine,” 1 Cor. 10:18; Gal. 4:23, or
marital, Matt. 19:5.” Adapted and modified from Vine's Expository
Dictionary
Metonymy: the substitution of a word referring to an attribute for the
thing that is meant, as for example the use of the crown to refer to a
monarch. This is a figure of speechin which an attribute of a thing or
something closelyrelatedto it is substituted for the thing itself. Thus,
“sweat”canmean “hard labor,” and “CapitolHill” represents the U.S.
Congress.Another example is "The White House denied the
allegations,”whichuses White House to mean the president or his
staff."
Synecdoche:a figure of speechin which a part is substituted for a whole
or a whole for a part, as in 50 head of cattle for 50 cows. It represents an
indirect mode of expression, often used in rhetoric, whereby the whole is
put for the part, or the part for the whole. Typical examples of this
figure of speechoccurring in the Bible are “for they have come under
the shelterof my roof [my house]” (Ge19:18), and“How beautiful upon
the mountains are the feet of him [the messenger]who brings good
tidings” (Isa52:7). "The house was built by 40 hands" for "The house
was built by 20 people." In this figure of speecha part is put for the
whole (as fifty sailfor fifty ships), the whole for a part (as societyfor
high society), the species forthe genus (as cutthroat for assassin), the
genus for the species (as a creature for a man), or the name of the
material for the thing made (as boards for stage)Synecdoche represents
a more inclusive term is used for a less inclusive term, or vice versa, as
in “Brazil lost the soccergame,”whichmeans that a soccerteamfrom
Brazil lost the game. In the expression “all hands on deck,” “hands”
stands for the whole person.
This will mean fruitful labor for me: touto moi karpos ergou:
• Ps 71:18; Is 38:18;38:19
This - Remaining earthbound. Paul saw his purpose clearly -- to bear fruit for
God's glory. We should do the same. It is so easyto getcaught up in the
world's attractions with the result that our truth purpose for being here
becomes blurred.
John MacArthur explains that "Fruitful labor is the work of the Lord, which
the Holy Spirit always blesses.When“the word of truth, the gospel” is
faithfully proclaimed it will be “constantlybearing fruit and increasing” (Col.

1:5–6;cf. Phil. 1:15–18). Paulis not, of course, speaking ofgoodworks by
which men vainly hope to redeem themselves. All human works are powerless
to save and actually vitiate the gracious, redeeming work of Christ (Ro 3:20–
22, 28; 4:1–5;Gal. 2:16–21;Eph. 2:7–9). He is rather speaking of the Spirit-
empoweredfruitful labor for which we are “createdin Christ Jesus, [the]
goodworks which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”
(Eph. 2:10). It is the fruit of “Godwho is at work in you, both to will and to
work for His goodpleasure” (Phil. 2:13). Spiritual fruit encompassesthe
Spirit-directed and Spirit-empowered motives and behavior built on the
foundation of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11). It can be divided into several
categories. Attitudinal fruit includes the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22–23);
actionfruit consists of righteous deeds (cf. Phil. 1:11); fruit also includes
converts (cf. Rom. 1:13). (Philippians Commentary)
Fruitful (2590)(karpos)is used in its literal sense to refer to fruit, produce or
offspring, which describes that which is produced by the inherent energyof a
living organism. Karpos is what something naturally produces. Karpos refers
to that which originates or comes from something producing an effect or
result (benefit, advantage, profit, utility). Figuratively, karpos is used of the
consequence ofphysical, mental, or spiritual action. In the NT the figurative
(metaphorical) uses predominate and this is particularly true in the Gospels,
where human actions and words are viewedas fruit growing out of a person's
essentialbeing or character.
Scripture describes 3 generalkinds of spiritual fruit...
1) Spiritual attitude fruit - As describedin Galatians 5:22-23. Every
believer manifests all the aspects ofthis fruit to some degree, although
often one or severaltraits will be predominant. This spiritual attitude
fruit precedes spiritual action fruit describedbelow. If the spiritual
attitudes are present, the fruit of gooddeeds will invariably follow.
2) Spiritual action fruit - Col1:10 (note) In Colossians Pauldescribes
believers filled with or controlledby the knowledge ofGod's will in all
spiritual wisdom and understanding and thereby walking worthy of the
Lord, pleasing him and bearing fruit in every goodwork. Note that
"spiritual action" fruit is preceded by the "spiritual attitude" fruit Paul
describes in Galatians 5:22-23.
See other "spiritual action fruit" -
• Sanctification- Ro 6:22-note,
• Offering of money- Phil 4:16, 17-note;

• Offering of Praise - Heb 13:15-note (fruit of lips that give thanks
to God)
3) New converts - 1Co 16:15 ; Ro 16:15 - note (where convert is literally
"first fruit")
Larry Richards summarizes the Biblical conceptof spiritual fruit writing that
"Fruitfulness is a consistentconceptin the OT and the NT. The fruit God
seeks inhuman beings is expressedin righteous and loving acts that bring
peace and harmony to the individual and to society. But that fruit is foreignto
sinful human nature. Energized by sinful passions, fallenhumanity acts in
ways that harm and bring dissension. God's solution is found in a personal
relationship with Jesus and in the supernatural working of God's Spirit within
the believer. As we live in intimate, obedient relationship with Jesus, God's
Spirit energizes us as we produce the peaceable fruit of a righteousness that
can come only from the Lord. (Richards, L O: Expository Dictionaryof Bible
Words: Regency)
Spiritual fruit is a marker of spiritual life, a sure proof that one has
experiencedgenuine conversion. A professionoffaith in Christ cannot
produce holy fruit. Only a genuine possessionof the life of Christ can produce
supernatural fruit. Let's look at a few texts that corroborate this basic and
vitally important spiritual principle.
Warren Wiersbe wiselywarns us that "It is possible for the old nature to
counterfeit some of the fruit of the Spirit, but the flesh can never produce the
fruit of the Spirit. One difference is this: when the Spirit produces fruit, God
gets the glory and the Christian is not conscious ofhis spirituality; but when
the flesh is at work, the person is inwardly proud of himself and is pleased
when others compliment him. The work of the Spirit is to make us more like
Christ for His glory, not for the praise of men. (Bible Exposition
Commentary. 1989. Victor)
In Matthew 3:8 John the Baptist is addressing the "religious" professors, the
Pharisees andSadducees who were seeking "baptism". Johnin the context of
discussing how to escape the "wrath to come" declaredto these hypocritical
religious leaders "Therefore bring forth (aorist imperative = command with a
sense ofurgency = do this now!) fruit in keeping with (or "worthy of" - see
axios)repentance (see in depth study of metanoia)" John rebuked the
religious "generationofvipers" calling for repentance and insisting that any
inner change produce fruit (e.g., love, joy, peace, patience, etc)as evidence of
the reality of that change. John demanded proof from these men of the new
life before he administered baptism to them. The point is that spiritual fruit is

Jesus was paul's desire to depart and be with

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