WM 374: Defending Mark 15.28: Why This 'Missing Verse' Belongs in Scripture

 

Read an online version of the article here.

Find a pdf version on academia site.

JTR

The Vision (3.27.26): For we are the circumcision

 

Image: Richard Lithgow, Apostle Paul in prison (2022), Pencil.

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 3:1-7.

"For we are the circumcision...."(Philippians 3:3a).

In Philippians 2:19-30 the apostle Paul commended to the saints at Philippi two men, Timothy (vv.19-23) and Epaphroditus (vv. 25-30), as faithful ministers. This was a positive commendation. In Philippians 3:1-3, however, Paul offers a sober warning against false teachers.

In 3:2 he offers a staccato threefold warning: Beware… Beware… Beware….

First, “Beware of dogs!” Did Paul have something against dogs? No. The dog is indeed a wonderful animal. This is a figure for false teachers, because in Paul’s day there were many feral dogs that roamed the streets, mangy and diseased. Some had rabies. If you saw dogs of this kind, you had better beware.

Second, “Beware of evil workers.” They should have been doing good, but instead they were working evil.

Third, “Beware of the concision” (or “mutilation”). A look ahead to the next verse makes clear that these dogs/evil workers were those who were teaching that circumcision was necessary for the living of the Christian life.

There was a massive controversy over circumcision in the early church. In Acts 15 we read how false teachers had stirred up controversy in the church at Antioch, teaching, “Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved” (Acts15:1). Paul and Barabas opposed this false doctrine and appealed to the apostles and elders of the church at Jerusalem, who supported their stand against the false teachers (see Act 15).

We also see this controversy at the heart of Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia. Paul warned against false teachers who had troubled the believers and perverted the gospel of Christ (Gal 1:7). He made clear that “a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ” (Gal 2:15), finally stating, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love” (Gal 5:16). Believers are not justified by circumcision but only by faith in Christ alone.

Paul was warning the Philippians about this same false teaching. In Philippians 3:3 he declares, “For we are the circumcision….”

What does this mean? Notice that Paul does NOT say, “For we all HAVE BEEN CIRCUMCIZED.”

Notice also that Paul does NOT say, “For we CONTINUE to practice circumcision that we might be justified before God, according to the covenant that was given to Abraham in Genesis 17.”

No, the apostle says, “For we ARE the circumcision.”

Who are the “we”? This includes Paul himself and his co-workers, alongside all the saints at Philippi. Timothy had a Christian mother and a pagan father, but he was not circumcised till he reached adulthood (see Acts 16). Paul was raised in a pious Jewish home and was circumcised on the eighth day (see Phil 3:5). Epaphroditus was likely a full pagan (his name meaning “from the goddess Aphrodite”) and was never circumcised (like Titus, cf. Gal 2:3).

No matter Jew or Greek, or of mixed ethnic heritage, no matter physically circumcised or not, Paul declares that Christians ARE the circumcision.

The Old Covenant circumcision instituted by Abraham set apart the Jewish males physically as Jews. Paul said that New Covenant believers, however, are not those set apart by their outward appearance but by an inward transformation. Not by an outward bodily surgery, but by an inward spiritual surgery.

The prophets had anticipated this. Moses wrote, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked” (Deut 10:16). Jeremiah wrote, “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart” (Jer 4:4a).

The true circumcision, the circumcision of the heart, takes place through regeneration. It is a transformation from the inside out, not the outside in. It is being born again. Paul takes up this same metaphor in Colossians when he said, “ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands” (Col 2:12).

Every genuine believer has experienced this circumcision, and we should beware anyone who suggests we need add anything to this for salvation.

Need circumcision? No. We ARE the circumcision.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 373: Interview: Graham Chewter, Deputation Speaker, Trinitarian Bible Society

 

JTR

The Vision (3.20.26): Band of Brothers

Image: Marble frieze, Roman soldiers, AD first century, Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany.

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 2:19-30.

Shakespeare’s Henry V includes a speech given by the king on St. Crispens Day just before his outnumbered English troops are about to go into a climactice battle against the French, in which he addresses them as, “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.”

The historian Stephan Ambrose would borrow words from this speech to title his 1992 book Band of Brothers about “Easy Company” from the 101^st Army Airborne and its service in WW2.

Long before Henry V, William Shakespeare, Easy Company and Stephen Ambrose, however, there was the apostle Paul and his letter to the saints at Philippi.

In that letter, as Paul often did in his writings, he makes reference to the men who were his fellow laborers in the gospel. These were men who did not hold the value of their lives so highly that they were unwilling to lay them down for the cause of Christ and the gospel.

Paul is recommending such men in Philippians 2:19-30. It is not the best-known passage in Philippians. It does not hold forth great Christological truths like the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2:5-11. It does not hold pithy and memorable verses like Philippians 1:21, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” or Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” I suppose that few have taken a “life verse” from this passage!

Paul makes reference here to two of his fellow workers, Timothy (vv. 19-23) and Epaphroditus (vv. 25-30), alongside a reference to himself (v. 24).

The name Timothy means “one who honors God.” Timothy had a Jewish Christian mother (and even a Christian grandmother), but a pagan father (cf. Acts 16:1; 2 Tim 1:5). He had a good reputation among the disciples and joined Paul in his second missionary journey (Acts 16:2).

In Philippians 2:20-22 Paul points to four admirable qualities held by Timothy. First, the apostle said he had no man who was so “like-minded” (v. 20a). The Greek term literally means “same spirited” or “same-souled.” Second, Paul says he knows no one who demonstrated a more natural or sincere care for the saints (v. 20b). Timothy was not a phony or a hypocrite, but a sincere minister. Third, Timothy did not seek his own things but the things of Christ (v. 21). Fourth, Timothy had a proven track record of service alongside the apostle “as a son with a father” (v. 22).

The name Epaphroditus come from the Greek literally meaning “From Aphrodite” or “From Venus.” This indicates he was likely a Gentile. Perhaps his parents had prayed to the goddess Venus for a child, and when he came, they named him Epaphroditus. But at some point, he heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and became a servant of the one true God.

In Philippians 2:25 Paul notes several commendable qualities in this man. We’ll note just the first three. First, he calls him “my brother.” This means he was a genuine believer, a true brother in Christ. Second, Paul describes him as a “companion in labour.” This translates just one word in Greek: synergos.  He was a “synergist” with the apostle in ministry. Third, he calls him a “fellowsoldier.” They were brothers in arms in spiritual warfare (cf. Eph 6:11-12).

Think of these three men: Timothy, Paul and Epaphroditus.

One Timothy (“one who honors God”) had a pagan father and a Christian mother and grandmother. But he came to a point when he was called to follow Christ.

One was Paul, a Hebrew of the Hebrews who had once persecuted Christians, but whose path dramatically changed after he encountered the risen Christ on the Damascus Road (Acts 9).

One was Epaphroditus (“from Venus”) who came from a completely pagan household, but who became a brother, synergist, and fellowsoldier for Christ.

All three of these men had at one time been enemies of Christ, with nothing in common to draw them into league with one another. Then Christ, the Word made flesh, by his death, burial, and resurrection made each of them his loyal subjects and then united them in faith to one another. As Paul wrote in Romans 5:10, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

He delights in taking men who were strangers and turning them into a band of brothers who live to serve Him.

For what do you live? To what cause have you joined yourself? Anything less than Christ and his kingdom will not satisfy. And with whom have you joined yourself? Do you stand alone or with a band of brothers in Christ’s church?

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Petrus Van Mastricht (1630-1706) on the Purity, Preservation, and Authenticity of Holy Scripture

 

JTR

Zanchi's two observations on the grave illness of Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25-30)

 

X post:

Zanchi's two observations on the grave illness of Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25-30):

"First, God permits even the most holy of men to suffer serious illnesses--indeed, often ministers--as a consequence of their labors in the Lord's work. Teachers and ministers of the Word experience stress and sleepless nights and various troubles, which they are forced to absorb.... And thus for someone to enjoy good and robust health is a singular gift of God."

"Second, we must observe as well how wrong-headed is the judgement of those who draw an improper and perverse conclusion about the doctrine and salvation of certain distinguished men and teachers of the church because, at times, they are chronically ill..... Certainly Epaphroditus was beloved by God, and his doctrine was truly apostolic. Nevertheless, he nearly died of his illness."

-Commentary on Philippians, 432.

Modern evangelical avoidance of a plain sense reading of Confession 1:8

X post:

It is simply amazing to see the extent to which some modern evangelical interpreters will go to avoid a plain sense reading of WCF/2LBCF 1:8:

"Paragraph 8. The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical;...."

Immediate inspiration in Hebrew and Greek allows use of the LXX and other ancient versions to correct the corrupted Hebrew? "By his singular care and providence" means by natural, ordinary, and humanistic restorationist (reconstruction) means? "Kept pure" means kept mostly pure? "In all ages" means "as reconstructed in recent times" with the rise of modern historical textual criticism in the 19th century, the discovery of the DSS in the 20th century, and the arrival of CBGM/ECM in the 21st century? "Authentical" does not actually mean genuine (having no relation to the modern term "authentic") but suggestively authoritative as an "initial text"?

You might believe it is outdated, reject it, or claim it points to a trajectory for a new modern articulation of the topic, but please don't attempt a radical, anachronistic, and tortured redefinition of its original meaning.

JTR

The Vision (3.13.26): Work out your own salvation

 

Image: Pear tree blossoms, North Garden, Virginia, March 2026.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 2:12-18.

“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12b-13).

Paul’s command to the saints at Philippi to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (2:12b) represents an apparent tension.

Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. It is the gift of God. It is not by works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). How then can Paul ask the brethren to work out their own salvation?

A command from the apostle Peter also reflects this tension: “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” (2 Peter 1:10).

How are we to understand this teaching?

We might first note that salvation can be understood in three tenses.

I have been saved. It is an accomplished fact. I was saved on the cross when Christ died for my sins, and that salvation was realized the moment I received the effectual call of God in the preaching of the gospel and was justified by faith in Christ.

But also, I am being saved. The ramifications of my salvation are being worked out in my ongoing sanctification. Related to my present salvation is the fact there is being worked out in me the fruit of good works which God has prepared for me. As Paul said in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Finally, I also will be saved. When Christ comes again in power and glory, I will receive my resurrection body and enter into the final state of glory.

In commanding the saints to work out their own salvation Paul is not being man-centered. The apostle can and will only be relentlessly God-centered.

That is made clear in Philippians 2:13. It is God who is working among his people. The Lord alone is the author of our salvation, and it is God who works in us so that we produce the godly fruit which issues from and adorns the lives of his saints.

He works out his will, his decree of election, his decree of sanctification, and, ultimately, his decree of glorification in us. He works out his good pleasure. It all serves his ends and results in his divine satisfaction and glory. We become the trophies of his grace that rightly bring all glory and honor to Him.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

What is "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16)?

From my X:

Teaching in our CRBC Midweek Meeting this wekk on "Fleeing Worldliness" from 1 John 2:15-17 and shared this handout comparing six different commentary takes on what "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" mean (1 John 2:16). Straw poll voted for M. Poole for best definition.

JTR

WM 371: My Former Debate Opponent (Stephen Boyce) Swims the Tiber

 

JTR

The Vision (3.6.26): The Exaltation of Christ

 

Image: Late winter sunrise. North Garden, Virginia. March 2026.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 2:9-11.

In Paul’s Christ Hymn, Philippians 2:5-11, the apostle first describes Christ’s Humiliation (vv. 6-8) and then his Exaltation (vv. 9-11).

Of his Exaltation, Paul offers four statements about Christ, with reference to his resurrection, ascension, session (being seated at the right hand of God, Mark 16:19), and second coming:

1.     God highly exalted him (v. 9a).

2.     God gave him a name (v.9b).

3.     That every knee should bow at the name of Jesus (v. 10).

4.     That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (v. 11).

First: God highly exalted him (v. 9a):

This speaks of the resurrection. The one who was in the form of God and took upon him the form of a servant was gloriously raised from the dead.

Peter said at Pentecost, “This Jesus God hath raised up” (Acts 2:32).

He was exalted in his resurrection, and he was exalted in his ascension.

Second: God gave him a name (v. 9b):

“…and given him a name which is above every name.”

He was given the name “Jesus,” meaning Jehovah saves, through God’s angel before his birth (cf. Matt. 2:21; Luke 1:31).

He was also given many titles, including Christ (Messiah) and Son of God. When Christ asked his disciples, “Whom say ye that I am?” it was Peter who responded, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16).

Third: That every knee should bow at the name of Jesus (v. 10):

In vv. 10-11 Paul draws upon a passage from the prophet Isaiah about the LORD and applies it to Christ (see Isaiah 45:22-23).

So, Paul continues: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow….” (v. 10a).

The phrase “the name of Jesus” is intriguing. Some pious Jews even today refer to God simply as “the Name [Hebrew, ha-shem].” Paul is telling us here that Jesus is Jehovah.

It brings to mind Christ in session, as when a king is seated on his throne, and his subjects, friend and foe alike, approach, each bending the knee before Him.

Fourth: That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (v. 11):

Paul continues in v. 11, “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

To say “Jesus is Lord” is to confess, Jesus is Jehovah, Jesus is the God of the Scriptures (cf. Rom. 10:9; 1 Cor. 12:3).

Paul speaks here of Christ’s exaltation at his second coming. On that final day, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

It will be a “twofold confession” (Zanchi, Commentary on Philippians, 353). The pious will confess faith in Christ. The wicked will confess a dread reality, Christ has returned as Judge with great power and glory.

Christ is exalted now, and He will be exalted at His coming!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 370: REACTION: Byzantine Priority Conference: 1600 YEARS and COUNTING?

 

JTR

The Vision (2.27.26): The Mystery of Redemption

 

Image: Winter sunset. North Garden, Virginia. February 2026.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 2:5-8.

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

Philippians 2:5-11 is known as the Christ Hymn. Paul begins by urging the Philippians: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (v. 5). He wants them to follow the model of Christ in humility.

He describes first the humiliation of Christ (vv. 6-8) and then the exaltation of Christ (vv. 9-11).

With respect to his humiliation (vv.6-8), Paul reveals four mysteries:

First, he addresses the mystery of Christ’s true divinity. He was “in the form [morphe] of God” (v. 6).

Second, he addresses the mystery of Christ’s true humanity. He “took upon him the form [morphe] of a servant [doulos, a slave], and was made in the likeness of men” (v. 7).

Third, he addresses the mystery of Christ’s incarnation: “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself” (v. 8a).

Finally, Paul addresses the mystery of redemption. Christ “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (v. 8b).

With God there is but one will. There are three persons in the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), but there are not three wills. As true God, Christ’s divine will was one with that of the Father and the Spirit. As true man, Christ also had a human will, which was always obedient to the divine will. This is why he prayed in the garden, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

That last statement in v. 8, “even the death of the cross,” is a reminder or how terrible a death this was. Crucifixion was a shameful death. It was the death of slaves and criminals. It was excruciatingly painful and humiliating.

It had to be this sort of death in order justly to illustrate the magnitude of what God has done for us in Christ.

The one who was in the form of God took on the form of a servant and as a true man was obedient to death on the cross to save his people from their sins.

Thanks be to God!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 369: Iain H. Murray on "INTELLECTUAL RESPECTABILITY" and SCRIPTURE

 

JTR

WM 368: RBS Journal: The Reformation Text and the Septuagint

 

JTR

The Vision (2.20.26): Being "of one mind" in the Lord

 

Image: Fellowship at CRBC Midweek Meeting (2.18.26)

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 2:1-5.

“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2).

Philippians is Paul’s thank you note and his love letter to the saints at Philippi. He does not take on the harsh tone he uses in letters like 1 Corinthians and Galatians, where he is correcting gross errors.

This does not mean, however, that Paul is not using all his gifts of rhetoric and leveraging all his apostolic authority to exhort the church at Philippi and especially to urge them to avoid divisions and schisms by being “likeminded” and having “one mind” in the Lord.

The Italian Reformer Zanchi said this concerning our passage:

“…we are of one mind if we hold fast to the one Christ (and not to many), to the one Head of the church (not to many), to the one Supper of the Lord that He celebrated and instituted (not to many), and finally to that single doctrine that He gave us through the apostles, and if we embrace no others” (Commentary on Philippians, 222-223).

Some have fouled things up by suggesting that clarity of doctrine divides. If we take too clear a stand on doctrine, we’ll drive people away. It is actually just the opposite. Clarity of doctrine unites. This is why we are glad to use a classic confession of faith (the Second London Baptist Confession) that offers specific details and not general notions about what we believe. This allows us to enjoy unity of faith and avoid unnecessary division.

We seek not only unity of faith but also of practice. This is the beauty of the regulative principle of worship. Following the simple Biblical guidelines for worship (singing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; prayer; the public reading of Scripture; preaching; baptism and the Lord’s Supper) unites Christians around the world. As some pastor friends reminded me in a podcast once, even using the same translation of the Bible in the church, based on the traditional text, unites us. “Uniformity” of practice, leads to unity in the body.

May the Lord make us “likeminded” and give us “one mind” as we know and serve Him and His people.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Thoughts from Hugh Latimer on "Ash Wednesday"

From my x account:

On this "Ash Wednesday," it might be edifying to consider what the Protestant Bishop and Martyr Hugh Latimer (1487-1555) wrote:

"Where the devil is resident, and hath his plough going, there away with books and up with candles; away with the Bibles and up with beads; away with the light of the Gospel and up with the light of candles, yea, even at noonday. Where the devil is resident, that he may prevail, up with all superstition and idolatry, censing, painting of images, candles, palms, ashes, holy water, and new services of men's inventing."

-As cited in J. C. Ryle, Five English Reformers, 113.

The Vision (2.13.26): Conversation that becometh the gospel of Christ

 

Image: Winter sunset. North Garden, Virginia. February 2026.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 1:27-30.

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).

Philippians 1:27-30 has one main thought dominated by one main command spelled out in v. 27a: “Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ….”

This is the headwaters from which the steams that make up the rest of this passage flow.

We hear the English word “conversation,” and we think of two people talking. In the King James translation, however, “conversation” usually has to do not with talking but with action. It means “conduct.” So, we might render the opening to v. 27: “Let your conduct be as it becometh the gospel for Christ….”

To go a bit further, the verb here for “to conduct oneself” in Greek is politeuo. It has as its root the word “polis” which in Greek means “city.” The Greeks had city states where each polis or city was like a small country. Many of the names for our cities today have “polis” at the end of them, like: Annapolis, Maryland; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Indianapolis, Indiana. We also get terms like “politics” from this word root.

The statement here literally means: Conduct yourself as a citizen of the kingdom of Christ, as is fitting for someone whose life has been changed by the gospel and who continues to promote and live for Christ.

Paul uses a related term (the noun, politeuma) in Philippians 3:20 when he writes, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Many modern translations render politeuma here not as “conversation” but as “citizenship” (cf. NKJV: “For our citizenship is in heaven….”).

Here is mentor Paul, spiritual father Paul, older brother Paul saying to the Philippians: If you are citizens of the kingdom of Christ, if by God’s grace you have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light, then live in such a way as befits those who know the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. Live as a genuine Christian. Don’t be a phony. Don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t be a play actor.

Where my boys played youth baseball, at the end of the regular season, some boys were selected to take part in the all-star season. The man who ran the park would always have a meeting with these boys tapped for all-stars, and he explained to them that they would be traveling to play other teams and there would even be one long trip out of state. He would then say very seriously, “Respect the uniform! When you wear this uniform with the name of our park on the front you represent this park and this program.” And he said, “If you do anything to bring disrespect upon that uniform, you will be kicked off the team and sent home.”

We can draw an analogy from this to what Paul says here to the Philippians. If you say you are a citizen of the kingdom of Christ, then live like it. Don’t do anything that is incongruous with one who claims to know the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Reformation Bible Society Journal: Volume 1: The Reformation Text and the Septuagint

 

The Reformation Bible Society has published the first volume of the RBS Journal: The Reformation Text and the Septuagint (RBS, 2025). This initial volume contains papers from the inaugural RBS conference held on August 3, 2024 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia and a couple of extra articles and book reviews.

We hope to produce Volume Two this year (2026) with papers from the 2025 conference held on August 2, 2025 at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the theme: "The Text and Canon of Revelation."

Lord willing, we will host our third annual conference on August 1, 2026 at Greenville Presbyterian Seminary in Taylors, South Carolina on the theme: "Confessional Bibliology: Defined & Defended."

The RBSJ is available now in both an e-book and a paperback format. Look here for links.

JTR

Below is the title page and table of contents:

New Leather Hardback edition of Baptist Confession of Faith & Baptist Catechism from Broken Wharfe

Got the new hardback edition of the The Baptist Confession of Faith & The Baptist Catechism (Broken Wharfe, 2025) in mail this week. Very handsome and sturdy edition, inside cover artwork, crisp and clear font, chapter and paragraph in red, gilded book ribbon, "Printed in Britain" back cover stamp. This is a gem. JTR

More views:

Williams Perkins (1558-1602) on the Purity of the Hebrew and Greek Text of Scripture

 

The Vision: To live is Christ (2.6.26)

Image: Winter evening. North Garden, Virginia. February 2026.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 1:19-26.

In Philippians 1:21 the apostle Paul makes this great statement while imprisoned in Rome, not knowing whether he would live or die: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

What is he saying? If I live, I will live for Christ. I will live the rest of my days loving and serving Christ (cf. Gal 2:20).

If I die, however, I will be absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8). I will be with Christ, and I will no longer be in his sin-sick world. I will not so much have lost my life, but I will have gained even more of Christ.

This is, for the apostle, a win-win scenario. Heads I win, tails I win.

Now we should not, however, think that Paul had some kind of glib attitude toward death. He knew that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). He knew that death had a sting. He knew that to die by execution would hold terror for him, humanly speaking. But when it was over, he’d have great gain.

He also knew that his death would bring great sorrow and pain, especially to his dear loved ones in the Lord. Recall Paul’s parting with the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:36-38, as they knelt in prayer, through tears, thinking they would not see each other again face to face on this side of the kingdom.

Partings in death can be very sorrowful. In September 1542, Martin Luther’s precious 13 year-old daughter lay dying of the plague. He said to her, “Magdalene, my dear little daughter, would you like to stay here with your father, or would you willingly go to your Father yonder?” She answered, “Darling father, as God wills.” And soon she died in Luther’s arms. At her funeral Luther said:

Darling Lena, you will rise and shine like a stat, yea, like the sun… I am happy in spirit, but the flesh is sorrowful and will not be content, the parting grieves me beyond measure… I have sent a saint to heaven (as cited in Peter Barnes, Pain of a Particular Kind, 32-33).

In Philippians 1:23-24 Paul describes his sense of being hoisted upon the horns of this dilemma, feeling as though he was being pulled or torn in two directions: “For I am in a strait betwixt the two….” (v. 23a).

First, he had a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which would be far better (v. 23b). All the struggling and suffering and the pain would be over. Many a godly saint has been on the sick bed which has become a death bed and felt this pull. It would be so much better to be with Christ!

Second, however, he knew that to abide in the flesh [in this present life] would be more needful for the saints at Philippi and for so many other brethren who had profited so much from Paul’s apostolic ministry (v. 24).

This is Paul’s dilemma, and one day it might be ours as well.

What do we gain spiritually from this passage? We are spurred on and encouraged in the faith to have the same mind in serving the Lord Jesus Christ as the apostle Paul had.

Many of us, in our younger years, had an older brother or sister whom we idolized and wished to follow. The older sibling was so smart, so good in sports, so dashing and self-assured. We wanted to be like him.

The apostle Paul appears to us here in Philippians as our older and so-much-more mature brother in the faith. We want to be like Paul.

Are we in this life? Our calling is to serve Christ and to be a blessing to his people, to advance them in the gospel and in joy (Phil 1:25).

Are we being called out of this life? What awaits is something far better.

Let us then declare with Paul, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle