God’s Word for You

Philippians 1:21 τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς (to live is Christ)

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Wednesday, February 25, 2026

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

Paul’s words are sometimes quoted as if they mean, “both living and dying are the same to me,” but he says something a little different. He says, “For me, to live is the same as Christ; all of the blessings of Christ are mine while I live. Living is a good and fine thing because I have Christ. But dying is something different. To die is ‘to cash in both principal and interest and so to have more in Christ than when living.’”

Grammatically, Paul uses two articularized infinitives, to zēn (τὸ ζῆν) “to live / living,” and to apothanein (τὸ ἀποϑανεῖν) “to die / dying.” He is not talking about life as a concept, but as a verb process, the act of living. To go on living in this fleshly life means different things for different people. For one it means more time for power or pleasure, for another it means more time enjoying one’s friends or children. For yet another to go on living means an opportunity to learn about the world, or to complete some ambitious scheme or project. But for Paul, with his emphatic “to me” that begins the sentence, for Paul, living means Christ.

This means that all of the work and blessings of Christ are Paul’s in this lifetime, as he lives. He is talking about the Christian’s status and constant improvement after becoming a believer. That initial act of conversion is justification for the believer: It means being declared not guilty of our sins by God himself as the judge. This is a complete release from sin and its guilt, and the end of the curse of Eden (Genesis 3:16-19).

This is followed by sanctification, the blessing of the Holy Spirit, who constantly urges us toward godly living through the word and sacraments to inspire a thankful response to our justification, a response that lasts a lifetime.

But what about death? Paul looks forward to it, not because he hates life or is sick and tired of prison. He knows what’s in store for him in death. If death were just the end, a snap of the fingers and darkness, annihilation, dust, then that would not be “gain” for anyone at all. The unbeliever thinks that “to die is to be banished from myself.” But Paul knows. He was trained in Christ’s doctrine by Christ himself, after Christ died and rose from the dead. Who better to tell Paul the truth? Surely, the Old Testament believers understood and looked forward to the resurrection. There was Abraham, who foresaw that if God made him sacrifice Isaac, God would raise Isaac from the dead on account of God’s promises (Genesis 22:5). And there was Job, who could say with confidence, “After my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:26). And there were those fine poets, the “Sons of Korah” who wrote so many of the Psalms, and said, “God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself” (Psalm 49:14). And there are many other examples (Isaiah 53:11; Hosea 13:14; Daniel 12:13; Micah 7:8; Lamentations 3:58). Yet Paul was taught by the one who had already been through it, and had prepared a place for each one of us, a room or a mansion in heaven, built and furnished by Jesus himself (John 14:2).

And therefore death is not the loss of anything at all, except for sin and temptations, pain, sorrow, grief, and the constant loom of Satan’s accusations. In death, all of that is sloughed away, and we are brought into the light of eternal blessing and joy in Christ.

But Paul also sees his own death as gain in another sense. His own death, which would in this context be a martyr’s death, would be for the sake of Christ, to the glory of God, and to the furtherance of the Gospel. This is gain without any loss.

Death and the glory of Christ also means the removal of the crosses of this lifetime. Today, a Wednesday in Lent, I am guest preaching at another church. I am doing this writing in a small room, rather cold with painted cinder block walls and a ceiling almost low enough that I have to stoop when I stand. The desk I’m able to use is small; my long legs don’t fit well underneath, and I will probably have bruises on my thighs tonight and a sore back and shoulders from crouching as I do. But what does it matter? It is a friendly room; a room in our Lutheran fellowship where I am welcome and trusted, and what I write, I write to the glory of God. I preached once already today, and I will preach twice more before the day is over, again to the glory of God. And the minor discomforts? What are they? They don’t matter at all when our service is for the Gospel.

Living in Christ is good. Dying in Christ is better. Praise be to God our Savior, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s cherish his prayer for us: “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:25-26). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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