God’s Word for You

Philippians 1:24 both sides of your last day

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Saturday, February 28, 2026

24 But, it is more necessary for your sake that I remain in the flesh.

Was Paul really that important? Did he have an over-inflated opinion of himself? Isn’t it true that one good pastor can be replaced by another one? Yes, that’s true. It has to be, or else the church is in trouble. But Paul wasn’t just another pastor. He was an apostle. There are apostles in a narrow sense in the Bible, and apostles in a wider sense. In the wider sense, all of those called to proclaim the gospel are apostles (1 Thessalonians 2:6). But in the narrow sense, the apostles were those men called directly by Christ. They were given power over sicknesses and demons (Luke 10:9-17). They were permitted to give spiritual gifts to others through the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17; 2 Timothy 1:6). Also, the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20), and this is never said of anyone else. The twelve apostles of Christ (the narrowest sense) have a special relation to Israel in time and in eternity (Matthew 19:28; Galatians 2:7-9) and this is not true of any other New Testament ministers.

The apostles were also given the gift of divine inspiration. “This is what we speak,” Paul wrote, “not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words” (1 Corinthians 2:13; see also 2 Peter 1:19-21). It is, however, true that only three of the twelve apostles wrote inspired books (Matthew, John and Peter), and at least four men who were not apostles also wrote inspired books of the New Testament (Mark, Luke, James and Jude), and Paul who was an apostle but not one of the Twelve wrote the most New Testament books.

Dr. John Brug summarizes: “The apostles are distinguished from all other ministers of the gospel by being given the special title of apostle by Jesus, by having a unique role as a foundation of the church, by being assigned a special role as leaders of Israel, and by being specially designated witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection.” Paul was called as an apostle after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (Acts 9:4-6, 22:7-10, 26:12-18).

Of all of the points and passages we have just touched on, it is this one that we want to pay special attention to here: “God’s church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). Paul knew that he was one of the key pieces of that foundation. He had written nine Epistles by this time, two each to the Corinthians and Thessalonians, one to the Romans, another to the Galatians, and here in prison he had just written to the Ephesians and Colossians, and a personal letter to Philemon. This one to the Philippians was his tenth. If he was spared, his writing would continue. Not everything that he wrote was inspired; there were probably dozens of private letters, perhaps to his parents or siblings, and we know that he wrote a letter to the church at Laodicea (Colossians 4:16) that was probably very similar to Colossians or Ephesians that was not preserved. That must not trouble us; what it important is what the Holy Spirit did preserve for our benefit, not what he did not preserve. It would be absurd to think that Peter only wrote two letters in his entire ministry, or that James and Jude each only wrote once. What has been handed down to us is complete, useful, and exactly what we need for our salvation. Paul realized that it was possible that he might have a little more writing to do (there would be three more letters from his pen) and he might have a little more work to do among the churches, and so it was.

We should take to heart two warnings from this verse. These are not only for certain workers in God’s kingdom; not just for apostles or pastors or teachers. These warnings are for everyone:

First, do not live for this life only, ignoring or forgetting about the great gain of a Christian death. Go and re-read Genesis 49. Reunited with all of his sons in Egypt, Jacob blessed his sons, one by one, even to the point of making prophecies about each of them. It is obvious that as he felt his years coming to an end, he gave a great deal of thought to what he would say to them on his deathbed. Some of them needed to be reminded of past sins. Some needed to be encouraged about the future. About midway through these words, he confessed his faith in a single line: “I look for your deliverance, O LORD!” (Genesis 49:18). Today, we make written wills, giving this or that to our family, to the church, to other charities we care about. But we should not forget the power of a statement or confession of faith to our children, if possible. Too many people do not think of the gain of heaven or of the power of a Christian death on the future of their loved ones, whether they are family or not.

Second, do not long for death so much that this life is neglected. The lifetime in this world is meant to be enjoyed. Consider the wise advice of Solomon: “Go and eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now, in this lifetime, that God favors what you do… Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this seemingly empty life. Yet God has given it to you to live under the sun—all your seemingly empty days. This is your lot in life” (Ecclesiastes 9:7). I have translated Solomon with some tongue-in-cheek feeling here, because we know that this earthly life is a good thing, not to be despised but to be enjoyed, and lived with love for God day by day.

Paul said, “I remain in the flesh for your sake,” and these two warnings will hopefully be a benefit to many. Love God’s good gifts! Consider both sides of your last day on this earth, and not only live to the fullest until that day, but live so that you will glorify God even then, and live in his grace and glory ever after.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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