Philippians 1:18b-26
Chapter 1
I believe all this will be a blessing for me because of your prayers and the help provided by the Spirit of Christ.
I am hopeful, even confident, that I will not be ashamed. I feel just as sure now as before that Christ will be glorified through me, whether I live or die.
For me, life is Christ, and dying is even better.
But if I am to go on living, I will be able to enjoy fruitful labor. Which should I choose?
So I am torn between the two. I strongly desire to leave this life and be with Christ, which would be far better,
but it is necessary for you that I remain in this body.
And because I am convinced of this, I know that I will stay and remain with you to help your progress and joy in the faith.
I will certainly come back to you and give you more reasons to be proud of belonging to Christ Jesus.
Commentaries
Prisoner for Christ.
Despite being a prisoner, the apostle is full of joy. His chains serve as another way of preaching. Confined in a Roman facility, he has gained an unexpected platform for his ministry, whether in private talks with other prisoners or in his official speeches before the judges. The Acts of the Apostles shows this Pauline strategy of using every opportunity before any audience (cf. 2 Tim 4:2).