For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21, NKJV).
How do you defeat someone who believes - really believes - the verse above?
You can't, "[for he or she is] persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate [him] from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. "(Romans 8:38, 39, NKJV).
Perhaps Jim Elliot, the missionary murdered for his evangelism, paraphrased it best, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
I do not understand anymore how anyone can live life on this planet without knowing and walking with the Lord Jesus in a personal, saving relationship. The inevitable and countless losses of time and loved ones, the otherwise meaningless suffering, the downward spiral from birth, to empty, purposeless death is simply too overwhelmingly distressing to contemplate for more than a few seconds without seriously wishing that one had never been born. If life is nothing but that old beer commercial of only going around once in this world so grab all the gusto you can, then keep it. What is the point?
Of course, others will argue that even an ultimately meaningless life lived well is better than no life at all, but I am not convinced that is true. Or even slightly true. Even someone who owns the whole world will still suffer loss and aging and demise. And what about all those billions of souls throughout human history unable to live life well for any number of tragic and alarming reasons? What is the point of life for them? No, if there is no God and no opportunity for redemption through His Son, it is better to never have been born.
But those in Christ know and believe - and belief is key here - that there is a God who "…so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, NKJV). In the face of everlasting, glorious life in the Presence of, and in fellowship with, the most loving and awesome Being imaginable, "…the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared… (Romans 8:18, NKJV).
The Apostle Paul knew that, and lived that, and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned that sentence above so that we could do the same. And in doing so, there is no way that we can lose. None. Because, in Christ, whether we live or die, we have Him, and through Him, Heaven, and all that that means. Forever.
Paul's statement is so simple, so personal, so succinct and so profound, it is worthy of far more than a mere devotional. Whole volumes could be written, and still not exhaust or comprehensively cover what it means. And yet, even a child can understand its essence enough to have her life forever changed.
For to me, he writes, providing for his readers a simple statement of his bedrock perspective and faith. Please consider that he is not just saying this as a teacher and pastor, he is this; this is his state of being, his existential essence. It is not merely an opinion he holds, or even a belief he has, it is what he has become in his Lord.
The next phrase, to live is Christ, is incomprehensible and startling in its implications, and hard for me to put into words what it has come to mean to me, personally. Roughly, shallowly, it defines the complete and total transformation each and every believer undergoes from the moment of conversion to our ultimate glorification. Our very breath, as Christians, every cell, thought, nerve impulse, flights of eloquence, simple kindness, godly love, devotion, compassion, mercy, and humility is part of our being conformed into the very image of our Lord and Sovereign, Jesus Christ. He has not only imparted to us His grace and mercy and sacrificial love, but He has imparted to us Himself, transforming us from glory to glory. For us to live is Christ.
And then the magnificent crescendo: and to die is gain. So unlike what the Christ-rejecting world believes! To the natural man, death is the ultimate loss. It is the most feared enemy; that which every effort must be made to guard against and defeat. It is the end of all things good.
But to us - to unlikely, unworthy us! - death is just the beginning. During physical existence in this age, we are one with, but separated from, the Source of all good, the Prince of Life Himself. This is one of the many paradoxes of Christianity. But [we] are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8, NKJV). Christian death is so different from what the world thinks of as death, that to differentiate it, the New Testament writers described it as sleep. Not soul sleep, and certainly not the end of existence, but merely a description of how the body of the departed saint appears to those who remain physically alive.
For the believer, death is entrance into glory unimaginable, indescribable, and a prelude to everlasting physical resurrection! It is far better than anything life in this fallen world could ever offer. So in that one 12-word statement, Paul summarizes the amazing gifts we have been freely given in Christ through His death on the Cross for our sins.
Knowing that, believing that, being that - there is no way to lose.
