Genuine Christianity: The Ultimate Win-win Situation

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Philippians 1:21

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

(CSB)

Jesus boldly claims to be the way truth and life (John 14:6) and demonstrated His claim to life by resurrecting from the dead.  Jesus claim to be life is possibly what inspired Paul say that life is Christ (Philippians 1:21).  However, Paul goes on in the second half of the verse to state that to die is gain.  People rarely think of death as gain for from our limited perspective, death appears final and one ceasing to exist.  Therefore, this statement from the Apostle Paul appears confusing and indicates possible mental illness for the Apostle Paul.  Thankfully, Paul provides explanation of his position in letting readers know that he is in his right mind, a renewed and transformed mind (Philippians 1:21-30). 

While all believers receive complete forgiveness of their sins upon accepting Jesus as their savior, they continue living in a corrupt world full of temptations to sin.  Paul’s view of life as Christ is understanding that as long as he lived, he needed to serve Christ by taking the Gospel to the Gentiles.  The Apostle Paul understood this was his calling and purpose in life.  Death as gain stems from an understanding that death for a believer like him means immediate transport into the presence of God the ultimate win-win situation (2 Corinthians 5:8). 

Genuine Christianity consists in balancing the spiritual desire to be with Christ with the understanding of fulfilling our calling in Christ.  However, before continuing with this study we must determine what it is to have a calling in Christ and whether every believer has such a calling. 

1)      Every believer in Christ has a calling (2 Timothy 1:9):  When one thinks of a calling in Christ, we think of one having a calling to be a pastor, teacher, or evangelist.  The truth is that these are ministerial gifts given by God to equip, build up, and achieve unity of purpose in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12).  One’s calling is not due to one having some special ability but like our salvation, a result of God’s grace (2 Timothy 2:9).  Therefore, our calling accompanies our salvation and involves participation in the Great Commission of spreading the Gospel and making disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 29:19-20).  Therefore, any individual professing faith in Jesus as their savior has a calling from Christ.

2)      This calling becomes part of all aspects of our lives (Colossians 3:18-25):  While all believers in Christ have a common calling, God has uniquely gifted each individual with talents.  It is these talents that normally determine an individual’s occupation.  While we often think of our occupation as our calling, it is the vehicle through which God provides for our financial needs through use of the talents God has given us.  Our calling is to live for Christ while performing our occupation as a witness and means of sharing the Gospel through how we live our lives.  Our calling in Christ is also to permeate our family relationships with our spouses and children (Colossians 3:18-21).  Awareness of our calling means we know God is watching how we conduct ourselves in our relationships with family and occupations.  However, it also means God is with us and wants us to seek His guidance and wisdom in our family relationships and occupations. 

3)      Carrying out our calling means struggling with the flesh (Philippians 1:24):  While the Apostle Paul’s greatest desire was being absent from his fleshly body and present with the Lord, he understood that being in the flesh was necessary to fulfill his calling (Philippians 1:24).  Like all of us, Paul struggled with the flesh (Romans 7:14-25).  Paul also had a thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7).  While scripture is unclear about the details of Paul’s thorn in the flesh, many theologians believe it was some physical ailment and why Dr. Luke went with him.  No wonder the Apostle Paul had such a fervent desire to escape these struggles with the flesh and be with the Lord. 

Christians physically appear no different than non-Christians.  Genuine Christianity is one learning how to fulfill their Godly calling to live for Christ while struggling with temptations of the flesh and its physical ailments.  Living for Christ involves one’s speech and conduct in life being Christlike demonstrating God’s love, faith, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12).  Not only is God watching how we live our lives, but others are watching too and may turn to Christ through seeing how we live out our calling while enduring the same struggles they experience.