To Live Is Christ

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

That is an accountant's sentence, and the same letter shows you the accounts it came off. Two chapters later Paul writes his own out, item by item. Circumcised the eighth day. Of the stock of Israel. Of the tribe of Benjamin. An Hebrew of the Hebrews. As touching the law, a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church. Touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Seven entries: birth, race, tribe, culture, party, zeal, record. In his world every line of that list was an asset, and several of them could not be acquired by any effort at all.

Then he does the arithmetic in public. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Not declared worthless in themselves; moved to the other column. And he keeps going, because the next sentence goes further, yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss, and then further still, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

So when he says to live is Christ, he is not being lyrical. He has already emptied the gain column of everything else, which is precisely why the death sentence hanging over him in chapter one cannot cost him anything. He wrote that line while the case was open and either verdict was still available.

Now go back to the sentence and read it as a total rather than a sentiment. To live is Christ, and to die is gain. There is nothing left in the other column for death to take. That is not courage. It is bookkeeping, and it is available to you at whatever price your own list turns out to be worth.

Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year two reading for day 177 is Until I Have Shewed (Psalm 71:18).

All 365 readings in Daily Manna