Phili 1:24-25 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 24. Nevertheless to abide in the flesh . To live. All this is language derived from the belief that the soul will be separate from the body at death, and will occupy a separate state of existence. Is more needful for you . Another object that was dear to the heart of Paul. He never supposed that his life was useless; or that it was a matter of no importance to the cause of religion whether he lived or died. He knew that God works by means; and that the life of a minister of the gospel is of real value to the church and the world. His experience, his influence, his paternal counsels, he felt assured, would be of value to the church; and he had, therefore, a desire to live--and it was no part of his religion affectedly to undervalue or despise himself.

Philippians 1:24-25

Verse 24. Nevertheless to abide in the flesh. To live. All this is language derived from the belief that the soul will be separate from the body at death, and will occupy a separate state of existence.

Is more needful for you. Another object that was dear to the heart of Paul. He never supposed that his life was useless; or that it was a matter of no importance to the cause of religion whether he lived or died. He knew that God works by means; and that the life of a minister of the gospel is of real value to the church and the world. His experience, his influence, his paternal counsels, he felt assured, would be of value to the church; and he had, therefore, a desire to live--and it was no part of his religion affectedly to undervalue or despise himself. Verse 25. And having this confidence. "Being persuaded of this, that my continuance on earth is desirable for your welfare, and that the Lord has a work for me to do, I confidently expect that I shall be permitted to live." The "confidence" here referred to was, that his life was needful for them, and hence that God would spare him. A literal translation would be, "And being persuaded as to this, or of this" τουτοπεποιθως "I know," etc. The foundation of his expectation that he should live does not appear to have been any revelation to that effect, as Doddridge supposes; or any intimation which he had from the palace, of the intentions of the government, as some others suppose; but the fact that he believed his life to be necessary for them, and that therefore God would preserve it.

I know that I shall abide. The word know, however, (οιδα) is not to be pressed as denoting absolute necessity--for it appears from Php 1:27, 2:17, that there was some ground for doubt whether he would live--but is to be taken in a popular sense, as denoting good courage, and an earnest hope, that he would be permitted to live and visit them. Heinrichs.

And continue with you all. That is, that he would be permitted not only to live, but to enjoy their society.

For your furtherance and joy of faith. For the increase of your faith, and the promotion of that joy which is the consequence of faith. Wetstein has quoted a beautiful passage from Seneca (Epis. 104) which strikingly resembles this sentiment of Paul. He says that when a man had meditated death, and when on his own account he would be willing to die, yet that he ought to be willing to live--to come back again to life--for the sake of his friends, he then adds, "It pertains to a great mind to be willing to come back to life for the sake of others; which distinguished men often do."