Philippians 1:21-26 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.
As a Christian, have you ever asked yourself "Why am I still here?" Have you felt depression or crushed by life's problems and pressures, desiring to simply depart the flesh and this world and be with Christ? Our faith indeed informs us to agree with Paul that such will be "very much better". So why does God compel us to so often carry such burdens when He could lighten our load or even remove it entirely by taking us up to Him sooner? Is not Death swallowed up by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ?
In regards to this passage consider a parable: Paul is as a husband who works late for a time in order to buy his wife a particular piece of jewelry that her heart is set upon. As he toils away for a time, he wishes he could just go home and find sure rest and contentment in her arms. He is assured of her love and knows she would receive him gladly. That would surely be better than all this excessive toil burning the midnite oil. But then he considers the joy of seeing her joy when all this extra burden has produced its fruit: that piece of exquisite jewelry he knows she deeply desires. Not only at first, but for many years to come he can envision her face looking at the beauty of gold and stone, then smiling and engaging him year after year. It is this vision which compels him to press on with this temporal labor, for such labor will produce a much deeper and longer lasting reward.
Revelation 4:10-11 The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul teaches us that God will one day judge your works. Your works that were from Him, through Him, and to Him, those works that He worked in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure, are the works that will come out of the fire as gold, silver, and precious stones. But what of the works of wood, hay, and stubble? What of the seemingly good works you did from the flesh, through the flesh, to the flesh? They are burned up and you will "suffer loss". Suffer loss? What does that mean?
It means you will lose any glory of that much of your life's work, for such is only the flesh's vain attempt to glorify itself. Once again we must remember the contrast to these lost works; the works of gold, silver, and precious stones; these are not a testimony to us as much as they are a testimony to God and the great salvation He has wrought by the glorious works of His Son and His Spirit. For eternity, we will all be reflecting the glory of God back towards Him with our crowns of gold, silver, and precious stones, for, in the fullest sense, they are His works. Truly, He "created all things", by His will "they existed and were created."
Indeed, this is why you are called to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Verses 12 and 13 of Phillipians 2 should never be studied apart from each other, for they for only together do they fit into a right systematic theology.
To fear and tremble is to fear pushing away the work of Almighty God at His nearest proximity to you; the work He is striving to accomplish within you. To instead pursue works of wood, hay, and stubble is to first and foremost deny God His Glory. In this we find what means to "suffer loss". In eternity, our fully sanctified soul will desire one thing more than any other- to give glory to God.
To find out we have lost some of what we thought to be the works of God, to reach for a crown that is not there in our holy desire to offer Him righteous worship is to suffer loss indeed...
1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
