Sabbath: Life and Death
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 10th of January 2026
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study:
Philippians 1:19-30, 1 Corinthians 4:14-16, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, John 17:17-19, Micah 6:8, Acts 14:22.
Memory Text: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NKJV).
Death, we’re often told, is just part of life. That’s a lie. Death is the opposite of life, the enemy of life. Death was no more built into life than wreckage was built into a car. Paul emphatically says that Christ died to “destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Although ready to die for Christ, Paul was confident of his long-term fate. The most important thing for him in the meantime was, by his own life or death, to honor Christ and to preach the gospel to as many as possible. Perhaps that is one reason we have so many epistles bearing his name. Through his writings, he could reach many people and places, including places that he himself had never visited.
Life is short, and it is vital to make the biggest impact possible for God’s kingdom within the span of the years that God grants us. No small part of that impact has to do with our encouraging “the unity of the faith.” As we shall see beginning this week, this theme was one important reason for Paul’s writing to the Philippians.
I know I am going to die. And given my age, it is a lot closer than it was last year. It does not fill me with morbid fear, but rather gives me the sense that I have got to fit a lot of living in before that happens. Some people at my age have a bucket list of things they want to do and see before they die. Most items on those lists cost an arm and a leg, I don’t have the money to fly to Antarctica, or the sense of balance to surf the big breaks off South Africa. But I am surrounded by a couple of hundred species of birds and while I can walk without endangering myself, I will continue to take better and better photographs of the ones that fly close enough and slow enough to be photographed. (I have a couple of people lined up to push me if I ever lose my mobility)
Life was meant to be lived, and for us Christians, it should be a time to live the Gospel and not just talk about it. We have reached that part of Philippians where we get all theological and start defining terms and putting quotes together to show that our knowledge is more extensive and better than everyone else’s.
Paul said; “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NKJV).
I have got a lot of living in Christ to do yet!
AMEN to ‘we get all theological and start defining terms and putting quotes together to show that our knowledge is more extensive and better than everyone else’s.’
That’s fantastic Maurice.
I concur 100%
Mmmh! Encouraging! Thank you!
. No small part of that impact has to do with our encouraging “the unity of the faith.” what is meant by the statement in qoutes
Perhaps,that is a teaser for us to follow in the rest of this week’s study. Let’s see what you think the answer is at the end of the week. Now the ball is back in your court! 😄
There are many….many aspects of Paul’s life as a Christian which I personally admire and desire to emulate. One of them is his understanding of death and how he prepared for it. He did not fear death. He saw it through the eyes of Christ and eternity.
“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:6–8).
Paul did not view death as the annihilation of life but as a transition to waiting for eternity. Death loses its terror to those who have hope of eternity with Christ. To him, death is simply a departure and not an extinction of life. “The time of my departure is at hand” (2 Tim. 4:6).
Unlike many people, perhaps myself included, view death as a loss. But Paul saw it as a gain. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). It is gain because death ends suffering and sin. This ushers in a period of rest till Christ comes again. Our earthly life is temporary; eternity is our final home. Christian suffering and death are meaningful when we have hope of eternity with Christ.
Paul prepared for death by living a purpose-driven life of faithfulness. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Each one of us should prepare for death by living a faithful life. “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31). Those who surrender daily are not taken by surprise when death strikes. Like Paul, we should not glue our lives to this world. We are pilgrims. We are heading somewhere.
“So that whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him” (2 Cor. 5:9–10).
True. Death pauses sin and suffering.When Christ comes he will end sin and suffering.
Major religions promote and hold different teachings about life and death. Islam views life and death as submission to a tyrant called Allah, who is absolutely sovereign and accountable to no one—not even himself. This is a scary way to look at life and death. On the other hand, Buddhism views life as an endless cycle of suffering and misery that requires an escape route, yet that route appears vague, resulting in continued suffering in both life and death. Hinduism sees life and death as a continuous cycle of reincarnation, meaning endless escapism and much emptiness. A focus on atheistic teachings about life and death shows that they hold nothing significant in their view of either.
Like Paul, I am more convinced than ever that Christianity is the only truly healthy way to look at both life and death: “To live is Christ, to die is gain.”….“To live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21) is one of the most famous statements and a true reflection of what salvation means. At this time, Paul was wrestling with whether he wanted to keep living in chains for Christ or was ready to die for the sake of Christ through execution by the authorities, which was a real possibility—to live or to die?
Having gone through a series of shocks, Paul could have been asking questions like, “Lord, what is going on? Why so many trials all at once? Why so many ups and downs? Why so much disappointment and suffering?” However, Paul’s attitude was very different. He was neither repulsed by life nor by death. He was greatly attracted to both. He wanted to keep living just as much as he was ready to die. Paul was drawn to a life of service to Christ and what it brought, and even more so to what awaited him if he died in Christ. No wonder he said, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul wanted to know Christ in his suffering. He had no problem singing with Silas at midnight in a dark dungeon or receiving forty lashes minus one in done Roman location. The presence of Christ was paramount, regardless of circumstances.
Paul understood and accepted that he was not the king of his life. He knew he was not in charge of the day of his death. He agreed with the words of the Sermon on the Mount: “Who of you by worrying can add a single cubit to the span of his life’s race?” Anxiety would not help him. Paul was also at home with the words of Ecclesiastes 8:8: “No man has power over the wind to contain it. So also, no one has power over the day of his death.”
As for ‘Islam’ there are as many sects to this group as there are in ‘Christianity’. I’m disturbed when comments are made w/o full knowledge. I’m familiar with one sect that believes that Christ is the son of Mary and a prophet and believes in the Creator of heaven and earth. They live by many principles as some 7-Day Adventists and other Christian sects. When I have conversations with them, they seem more closer to the Creator than some 7-Day Adventists I know. Many, today, are converted to the Gospel of Christ, when ministered to properly.
My thought for today is this: most of the contributors that post here are attempting share thoughts that encourage one another. We are from different countries, different age groups, new to Christianity or lifelong Christians, or possibly various denominations, etc. Hopefully we are not here to criticize others who share there thoughts because we might know a little more than they might have posted about a specific topic, etc. for we don’t know if they were just covering the topic briefly or otherwise.
Paul emphasized that the most important reason for his ministry was to preach Christ and Him crucified.
He also preached about His soon coming! Are we preparing ourselves for what He is preparing for us by being ready for that day? We know not the hour!
Thanks for your comment Thomas.
Surely we need spiritual discernment like Paul.Paul teaches us that our life should not be measured merely by its length, but by the impact of our life on others and the honor it brings to Christ.
Today’s memory text makes a profound statement: ”For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
I understand Paul to say that there is no separation between him and Christ; that, by having his ‘being/identity’ in Him, to live is Christ.
Christ was crucified by those who feared Him. And, as the lesson writer points out, fear is the tool of God’s adversary. Through fear of death those who do not believe in Christ are ‘subject to bondage’; able to be compelled to commit all types of ‘wrongs’.
Paul is the example of those who do not fear death. What can make the true Christian a formidable force for good? When he does not fear death – as Paul stated: ‘to die is gain’. In the unity of faith, convicted by the Holy Spirit, having this mindset, we will always know that, by being in Christ, we have Christ’s support when being loving and kind to those who ‘hate’ or persecute us.
On this planet, sooner or later, we all face death. The pain involved with the loss of a dear one can be overwhelming. But Christ came to die, and by His resurrection, we also can have the hope of beating eternal death. That’s why, for Christians, death is but a state of sleep. Those who die in Christ will also resurrect at His second coming and will live forever with Him.
The blessing is in knowing and doing for Christ because we love Him.
I choose to speak boldly and honor You with my whole life. Whether I live or die, you mean everything to me.
In the first chapter of Philippians and Colossians, Paul’s main concern is the spiritual wellbeing of these two young churches. He’s worried about how they’ll view his imprisonment and impending death, and he writes to encourage them to have hope, faith, and love. Last week, we saw how he prays for these things for them. This week, we’ll see how he shares Christ’s grace with them, building on those themes.
This week, Paul subtly discusses his situation – imprisonment and impending death – communicating that he doesn’t let his circumstances discourage or define him because of the hope he has in Christ. For him, to live or die is Christ. The rest of the epistles dive into hope, faith, and love in Christ, themes that are critical for Christian growth, both individually and corporately.