The Apostle Paul makes a very amazing statement here! Did he desire to die because the ministry had gotten too difficult for him to bear as some pastors have preached? If this is true, then like the great Apostle Paul every Christian could also wish for death in the face of persecution and any adversity which might be too hard to bear. That Paul was in prison when he wrote this epistle is not doubted. But was it due to the mounting pressure of persecution, imprisonment, care of the church that prompted a man of God like the Apostle Paul to wish for death instead of life? The implication is quite serious. If it is true then the great Apostle Paul’s courage and faith would be impinged and his confessions of being “all things to all men in order to save some” and that he was “prepared not only to suffer but also to die for His Christ” and “do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” would have been a farce!
The immediate context is one of contrast. Philippians 1:14-17 state, “And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.” The impact of Paul’s imprisonment had given rise to greater courage in preaching the gospel. But the problem was that some preached Christ out of envy and strife, hoping to add afflictions to Paul’s state of incarceration. The other group preached out of love knowing that Paul was put into prison for the sake of the gospel and they wished to continue on where the Apostle Paul had left off. [NOTE: Paul did not condone the wrong motive of these men as he dealt with the motive issue in Philippians Philippians 2 .] What Paul did was to make very clear to all concerned that he was not in any popularity contest when it comes to preaching the gospel. As long as the gospel, and not another gospel, was correctly preached, he would rejoice. He refused to be dragged into their game of popularity.
Having said this he then related his heart’s desire which was “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul’s contrast between life on earth and life after this earth is one of better and best, NOT from bad to good as some have preached. Paul was merely telling the Christians that his life on earth has only one purpose and that was to live for Christ. This includes imprisonment and even death! He was not murmuring or complaining and wishing for death. Far from it, Paul’s life on earth was one of total devotion and sacrifice for His Lord, and constrained by Christ’s love was living his life abundantly! To even intimate that his life was miserable and he wished for death is to collapse the context of the Bible and to put words into Paul’s mouth. Barnes said it well, “My sole aim in living is to glorify Christ. He is the supreme End of my life, and I value it only as being devoted to his honour. . . . His aim was not honour, learning, gold, pleasure; it was to glorify the Lord Jesus. This was the single purpose of his soul--a purpose to which he devoted himself with as much singleness and ardour as ever did a miser to the pursuit of gold, or a devotee of pleasure to amusement, or an aspirant for fame to ambition.”
But comparing the abundant life on earth in serving Christ with living in heaven in the presence of Christ, the latter was by far the better option. He loved the appearing of Christ’s return for then he would be with his Saviour and Lord. In death, with His Lord, it would mean that Paul had completed his race and the task his Lord had for him was finished. It was time for Paul to go home. Death is not a punishment for the obedient believer because death has lost its sting and has been soundly defeated by Christ. Death is going home for every believer. It is like sleeping.
To say that Paul longed for death because he was afraid of life in Christ Jesus is to do a great injustice to Paul and his blessed ministry at best. And at worst it stumbles Christians who might think that it is all right to long for death because life in Christ has become difficult!