Why does Paul say he cannot choose between living and dying?

Explanation:

Paul suffers for the gospel, and he writes that to live is Christ and to die is gain. He then explains in Philippians 1:22 that he cannot choose between these. That is, he cannot choose between living in the flesh, which will mean fruitful ministry, or dying to be with Christ. We want to know why Paul says he cannot choose between living and dying.

We can deduce what Paul means when he says he cannot choose between living and dying when we consider the verb he uses in Philippians 1:23. There, Paul follows up his remark about choosing between living and dying by explaining that he is hard pressed between the two. The verb has a range of meanings, from constraint to torment.³ Interestingly, the same verb is used to describe Jesus’ distress as he anticipates the baptism that he must accomplish, that is, crucifixion (Luke 12:50). Since Paul uses the verb to characterize his struggle between facing life or death, we can deduce that he is acknowledging a deep tension. That is, he is faced with imprisonment and suffering for his preaching, as well as death, and there is a real tension in what he prefers.     

Counterargument:

While it might be that the verb can be used to denote intense suffering and anguish, it can also be used in the lighter sense of being surrounded, or hemmed in, so as to leave little room for movement.⁴ In fact, New Testament authors use the verb in this way when they describe the crowds that pressed in on Jesus (Luke 8:45). Given Paul’s comments in Philippians 1:12–14 and Philippians 1:21–24, it is more likely that he is reflecting on the current state of his ministry. That is, he sees that Christ is using him to spread the gospel, which is a great blessing and fruitful labour, but he knows that when he dies he will be with Christ, which is an even greater blessing.⁵

Response to counterargument:

While it is true that Paul reflects on the tension between the fruits of his ministry and meeting Christ, we have to remember that he is in prison while he writes this letter. He is not lounging in the country, reflecting on the tension between mission work and being with Christ, but he suffers in prison for his preaching. We also know that he was often beaten, stoned, and generally persecuted for his ministry. Thus, it is better to take him as presenting the real struggle he faces between suffering, which means fruitful labour, and going to meet Christ. Of course, this does not mean that there is no joy in the prospect of living, for Paul’s remark does reveal an enthusiasm to continue in ministry. Still, the point is that the struggle between living for ministry and dying to be with Christ is a real one.

Explanation:

Paul says that he cannot choose between living and dying. To live is fruitful labour in ministry, which means bringing more souls to faith, while dying means being with Christ forever. Thus, there are advantages to both, and Paul cannot choose between them. Likely he is reflecting on the struggle he faced when he was captured and flogged by the Roman tribune (Acts 22:22–25). At that time, he could have endured their beating, and possibly gone to prison where he may have died to be with Christ, but instead, he revealed that he was a Roman citizen. He knows that by revealing he was a Roman citizen, his life would be spared so that it would mean fruitful labour for him.⁶

Counterargument:

This argument holds that when Paul says he does not know whether he will choose to live or die, this choice has to do with the fact that he revealed his Roman citizenship. That is, it holds that he would have died if he had not revealed his citizenship and that this was an intentional decision on his part so that he would continue bearing fruit for his ministry.

There are two problems with this argument. First, Paul uses the future tense of the verb to choose, which implies that his choice is not a reflection on the past but is a future choice. That is, he is reflecting not on the moment he revealed his Roman citizenship, but on what he will do when he faces future challenges. Second, there is no indication from the text that Paul reflects on his decision to reveal his Roman citizenship. Rather, he reflects on the prospects of continuing to minister and of meeting Christ.

The weakness of this view is that it is hard to see that Paul actually has a choice between living and dying. Rather, the choice is up to God, and Paul knows this full well. Thus, the notion that Paul could choose living or dying suggests that he is being rhetorical to make a point (see Interpretation 2).

Explanation:

Paul writes that to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). He then explains that he is hard pressed to choose between remaining in this life, which means fruitful labour (Philippians 1:22), and departing to be with Christ, which is far better (Philippians 1:23). So what is Paul getting at when he says he cannot choose between living and dying? Likely, he has deployed a Greek literary device known as feigned perplexity. Feigned perplexity is when an author pretends uncertainty and poses a question in order to strengthen one’s position. In this case, Paul knows that he will continue in his ministry, but he wants to subtly encourage the Philippians to recognize the tension of the Christian life.¹⁰ Thus, he makes it seem as though he struggles through the tension of living and dying for the benefit of his readers.

Counterargument:

While it might be that Paul uses the literary device of feigned perplexity, this does not mean that the tension expressed by him is not real.¹¹ That is, Paul says he is hard pressed to choose between living and dying, which implies a deep struggle. Thus, it could well be that Paul deploys a known literary device such as feigned perplexity, but that he does this under the pretence that the struggle he faces is authentic.

The weakness of this view is that it assumes feigned perplexity is only used when an author pretends to endure some conflict. The fact, given Paul’s circumstance, we can see that the tension between living and dying was likely authentic. Thus, we can see that Paul uses feigned perplexity to encourage the Philippians, but it is unnecessary to think that the tension he presents is a pretence.