NOTES for Php 1:12-30
We always think of death with a certain fear, because it is terrible and hideous, because it so plainly disfigures God's creation. In every age, the frightening image of death has drawn human thought, and we try to rethink life so that it will not be so frightening. But only a Christian can say with the apostle, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Death becomes a place of encounter with Jesus, because the Lord took our death upon Himself on the Cross. It is important, however, that these words of the apostle show how one may regard one's own death, not another person's. It is also remarkable how the meaning of life changes for him: he lives not because life is better than death (on the contrary, he desires to depart and be with Christ), but so that we may gain joy in faith.