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Philippians 1:18-30
English Standard Version
Philippians 1:18-30
English Standard Version
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
To Live Is Christ
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that (A)through your prayers and (B)the help of (C)the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope (D)that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full (E)courage now as always Christ (F)will be honored in my body, (G)whether by life or by death. 21 For to me (H)to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 (I)I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is (J)to depart and (K)be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 (L)Convinced of this, (M)I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your (N)progress and (O)joy in the faith, 26 so that in me (P)you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27 Only (Q)let your manner of life be (R)worthy[a] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you (S)that you are standing firm in one spirit, with (T)one mind (U)striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is (V)a clear sign to them of their destruction, but (W)of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For (X)it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also (Y)suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same (Z)conflict that (AA)you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
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- Philippians 1:27 Greek Only behave as citizens worthy
Philippians 1:18-30
New International Version
Philippians 1:18-30
New International Version
18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers(A) and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ(B) what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.[a](C) 20 I eagerly expect(D) and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage(E) so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,(F) whether by life or by death.(G) 21 For to me, to live is Christ(H) and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart(I) and be with Christ,(J) which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Life Worthy of the Gospel
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy(K) of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm(L) in the one Spirit,[b] striving together(M) as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you(N) on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer(O) for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle(P) you saw(Q) I had, and now hear(R) that I still have.
Footnotes
- Philippians 1:19 Or vindication; or salvation
- Philippians 1:27 Or in one spirit
Philippians 1:18-30
The Message
Philippians 1:18-30
The Message
18-21 So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on!
And I’m going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn’t shut me up; they gave me a platform! Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his prize. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose.
22-26 As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We’ll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.
27-30 Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There’s also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You’re involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.
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English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson