[I eagerly expect and hope that…] that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,
Summary: Paul continues to set an example for us with his life and words.
Paul certainly has a way with words!
If you were going to exalt someone or something, how would you do that? For example, if you are a Muslim and you want to exalt Allah, you prostrate yourself in the direction of Mecca during prayer. This demonstrates respect with your body.
If Christians were to do something similar, Paul would have said, “Christ will be exalted with my body.”
But he didn’t.
Paul wants Christ to be exalted in his body. What does that mean, and how do we do that?
The first step, for those who truly want to know, is to invite Jesus into your body. If that sounds weird, think of your body the way Peter does. In one of his letters, Peter calls his body a “tent” (2 Peter 1:13-14).
If our bodies are a “tent,” then we are the unseen spirit that lives in the tent. So, the body and the spirit are two separate things. Jesus says:
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20).
When he says this he is not referring to the door of your house or your apartment. He is talking about your “tent,” the body you live in.
Once we invite Jesus in to share our lives with us, we have to decide how we are going to treat him. This is the second step. Will we exalt him or ignore him?
Honestly, he is pretty hard to ignore! He, like ourselves, is a spiritual being. Explaining this to his disciples, he says:
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
To exalt Christ in our bodies, we spiritually bow down before him and honor him by making our bodies do his will instead of our own. As Jesus pointed out to his disciples, his yoke is easy, and his burden is light (Matthew 11:30). That is always the way it is when we do what is right.
Application: Exalt Christ by loving God and loving your neighbors as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40).
Food for Thought: How did Paul exalt Christ in his body?
How did Paul exalt Christ in his body?
Paul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, looked up to by all those of the Jewish faith. He was called by Christ to serve Him as He communicated His word to all mankind. Paul submitted himself to the Holy Spirit, rejected all he had been taught by man, and lived his life dedicated to God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. He existed on earth to teach, document, communicate in every way possible, the teachings of Jesus Christ as they were revealed to him.
Philippians 1:12–26
Thank you, Ron!
The fact that he did God’s will is a good indication of exalting God!
Paul would exalt Christ in his body whether he lived or died. If he lived, that would mean he would continue to use his body to proclaim the gospel and grow the church. If he died, he would do so in service to God and receive his eternal reward. Either way, he would glorify Christ. He is about to clarify this in the upcoming section of this chapter in the book of Philippians.
Philippians 1: 21 – 25: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If 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! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.
2 Corinthians 4: 7 – 12: But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
Thank you, Rich.
I agree it is hard to separate Paul’s words here from what he says later.
Your point that he used “his body to proclaim the gospel and grow the church” is a good summation.