“…Christ
will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.” (v.20)
The life of the indwelling Christ enabled Paul to be free from
worry and self-care during his imprisonment, which could have led to death.
Paul was bold and unashamed concerned only that Christ would be magnified in
his body regardless of what awaited him--life or death. There was no wavering
on this point. As Paul put it, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (v.21).
Paul’s point I think is this. As Christians we are on display
before the world. Our lives can magnify Christ or they can magnify us. Our
great desire should be to magnify the Lord. David said, “Let them shout for joy
and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, ‘Let
the Lord be magnified”’ (Psalm 35:27).
Therefore, others should be able to listen to our words, look at
our lives, measure our actions and say, "He belongs to the Lord or she
belongs to the Lord," as we live a “life in Christ.”
The Truth
“I have
been crucified with Christ and I
no longer live, but Christ lives
in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
