Pride-full Paul?

Paul debates with himself in his Philippian letter regarding leaving this world or remaining. (1:21-24) “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. . . . But I am hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” Wait! That sounds a bit arrogant. He is saying that it would be better for him to go to glory, but it would be better for the Christians at Philippi if he kept on working. Is he thinking too highly of himself? Is he a little full of himself? It seems like he is placing high value on his contribution to the Christian community and low expectation on their survival without him. Does Paul pen with self-centered pride when he bellows how badly his readers require him?

We should take the comment in question in the context of Paul’s entire letter. In the earlier part of chapter one Paul declares, (1:6) “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul’s confidence was not in his work but in the work of Christ. In chapter two he exhorts, (2:3) “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” I believe Paul was effective in his mission work partly because people knew him as one who practiced what he preached. 

Perhaps in his musing about which was the better choice  - to live or die – Paul could identify with the humility of Christ which he describes in chapter two. On the one hand, Christ (2:6-7) “existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant.” On the other hand, Paul’s personal preference to forego entering into his eternity with Christ in order to remain on earth a bond-servant of Christ was a similar act of humility.

Paul courageously writes this letter from a prison cell to encourage and assure his fellow believers that his desire was to continue to serve them and disciple them. His words: “to remain on in the flesh is necessary for your sake,” are spoken as a shepherd who assures his flock he will not abandon them. He confesses that they are more important to him than his own eternal ecstasy. Nevertheless, he cannot escape thinking about that future joy. He adds to his dialogue, (3:20-21) “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory,”

Timothy!!!

I wonder about Paul’s child in the faith, Timothy, if he suffered from a misunderstanding of humility. I wonder because of certain personal instructions Paul gives in the two letters addressed to Timothy. Christians sometimes think that humility means to be passive, unassertive, and even inactive. They think humbleness means non-resistance. If that is what Timothy thought then we can understand some of the coaching Paul gave him. Paul urged in his first letter, “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight (1:18). Paul ended the letter with the same urging, “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, . . .” (6:12). The second letter to Timothy immediately picks up this same theme. “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline”(1:7). In the second chapter of that letter he calls upon Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2:1), and then calls for him to “suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2:3). Paul finishes the second letter with further instruction for Timothy to operate from a position of confident strength. “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (4:1-2).

Another misunderstanding by Christians is that humility requires that we forgo achievement, initiative, and excellence. Once again, I suspect Timothy needed Paul to teach him that humility does not mean that. Paul clearly describes humble behavior throughout both letters to Timothy, but has a need to challenge Timothy to step up to the plate and knock a homerun. In the first letter Paul says, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather . . . show yourself an example of those who believe” (4:12). He follows that with: “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (4:16). In his second letter Paul admonishes, “be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed” (2:15).

Paul was an humble man and taught Timothy by word and example how to be humble. It seems to me, though, he had to help Timothy understand these two things about humility. The unselfish, devoted, humble life for a bond-slave of Jesus Christ is not one of weakness and failure. It is a life of strength and diligence. I trust Paul will forgive me if I put unintended words into his mouth. But, I can almost hear him firmly speaking to Timothy: get your lazy self up, stop listening to foolishness (2:2:23), stop doubting your calling and God’s gift within you, “endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry!”(2:4:5). It is a lesson many need to be taught about the humble life.