What Does Philippians 1:19 Mean?

(19-24) In these verses, under the power of that feeling of joy of which he speaks above, St. Paul unveils to the Philippians his most sacred aspirations and convictions, and the division of feeling in his own soul between longing for rest and consciousness of work yet to be done. There is a still fuller disclosure of a similar “spiritual experience” in 2Corinthians 4:8; 2Corinthians 5:15. It is rare in the apostolic writings. St. Paul seems, in 2Corinthians 6:11, almost to apologise for disclosing what is usually kept, in delicacy and reverence, for God alone. (19) **Shall turn to my salvation.**—Or, literally, *shall issue in salvation to me.* The word “salvation” does not appear to be used here in its ordinary sense, that is, of primary or ultimate salvation from sin in Christ, but in the sense of “safety.” The enemies of the Apostle thought to stir up fresh danger and difficulty for St. Paul; but the attempt (he says) will only turn out to his safety—a safety which he believes (see Philippians 1:25-26) will be shown “in life,” by his actual release and return to his beloved churches, but which, if God so wills it, will be at least equally manifested in the “death,” which would bring him safe home to Christ. In either case he will be safe from all the enmity both of open sin and of malignant jealousy. **Through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit.**—This overruling of all enmity to his safety he hopes for through the intercession of the Philippian Church (comp. Philemon 1:23), and the fresh supply of grace which, through such intercession, may be given to him. For the word “supply” in this sense see Ephesians 4:15; and comp. Galatians 3:5; Colossians 2:19. **The Spirit of Jesus Christ.**—Of the application of this name to the Holy Ghost we have instances in Romans 8:9; 2Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 4:6; 1Peter 1:11. Of these the first is the most notable, since in two clauses of the same sentence we have first “the Spirit of God,” and then “the Spirit of Christ.” He who is “sent by the Father in the name of the Son” (John 14:26), and whose regeneration of the soul is the working out the image of Christ in it, may well be called “the Spirit of Christ.” But the name has always some specialty of emphasis. Thus here, the whole conception of the passage is of Christ—“to me to live is Christ;” hence the use of this special and comparatively rare name of the Holy Ghost.