The Apostle Paul was a prisoner in Rome when he wrote the letter to the church at Philippi that would eventually become the book of Philippians. Paul refers to his captivity as being “in my bonds” in Philippians 1:7, and again in Philippians 12-13. However, even imprisonment did not diminish Paul’s determination to remain faithful to his vows of consecrated service to God, which he considered to be the primary purpose of his life (Philippians 3:13-14). Part of this service was to assist others who had likewise consecrated their lives to God. To this end, Paul took the time to write to his brethren in Christ at Philippi, despite the physical and mental hardships of his imprisonment, to encourage them in their own service to God.

Paul consistently taught that a consecrated heart leaves behind the concerns and priorities of the current life in favor of focusing on their future existence as members of Christ’s church (Philippians 3:7-9). However, each consecrated heart also shares a responsibility for his fellow brethren in Christ during their present lives. Jesus himself taught that this type of service was expected of his followers, and that he would count service to one’s brethren as service done to himself (John 13:13-17, Matthew 25:34-40). This is the struggle of heart, or “strait” of Philippians 1:23 that Paul found himself in. One desire of his heart was to complete his earthly life and leave behind the physical sufferings that he endured (“to depart”) in favor of the future existence with the glorified Jesus that he ached for (“to be with Christ”). The second desire of his heart was to help his brethren with their own vows of consecration, but to do that, he needed to remain in his current, physical life. Paul considered the former to ultimately be the “far better” since it meant a joyous eternity in harmony with God, but accepted God’s timing and devoted his life to fulfilling his responsibilities to his consecration vows for as many days as God chose for him. 

Additional Resource about the “prison letters” of Paul:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1205: “How Can I Rejoice in Trials?”
Discovering the profound power of gratitude in the face of adversity
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes