Philippians 1:20
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
Paul is not afraid of being put to shame by others, especially those that slander his name and are trying to get back at him by preaching the gospel. He expects to have courage to continue on after his imprisonment so that Christ is exalted. Whether he dies in prison because of his faith in Jesus or whether he lives and continues preaching, Christ is exalted either way. The goal of our life should be this. Not to live to make a name for ourselves but to live for the name of Jesus.
Philippians 1:21-24
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If 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! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
Paul sees the good in both circumstances. Most people are afraid of dying. Paul would love to die because it means he can now be with Christ, which should be all of our hope. However, Paul knows that God still has work for him to do here on earth and it is for their benefit not his that he remains alive. Some might get caught up in the false hope that this world is not our home and that we are only here a short while but someday we will go away from this place toward heaven. Not only is this a false misrepresentation of the resurrection, it leads us towards dismissing the work we are to do while we are here. He knows dying and being with Jesus is a better outcome for him, but he also thinks of the believers at Philippi and knows it better for them if he stays here a while longer.
Philippians 1:25-26
Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Paul hopes to continue to help their progress and joy in the faith. The word for progress is a word meaning “advancement” (prokopē). Paul knows that when he comes to them it will strengthen them and they will continue to have confidence in Christ because of the work he is doing.
Philippians 1:27-28a
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.
No matter what happens to Paul or to them, they should still be acting like followers of Jesus should. This will help them stand firm and be unified as they grow through trials and persecutions that reach every one of us. Those that seek to do us harm or separate us should only make us more unified.
Philippians 1:28b-29
This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
The sign that our opponents will be destroyed and we are saved is that we stayed unified and remain one in the Spirit. If we become divided then we also are at risk of tearing ourselves apart. Along with belief in Christ comes suffering for him. Many Christians do not understand this concept and this results in lack of faith and misunderstandings down the road in their life. Many just want to believe in Him to be saved but that is not how it works. We must also suffer for His name when the time comes because the world does not understand and so persecution comes upon us. Notice the language here, we have been given the privilege to believe and also suffer for His name. We do not deserve any of the grace God has given through Jesus, but since we graciously accept the grace and believe, we must also accept the suffering that comes with it, to reach the eternal goal.
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