1:23

I am torn between these two things: While under house arrest, awaiting trial before Caesar, Paul felt torn between two possibilities. One was to remain alive in order to continue serving his brothers. The other was to die as a faithful servant of God. (2Ti 4:7, 8) Paul did not say which one he would choose. (Php 1:22) However, he did say that “the releasing and the being with Christ” was the better option. He knew that his remaining faithful until death was the only way to be assured of his heavenly reward during Christ’s presence.​—Re 2:10.

the releasing: Paul is apparently referring to his death. In his second letter to Timothy, written about 65 C.E., he uses a related Greek word when he says regarding his death: “The time for my releasing is imminent.” (2Ti 4:6) The expressions “the releasing and the being with Christ” are apparently parallel to what Paul says at 2Co 5:8: “We . . . would prefer to be absent from the body and to make our home with the Lord.” He viewed his death as a faithful anointed servant of God as a “releasing,” paving the way for him to be resurrected later to life in Christ’s “heavenly Kingdom.” (2Ti 4:18) As Paul explained at 1Co 15:23, “those who belong to the Christ” would be resurrected to heavenly life “during [Christ’s future] presence.” So Paul is here expressing his desire to finish his earthly course faithfully so that he could later be resurrected to heavenly life. Paul’s usage of the term “releasing” is not unique. Other Greek writers used the term as a euphemism for dying.