I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
Parallel translations
- WEB according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.
- KJV According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
- NKJV according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
- NASB according to my eager expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
- NLT For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul's deep hope is that Christ will be honored in his body, whether he lives or dies. His one aim is for Christ to be magnified.
Overview
He expects not to be shamed but to display courage so that Christ is exalted through him in any outcome. Life and death are equally arenas for glorifying Christ. This single-minded devotion sets up the famous declaration of the next verse.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 38
- 1 Pet 4:16But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name.
- 1 Cor 6:20you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.
- Isa 54:4Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
- 1 Th 5:23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- 1 Jn 2:28And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
- Eph 6:19–20Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,
- 2 Cor 4:10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
- Rom 8:19The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.
- Phil 2:17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
- 2 Tim 4:6–7For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
- Rom 14:7–9For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone.
- Isa 50:7Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame.
- 2 Cor 10:8For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.
- 1 Cor 7:34and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband.
- Ps 119:116Sustain me as You promised, that I may live; let me not be ashamed of my hope.
- Isa 45:17But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated, to ages everlasting.
- Rom 5:5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
- Col 1:24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church.
- Rom 12:1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
- 2 Pet 1:12–15Therefore I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you now have.
- Phil 1:23–24I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.
- Acts 21:13Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
- 2 Cor 7:14Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well.
- John 21:19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And after He had said this, He told him, “Follow Me.”
- Ps 62:5Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.
- Acts 20:24But I consider my life of no value to me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus—the ministry of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
- Ps 119:80May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.
- John 12:27–28Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour.
- Prov 23:18For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
- 1 Cor 15:31I face death every day, brothers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- 2 Cor 5:15And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.
- Prov 10:28The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectations of the wicked will perish.
- Rom 6:19I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
- Rom 9:33as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
- Phil 1:14And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.
- Rom 6:13Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.
- 2 Cor 2:14–16But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
- Ps 25:2in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
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Christ at the center
The one who, being in the form of God, emptied himself to the point of death on a cross and was exalted to the name above every name — the joy and prize of the believer.
How Philippians 1:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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