Of all the Epistles written by Paul only Philippians is clearly and definitely related to the experience of Christ. As we have seen, Philippians comes between Ephesians, a book on the church, and Colossians, a book on the Head. This indicates that in order for us, the members of the Body, to reach the Head, we need the experience of Christ.
In Philippians 1 Paul says, "Christ shall be magnified in my body" (v. 20), and, "For to me to live is Christ" (v. 21). The statement, "To live is Christ," is simple, but very profound. If we had spoken these words instead of the Apostle Paul, others might accuse us of blasphemy. They might wonder how we could dare say that for us to live is Christ. Paul had the boldness to utter these words because his vision was clear and his experience was rich. Paul had seen clearly that in God's economy for him to live was Christ. He not only saw this, but also lived according to this vision. We also need to have such a clear vision and a rich experience of this matter. We should be able to say, "For us to live is Christ." For us to live is not a good man. For us to live is Christ.
In verse 20 Paul says that Christ would be magnified in his body. Not many Christians know the significance of the word "magnify" in this verse. Some may say that to be magnified means to be expressed, exalted, glorified, or honored. Yes, it does mean these things, but these words do not touch the significance of the word "magnify." For Christ to be magnified in us means that we experience the unlimited Christ. Christ is magnified through His unlimitedness. For example, our love is limited because it is not Christ. The reason there are so many separations and divorces is that human love is limited. Christ is unlimited, but we are limited. If we live by Christ in any matter, that matter will be unlimited. But if we live by ourselves in the same matter, it will be limited. If we love others with our own love, we shall discover that eventually our love will be exhausted. The ones we love will place more and more demands upon us to exhaust our love. The love of a husband is exhausted by his wife, the love of parents is exhausted by their children, and the love of the elders is exhausted by the saints. Although we may be exhausted, Christ is never exhausted. The more love we require, the more love He affords to meet our requirements. Therefore, to live by Christ in the matter of loving others is to magnify Christ by His unlimitedness. The same is true regarding humility and patience. Our humility and patience are limited, but the humility and patience of Christ are unlimited. If we live by Christ in the matters of humility and patience, we magnify Him.