Paul's evaluation of life and death is famous but still surprising. 

We explore only a few verses in Philippians 1, but they are enough to stimulate an exploration of how a Christian might "understand" death. The lesson succumbs to a strong temptation to highlight the Adventist understanding of death as an unconscious sleep, although this seems not to be Paul's focus in these verses. We are struck by the way he expresses death as "gain" and life as an offering of service to Christ.