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15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. ~ Philippians 1:15-18
As we mentioned in yesterday's blog, joy is the theme of the book of Philippians. And, since joy is one measure of our spiritual strength, we should never be surprised that it will be the target of the attack of the enemy.
The Apostle Paul writes in v.15, "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry." But, even those who preach the gospel out of envy and rivalry couldn't steal the Apostle Paul's joy. There were those who belittled the reputation of the Apostle Paul. Yet, he was full of joy as long as the gospel was being preached. He felt this way because he understood that the power was and is in the proclaiming of the gospel. Despite the fact that there are those who really do not know one thing about the gospel, as long as they preach forgiveness of sin through Christ, the Apostle is happy.
Someone apply once said, "we are not serving until others get the credit and God gets the glory." This is the posture which yields the disposition of joy for it is in this mindset that Christ is most highly lifted up in and through our lives.
These who were preaching the gospel from envy and rivalry were not attacking Paul's theology. They are not proclaiming another Jesus, their's was the same gospel as Paul's. The difference between them and Paul was discovered in their motive. These people were jealous, so jealous of Paul's giftedness and success that they belittled him. They were jealous that Paul was so loved.
As a result of being jealous they were “stirring up trouble for the Apostle Paul.” There are people who focus their whole life on trying to discredit other people. They preach the true gospel but they have such an impure heart. They seek to be more prominent than they ought to be. They see themselves as important. And, they are angry that someone else is more successful than they. And so they are producers of rivalry, strife, and conflict.
The Apostle Paul doesn't tell us specifically how these people were attacking him. He doesn't want to focus on himself, so he doesn't mention what they were doing to him. Perhaps, they were accusing him of doing something wrong since he was in prison. They probably were accusing Paul of not knowing how to access certain divine resources, or else he'd be able to burst out of his chains and walk out of that prison.
But on the other hand, in v.15 we read, "Some preach Christ out of good will." Their motive is pure. Paul describes them a little bit more in v.16, "the latter do it out of love." The implication is that the ones preaching Christ out of envy and strife aren't motivated by love. This underscores the fact that the most essential element of effective ministry is love. People do not care what we know until they know that we care.
In v.16 we read, "knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel." The Apostle had a big view of God. For Paul, God was big enough to control the events in his life. He had walked with God long enough to recognize that be it good or bad, God uses all things for our good and His glory. And, since the glory of God was Paul's ultimate goal, he was fine with being in prison.
The word used here for "I am put here for," is a military term, meaning “I am set.” It's used for a soldier on duty. He was as much on duty set by God to defend the gospel as a Roman soldier was on duty being chained to him. The Apostle was in prison not because he failed but because he succeeded. And, the goal was the advancement of the Gospel.
That word "defense" in v.16, is the Greek word, apologia. We get our word "apologetic" from it. When you and I are in the center of God's will for our lives, we are His apologia. We are God's defenders of the gospel.
In v.17-18, the Apostle Paul redirects our attention to the insincere group. Again the Apostle reminds us for the second time, they “preach Christ out of selfish ambition.” They don't have the right motives. Their motive is selfish ambition. Their message is right but their motive is wrong.
The word here translated "selfish ambition" is "erithia" in the Greek. It means “to work for pay.” But someone who works only for pay, works out of a very small view of God. He's out to benefit himself and that's all he sees, and so he only wants to advance himself. This they did, according to v.17, "supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains."
Their goal wasn't to evangelize the lost. Their goal wasn't to defend the Word of God. Their goal was to irritate the man of whom they were jealous. They wanted to pull him down in the eyes of the people so the people wouldn't believe him, trust him, and follow him.
This didn't steal Paul's joy. Imprisonment and the insincere couldn't steal the Apostle Paul's joy. To the contrary, Paul writes in v.18, "But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."
Only one thing mattered, the preaching of the gospel. This is what happens when we have committed ourselves to the Lord, His fame becomes our priority. Paul didn't care who got the credit, as long as God got the glory.
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