Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice (Phil 1:15-18).
Paul said he was pleased when people “preached Christ,” even if they did so “from envy and strife,” “from selfish ambition,” and “in pretense.”
We know from the book of Galatians, especially Gal 1:6-9, that Paul did not rejoice when people preached a false gospel. He was very angry with such people and the message they preached.
By “preaching Christ,” Paul meant accurately proclaiming Christ’s message. This would include His promise of life and His promise of blessings and eternal rewards for those who follow Him faithfully.
We might think today of those who proclaim a false saving message (e.g., works salvation, Lordship Salvation, universalism) and those who proclaim a false sanctifying message (e.g., prosperity theology, name-it-and-claim-it, contemplative spirituality).
Paul was speaking of those who preached Christ for bad reasons, yet preached Him accurately.
Let’s consider the three expressions Paul used for wrong motives in preaching Christ.
- “From envy and strife.” Fee says, “Out of envy toward Paul, perhaps with a kind of unsavory delight that enjoys kicking an opponent who is down, they now view Paul’s imprisonment (evidence of God’s judgment?) as their chance to preach Christ ‘correctly’”i (Philippians, pp. 119-20).
- “From selfish ambition.” Sapaugh comments, “They apparently hope to gain a following for themselves while Paul is on the sidelines” (GNTC, p. 896).
- “In pretense (prophasei).” BDAG says, “For a pretext, for appearance sake (as if they felt an inner need).” Note that Paul contrasts prophasei with “in truth.” The issue is between true and false motives.
Martin summarizes the point well: “As he assesses the division within the Christian community that surrounds him, he is gladdened by one all-important fact: whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached” (Philippians, p. 75, italics his). He continues:
This statement has to do exclusively with the motives of the rival groups with the church, not with the content of their preaching. However much the apostles deplores the intention of those who are preaching Christ for their own ends, with mixed motives and intending to annoy or malign him, he does not condemn the substance of their message…The author of 2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6-9 could never have countenanced erroneous doctrine or let slip an opportunity to combat false teaching… (p 76).
Do people preach Christ for their own glory today? Absolutely. Pastors sometimes gloat over how large their congregations are, how many they’ve baptized, how much money they give to missions, and so forth. Campus ministers might compete with other staff to witness to more people, have more people in discipleship groups, and so forth. Christian authors can be highly motivated to outdo their fellow authors by winning more awards and accolades and selling more books.
Of course, at the Bema we will be judged by Christ for both our actions and our motives.
Keep grace in focus, and you’ll maintain godly motivation for service.
