Some indeed also for envy and strife, but some also for good will, preach the Christ.
Paul writes from prison, and he reports that the gospel is spreading — yet not every preacher had a clean heart. The verse sorts them into two camps by motive alone, which raises a hard question: can real good come from a bad motive?
The verse does not contrast two messages. It contrasts two sources. One writer looks at where each kind of preaching came from:
In Philippians 1:15, envy was the moral source of the character of the preaching for some, as goodwill was for others.
Where does a wrong motive in gospel work come from? One writer points to an enemy who could not stop the preaching, and to Paul's answer:
Here was another step in the blessing, and full of promise too. The enemy never expected it! But he was on the alert. If he could not silence the tongues that bore their testimony to the Saviour, he would bring in mixed motives instead. He would tempt some to an unholy spirit and aim, even in a work so holy. The Apostle did not miss it. It did not disturb his triumphant assurance in the least — his assurance that all things were working together for good, not only for those who love God, but for the advance of the glad tidings of His grace. So he does not hide this in sorrow or shame, but cheerfully explains it.
One writer explains the word Paul uses here — "strife" in older translations, "rivalry" in the ESV — and finds the same fault today:
The word for "strife" really means partisanship, or rivalry. Faction, party-spirit and intrigue all belong to this word. Perhaps it is hard to imagine how anybody could do that. And yet, I grieve to say, we find the same thing very often today. On the mission field we find one mission trying to get ahead of another. And we need not look so far from home. Even among God's people at home, who love the Saviour and preach the gospel, we have seen rivalry, competition, and party-spirit come in.
Envy needs someone to envy. Prison removed the man whose gifts had made these preachers look small:
Many of them, as one writer has said, were bound to be powerless and insignificant next to his power and his gifts. They could make themselves important once God, in His unsearchable but perfect ways, set this mighty instrument of His grace aside. They could hope to shine and attract attention once prison walls blocked the rays of this brilliant light. Jealous but hidden while he was there, they took advantage of his absence...
Whatever was wrong with these preachers, it was not their message. One writer proves it by comparing them with the teachers Paul cursed in Galatia:
Some have thought that the people acting in this way were the same sort as those who preached the law to the Galatians. But surely the Apostle would never have called such preaching "the gospel." He tells us it is a different gospel, and not another one at all. What those men in Galatia preached was no gospel at all. These men, on the other hand, "preached Christ." Paul could pronounce a curse, twice repeated, on those; over these he could rejoice. And so we must conclude that it was the true gospel, preached by untrue men, or in an untrue way.
So does the motive matter, if God uses the words anyway? One writer answers:
A spirit of rivalry and envy may stir up great zeal and energy. It may be that God, in His sovereignty, will bless His Word even when someone preaches it with such motives. Yet the one who preaches this way will have to answer before Him for those motives.
This danger is not rare, and it hides inside good work:
We can easily do many things which are quite right in themselves, and yet do them in the spirit of strife. We saw this in chapter 1, where we read of believers preaching Christ "of envy and strife." ... How often have we done what was right enough, but with the secret desire of gaining credit and glory among our fellows? Let us give our consciences time to answer.
- Two springs. The same message flowed from two different inner sources — envy on one side, goodwill on the other. The source shapes the character of the work.
- One word. "Strife" means partisanship, faction and rivalry — the drive to get ahead of another servant instead of reaching the lost.
- One prisoner. Men who felt small beside Paul's gifts felt large once prison walls shut him away.
- One gospel. These were true words from untrue hearts. It was not the false gospel Paul cursed in Galatia, so he could rejoice over it.
- One Judge. Paul does not excuse the motive. He leaves it with the Lord who will weigh it — a warning to search our own hearts in work that looks right.
These indeed out of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the glad tidings;
From a Roman prison, Paul has just described two kinds of preachers: some work from envy and rivalry, others from goodwill. This verse is about the second kind — their motive, and what they knew about the prisoner.
The phrase "put here for the defense of the gospel" carries a military picture, and it explains how Paul read his own imprisonment.
"Set for the defence of the Gospel" pictures a soldier posted at a certain spot to defend it. The Captain of Salvation had posted Paul in a Roman prison to defend the Gospel. Paul could rejoice even in such a post. His Captain had put him there, and it was for the defence of the Gospel. Back in verse 7 we read about the defence of the Gospel too, and about the share the Philippian believers had in it. Now the believers in Rome are sharing in it as well.
A soldier is posted because an enemy is coming. One writer names the gospel's enemies, shows which of their attacks does the most damage, and says what form the love of these preachers took.
Wherever people preach the true Gospel of God in this world, others are sure to attack it, both openly and in secret. Traditional religion and the empty claims of philosophy are both its enemies. And the enemy usually does most damage to the truth by sly corruption rather than by open opposition. Paul knew his schemes well, and he stood watch to defend the Gospel entrusted to him against the devil's many methods. So he rejoiced warmly when he found in others the same appreciation of the matchless excellence of the truth itself and of the dangers it faced. Here the love of these right-minded believers took the form of a shared discernment, in them and in him, of the infinite value of God's words.
Some older Bibles number these two verses the other way round. The word used here for the preachers' motive is worth a pause.
The better Greek reading reverses the order of verses 16 and 17, so the description of those who preached out of goodwill comes at once. It is a joy to see that they preached out of love, and it is the stronger word for love, not just affection. The Apostle had once said, "For the love of Christ controls us." Now it is love that constrains these believers in Rome to preach Christ. May we not suppose that this little word "love" includes the love of Christ, love for Christ, and love for the Apostle? And love is the only true motive for preaching the Gospel. It must not be a cold duty, done every so often, but a burning love that comes from the heart.
These preachers stand against a group whose zeal was real but whose motive was rivalry. The problem was not the message but the self mixed into it.
The people the apostle means could not preach Christ without bringing themselves into the service. They made it an occasion for pushing themselves forward, for being ambitious, for seeking the first place among their fellow believers. The news of this self-seeking reached the apostle, and it saddened him, because it spoiled a good confession and ruined a good work. They were preaching Christ, but oh, how badly! They preached Him out of contention and strife, not out of His constraining love.
The warning here is not only for Paul's rivals. It reaches everyone who serves.
But what a serious warning for our own souls, to make sure that love is the true and real motive behind every service. A spirit of rivalry and envy may stir up great zeal and energy. God may still choose to bless His Word when someone preaches it with such motives, yet the one who preaches this way will have to answer to Him for them.
Paul knew what both groups were doing. One writer shows what his chains actually proved.
His chains only proved how completely the liberty of grace stands free of everything man or Satan can rage against the person who holds firm in it and keeps Him before his heart... Paul was not blind to the feelings of some, whose zeal did nothing to hide their malicious desires. But nothing weakened the spring of his joy in God, nor his thankful sense that, whatever man meant by it, the testimony of grace was going out far and wide with power, and Christ was held up and exalted more and more.
- Posted. "Put here for the defense" is soldier's language. The prison was the post his Captain gave him.
- Guarded. Enemies attack the gospel openly and by quiet corruption. That is why the post mattered, and why Paul welcomed everyone who shared the watch.
- Loved. These preachers acted out of love — love of Christ, love for Christ, love for Paul. Love is the only true motive for preaching.
- Contrasted. The other group could not preach without pushing themselves forward. That spoiled a good work, even though the message stayed true.
- Answerable. God may still bless His word preached from a wrong motive. The preacher will answer to Him for that motive.