ACC ~ Philippians 1 v12 - 18

OVERVIEW:

The gospel is becoming known (AMBROSIASTER) precisely through Paul’s imprisonment (THEODORET). Despite the dangers caused by insincere and false preaching (AMBROSIASTER), Paul’s fortitude is giving his brothers and sisters much confidence (THEODORET, CHRYSOSTOM). The motive of preaching for some has been envy and rivalry (CHRYSOSTOM), for others good will and love. But God is making good use even of their bad intentions (MARIUS VICTORINUS). Against their will the enemies of truth cooperate with truth (THEODORET). This cannot become an excuse for heresy or deceit. Some may preach the truth without themselves standing in the truth (AUGUSTINE).

1:12 | Advancing the Gospel

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME. THEODORET: In their great concern for Paul the Philippians had sent the blessed Epaphroditus to help him. For this reason he writes to comfort them in return. He wants to show that the chains that bind him have themselves become the instruments of salvation to many. By “the progress of the gospel” he means the multitude of believers. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 1.12-13.

1:13a | The Gospel Known to the Praetorian Guard

THE GOSPEL BECOMING KNOWN. AMBROSIASTER: His imprisonment for Christ’s sake is becoming known. This is his distinctive honor. Now others who love him may rejoice with him. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 1.17.1.

1:13b | Imprisonment for Christ

ALL THE REST. AMBROSIASTER: Who are “all the rest”? The whole of Jewry, in addition to all the churches of the Gentiles. The former still has precedence, since to them the promise was first made. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 1.17.1.

1:14a | Confidence in the Lord Because of Paul’s Imprisonment

THE EFFECT OF MY IMPRISONMENT. THEODORET: “My chains,” he says in effect, “have themselves become the source of courage to the others. They can easily see that I bear adversity with joy. So they come to preach the divine gospel fearlessly.” PISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 1.14.

CONFIDENT IN THE LORD. CHRYSOSTOM: “It is confidence in the Lord, not in me as such, that is elicited by my chains. As others take courage from my bonds, so do I. As I become the cause of confidence to others, much more does this have an effect within myself.” … Note how Paul, even in speaking of great things, remains aware of the tendency toward pride and does not cease to enjoin modesty. HOMILY ON PHILIPPIANS 3.1.14.

1:14b | Boldness to Speak the Word of God

SPEAKING WITHOUT FEAR. AMBROSIASTER: His constancy inspires others to be fearless in preaching. They are learning by the apostle’s example that God is present to watch over those who love him. This itself has an effect upon the misguided brethren who have been preaching the Word of God as if from envy, prompted not by confidence or love of God but by competitiveness. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 1.17.2.

1:15 | Motives for Preaching

SOME PREACH FROM ENVY. CHRYSOSTOM: After the imprisonment of the apostle many unbelievers became so bold as to try to excite a fierce persecution from the emperor. So they apparently also started preaching Christ in their own way, but only in order that the emperor’s anger might be increased. Thus, they imagined, by the spread of the preaching the whole of his anger would fall on Paul’s head. So from Paul’s imprisonment two lines of action have sprung. First, those of good will took great courage from it. The other party appeared to be preaching Christ but was really hoping for Paul’s destruction. These are the ones who were “preaching Christ from envy and rivalry.” In effect he is saying: “Those who envy my reputation and constancy and wish for my death work as rivals.” Or: “Wishing to be honored themselves, they were trying to use my reputation as leverage.” By contrast the others are preaching “through good will,” without any hypocrisy and with the utmost zeal. HOMILY ON PHILIPPIANS 3.1.15.

1:16a | Preaching Out of Love

DISTINGUISHING PREACHING FROM ENVY, FROM GOOD WILL, FROM LOVE AND FROM EVIL MOTIVES. MARIUS VICTORINUS: Some preach Christ “from envy” because of their malice and contentiousness. What they feel is simply envy. They do not preach Christ in a holy and decent manner but merely in order to heap up grief upon me and increase my trial and sorrow. They want to flaunt their delight in my bondage. … Others preach not with the motive of adding further grief to my bonds but to claim the glory of preaching for themselves. Meanwhile the faithful preach Christ “through good will” in sincere belief, not out of envy but because what they believe is good. It is the gospel. So while some are preaching Christ in insolence, to bring punishment and tribulation on me, others are preaching from love. They remain dear to me. They do not insult me because I am in this state for the defense of the gospel. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 1.15-17.

1:16b | For Defense of the Gospel

COMMANDED TO PREACH. CHRYSOSTOM: What does he mean by saying “I am put here for the defense of the gospel?” “Even those who preach out of envy are helping me prepare for the account I must give to God. How so? Having been appointed to preach,” he says, “I am going to submit a reckoning and defend the work that I was appointed to do. My vindication will be easy because there are many who have been rightly instructed and have faith. But even those who preach out of envy inadvertently demonstrate how it is possible to do a good work even when one’s motive is not good.” OMILY ON PHILIPPIANS 3.1.16.

1:17 | Proclaiming Christ Out of Partisanship

INSINCERE PREACHING. TERTULLIAN: What is skewed among those who “proclaim Christ out of partisanship” is their temperament and their motive, not the content of their proclamation. Paul exposes these bad tempers as the sole cause of their disunity, but these bad tempers apparently do not have a bad effect on the mysteries of the faith. There is still only one Christ and one God. This does not change, regardless of what motives may come into play in preaching him. So Paul is able to say that “it is nothing to me whether Christ be preached on a pretext or in truth; Christ is proclaimed.” What really matters is the one who is preached, whether through pretentiousness or in true faith. When Christ is preached in truth he is being preached faithfully. The rule of truth remains what it is, regardless of who preaches it—better or worse, there is but one truth. Meanwhile the conduct of preachers varies. Some preach truly, single-mindedly. Others preach insincerely, with affectations. AGAINST MARCION 5.20.1.

HIS RESPONSE NOT MALICIOUS. CHRYSOSTOM: Note Paul’s wisdom. He does not hurl around scurrilous accusations. He calmly describes what has come to pass. … Though the aim and motives on which they acted were corrupted, still the preaching itself was not corrupted. And the preaching of Christ occurred despite it all. HOMILY ON PHILIPPIANS 3.1.1.

1:18 | In Every Way Christ Is Proclaimed

THE WELCOME OUTCOME. MARIUS VICTORINUS: The outcome is very welcome to me: They preach about Christ. They speak Christ’s name. They confess that he is God and the Son of God, even if in a different spirit. For by this celebration, exertion and activity, Christ is proclaimed by all. So I too obtain my wish, which is that Christ should be proclaimed. And if that is so, they are wrong to imagine that they have cast me into grief. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 1.18.

PREACHING THE TRUTH WITHOUT BEING IN THE TRUTH. AUGUSTINE: There were in the times of the apostles some who were preaching truth but not in truth, that is, not in a true spirit. Of these the apostle says that their proclamation was not pure but was preached “through envy and rivalry.” Even though they were tolerated who proclaimed the truth without purity of mind, they were not praised, as if to assume that they were preaching with a pure mind. So Paul says of them that, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. Yet he certainly does not imply that Christ may now be denied in order to be later proclaimed. AGAINST LYING 16.

PREACHING GOOD THINGS POORLY. THEODORET: Even against their will, Paul shows, the enemies of truth inadvertently cooperate with truth. Some are foolish enough to think that this can also be said about heresies. They ought to have perceived that the holy apostle’s statement here is not an imperative sentence but a declarative one. He did not say “Let it be preached” but “It is being preached.” Moreover, he does not condemn those people for preaching bad things but for preaching good things poorly, being led not by reverence for God but by partisanship. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 1.18.