BIG IDEA:
THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE GOSPEL CAN ACTUALLY BENEFIT FROM DIFFICULT PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES:
- BY SHOWING UNBELIEVERS THE REALITY OF OUR RELATIONSHIP TO CHRIST
- BY STRENGTHENING THE FAITH AND COURAGE OF BELIEVERS TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL
- BY STIMULATING INCREASED PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL
INTRODUCTION:
What is our primary goal in life? What is our passion? What do we live for? For Paul the answer was easy: “For me to live is Christ” The advancement of the Gospel was foremost in his thinking. He was totally wrapped up in living out his divine commission to be the apostle to the Gentiles in proclaiming the good news of salvation in Christ. His personal circumstances or comforts in this life were not his primary concern.
We saw the importance of fellowship in the Gospel — but how can some people have any impact for Christ given their other responsibilities or difficult circumstances in life? What chance do you have to advance the gospel when you work a fulltime job? When you are busy at home raising three children? When there is poor health or poverty or other hardships in your life?
Paul certainly didn’t have what we would judge to be the most advantageous circumstances– no big salary, no fancy office, no radio and TV ministry, no publishing house distributing his letters, no flock of servants to wait on him hand and foot. Instead, he was under house arrest in Rome and it appears that the pressure of his situation has been turned up a few notches with the immediate events surrounding his trial. He was concerned that believers such as his faithful supporters back in Philippi might misinterpret his difficulties and become disillusioned and discouraged. “I want you to know, brethren” (Note the importance of our personal testimony — our silence can be taken the wrong way.)
Cf. times of persecution throughout church history — these have also been the times of most effective growth of the church — not just in numbers but in depth of knowing God and fruitfulness in serving Him;
Cf. the church today in China.
Gordon Fee: What Paul wants the Philippians to know is that “what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” The thrice-repeated phrase “my chains” (vv. 13, 14, 17; cf. v. 7) attests that he is referring to his imprisonment. They are to understand that its effect has been quite the reverse of what they might have expected. It has “really served,” he explains, “to advance the gospel.” Here is Paul’s obvious concern. He wants them not to be anxious about him, because his circumstances, rather than being a “hindrance” (proskopē) to the gospel, as they might well believe, have in fact led to its “advance” (prokopē). “To advance the gospel” has been his lifelong passion; he has thus ordered his life so that nothing will hinder, and everything advance, the message about Christ.
Steven Lawson: Every great preacher has had his critics within the church. John Calvin was exiled from his pulpit in Geneva, Switzerland after only two years. Jonathan Edwards was voted out of his pastorate after over twenty-two years as the pastor in Northampton, Connecticut—and that by a ninety-percent vote. Charles Spurgeon suffered severe discouragement, if not depression, from the leaders in his own denomination during the Downgrade Controversy. No pastor who preaches the truth is without his critics. . .
Maybe they were envious of Paul’s apostolic authority. Maybe they were jealous of his towering intellect or gifted speech. It could be that they coveted his far-reaching influence. Whatever it was, they considered Paul to be a threat to their following in their ministries. The result of this envy was “strife” (eris), meaning a heated contention, mean quarreling, wrangling of words, unhealthy debate, and harmful arguing. This strife could be devastating to the spiritual health of the churches in Rome. It would create divisions in the churches among believers, forcing people to make a choice between supporting Paul or standing with these petty preachers. Sadly, many believers in Rome, influenced by Paul’s opponents, were turning their backs on the most influential follower of Christ who ever lived: the apostle Paul.
R. Kent Hughes: Paul was so gospel intoxicated, so centered on getting the good news of Christ out to the lost in Rome, that his feelings and aspirations were subsumed and subject to the gospel. Don Carson writes:
“Paul’s example is impressive and clear: Put the advance of the gospel at the center of your aspirations. Our own comfort, our bruised feelings, our reputations, our misunderstood motives—all of these are insignificant in comparison with the advance and splendor of the gospel. As Christians, we are called upon to put the advance of the gospel at the very center of our aspirations.
What are your aspirations? To make money? To get married? To travel? To see your grandchildren grow up? To find a new job? To retire early? None of these is inadmissible; none is to be despised. The question is whether these aspirations become so devouring that the Christian’s central aspiration is squeezed to the periphery or choked out of existence entirely.”
So the centrality of the gospel is the great question and challenge for us. Is the gospel first and foremost in our lives and in our church? The answer will determine our future.
Grant Osborne: The Philippian believers were very concerned about Paul and needed to hear the latest news regarding his imprisonment and trial. In Philippians 1:12–18a Paul provides an update and demonstrates his joy even in his adversity, for God was manifesting his sovereign will in every aspect of the situation. Paul had been thrown into two different prisons for a combined total of four years, with the direct result that the gospel was advancing in miraculous ways. Many preachers had turned against him and were trying to cause immense trouble for him, but even amid this opposition God was causing the gospel to go forth through them. The only response Paul could give was joy.
Frank Thielman: The passage demonstrates an important principle of Pauline theology, one often missed by modern Christians, particularly in the affluent West. God works not merely in spite of but through adverse circumstances. He chose the foolishness of the cross to accomplish his redemptive purposes (1 Cor. 1:18), he chose the foolish things of this world to redeem (1:27), and he chose an apostle whose physical and emotional condition could be compared with “jars of clay” to bear the message of redemption (2 Cor. 4:7–12; cf. 1 Cor. 4:8–13; 2 Cor. 11:21–33). God chose to work through these means in order to demonstrate that the advancement of the gospel was God’s doing rather than a matter of human ingenuity (1 Cor. 1:29; 2 Cor. 4:7). Thus Paul is not surprised that God has turned his imprisonment and the jealousy of his rivals into means for the advancement of the gospel. This is God’s typical way of working.
John MacArthur: John Bunyan’s preaching was so popular and powerful, and so unacceptable to leaders in the seventeenth-century Church of England, that he was jailed in order to silence him. Refusing to be silent, he began to preach in the jail courtyard. He not only had a large audience of prisoners, but also hundreds of the citizens of Bedford and the surrounding area would come to the prison daily and stand outside to hear him expound Scripture. He was silenced verbally by being placed deep inside the jail and forbidden to preach at all. Yet in that silence, he spoke loudest of all and to more people than he could have imagined. It was during that time that he wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress, the great Christian classic that has ministered the gospel to tens of millions throughout the world. For several centuries, it was the most widely read and translated book in the world after the Bible. Bunyan’s opponents were able to stop his preaching for a few years, but they were not able to stop his ministry. Instead, they provided opportunity for it to be extended from deep within a jail in the small town of Bedford to the ends of the earth.
I. (:12) STATEMENT OF HIS THESIS: THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE GOSPEL CAN ACTUALLY BENEFIT FROM DIFFICULT PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
A. (:12a) The Apostle Paul’s Personal Circumstances Looked Bleak
“Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances”
“the things relating to me” — trace his sufferings from Acts 16 when God began a good work in their hearts to the present;
What difficult circumstances are you facing today?
cf. 2 Cor. 11:23-27; Acts 20:6 – 28:31
Paul did not focus on his personal difficulties and he did not want others to be burdened down in a wrong sense either; he knew how to focus on living for Christ and how to live above his circumstances.
David Garland: Paul does not say that being in chains is good; he takes no masochistic delight in his suffering, but he also does not bemoan it. He avows that his situation has salvage value and offers three assurances:
(1) His imprisonment has not hindered his mission but provides an opportunity for him to proclaim the gospel to his captors. Further, it has emboldened other believers to preach (vv.12–18a).
(2) His death, should it come, is not something he fears, since it would be a gain (vv.18b–23).
(3) He fully expects to be released so that he can continue in his mission (v.22) and contribute to the believers’ progress in the faith (vv.24–26). Consequently, they should not be troubled by it but should rejoice (cf. Holloway, 101).
Dennis Johnson: We should not envision Paul behind bars in a jail cell, but rather under a restrictive house arrest, chained to a guard at all times. Apparently he was free to receive visitors (Acts 28:17–18, 20–21), to keep current about events in the outside world (Phil. 1:14–18), and even to have contact with believers in Caesar’s household (Phil. 4:22). Nevertheless, though Paul was not rotting in a rat-infested dungeon, we should not underestimate how such confinement might have frustrated such a man of action. Earlier he had written to the church at Rome that he was eager to reach the imperial capital, “that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you” and “that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles” (Rom. 1:11, 13). Since his calling “to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named,” had been completed in the eastern Mediterranean (15:19–20), he was restless to push westward to the frontier of gospel expansion, stopping at Rome en route to Spain (15:23–24). Paul’s plans were always subject to his sovereign Savior’s will, of course. He had prayed to reach Rome “by God’s will” (1:10), and by God’s means he did—though not for the brief stay that he had expected. Now he planned “in the Lord” to send Timothy to Philippi and was persuaded “in the Lord” that he himself would follow (Phil. 2:19, 24). So Paul was a submissive planner, but he was ambitious—not for his own fame but for Christ’s. So the chain on his ankle and the soldier at his side, keeping him from the marketplace or the synagogues in the Jewish quarter across the Tiber River, could not have been welcome encumbrances.
(:12b) Transition:
“have fallen out rather“
The result of his difficult circumstances is unexpected from the natural perspective.
B. (:12c) These Difficult Circumstances Have Promoted the Advancement of the Gospel
“for the greater progress of the gospel,”
Word originally denoted making headway in spite of blows, and so depicted progress; verb is used in the sense of to promote, to further in the sense of prosperity and progress
Robert Gromacki: It was a military term, used of engineers who would prepare a road for the advancing army by removing obstructions such as rocks and trees. Paul did not view difficulty with self-pity. He was not concerned how circumstances affected him; rather, he asked the question: How can this problem be used to proclaim the gospel in a distinctive way? Paul saw a beginning in what some called an end, and he walked through open doors which others concluded to be closed and locked.
Nijay Gupta: In 1:12, Paul makes the Philippians aware that his chains have helped to advance the gospel. The word he uses here (prokopē) refers to forward movement, elevation, or progress. It is sometimes used of job promotions, where people aspire to “move up.” Paul applies this thinking to the gospel mission—nothing can stop it from advancing. And if that is true, human servants of the gospel are not responsible for “converting” people or “forcing” the gospel through obstacles. So, what does Paul expect from the Philippian believers? Keep up with that river! Paul talks about wanting to help them progress or move foward (again, prokopē) in their faith and in their joy. Both faith and joy grow when God’s people trust God to make good on his promises and when they dispel fears and doubts about the power of the gospel.
John MacArthur: Prokope (progress) describes not merely moving ahead but doing so against obstacles. The related verb was used of an explorer or of an army advance team hacking a path through dense trees and underbrush, moving ahead slowly and with considerable effort. Resistance is therefore inherent to that sort of progress, and no one knew better than Paul how inevitable the resistance of Satan (1 Thess. 2:18) and the world (1 John 2:15–16) is to the progress of the gospel. Resistance by pagan Rome had placed him in his present two-year imprisonment, and resistance by unbelieving Jewish leaders had imprisoned him in Caesarea for two years before that (Acts 24:27). He explained to the Corinthians that, although “a wide door for effective service has opened to me, . . . there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:9). To the Thessalonians he wrote: “After we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition” (1 Thess. 2:2).
Paul’s perspective rooted here in a conviction of a Sovereign God who is working out His divine plan in history; able to transform seemingly bad circumstances into good results from the perspective of eternity.
People are actively promoting all sorts of worthless causes:
“everybody seems to have a cause for which to speak;
loudly from the rooftops they proclaim the thing they seek;
often for a needless cause and often to deceive;
Should not we who know the Lord declare what we believe”
Our materialistic culture is very interested in personal advancement (job promotions, self-help courses, etc.); but who has a heart for promoting God’s interests?
Same word in 1:25 “progress in the faith”
Do we have the same goal that Paul had? Can we look back over the varied paths of our circumstances to see how God has been using us to advance the gospel?
II. (:13-18) THREE POSITIVE RESULTS FROM HIS DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES
Frank Thielman: Paul says in verses 12–14 that his imprisonment, surprisingly, has caused the gospel’s progress. This progress can be measured by the way the gospel has swept through the ranks of those who live and work in the place of Paul’s imprisonment and by the inspiration that Paul’s circumstances have given to other believers to proclaim the gospel more boldly than ever before. The Philippians should not be concerned about Paul’s circumstances, for they have proven to be a vehicle for his ministry of reconciliation.
(:13a) Transition
“so that” — introduces results
What were these 3 Positive Results?
A. (:13) Showing Unbelievers the Reality of His Relationship to Christ
Not just by his words but by his life — his attitude, how he conducted himself, his concern for others as being more important than himself, his humility — cf. all of the positive Christian traits Paul speaks of in this letter — he was living them out,
“bonds” — sums up all of his varied difficult circumstances
- His Bonds Connected Him to the Cause of Christ
“my imprisonment in the cause of Christ”
Gerald Hawthorne: It has now become clear that Paul is a prisoner, not for any crime he committed, political or otherwise, but simply because he is a Christian (v 13).
- His Bonds Became a Platform for Gospel Proclamation
“has become well known”
His life was evident and clearly blameless;
His relationship to Christ was deep and real.
1:1 Paul was first a bond-servant of Jesus Christ; nothing could happen to him that was not under the control of His Sovereign Master — he never had the sense of desperation that comes when you feel your life is out of control
- His Bonds Increased the Scope of His Testimony
a. to the strategic palace guard (praetorian guards)
“throughout the whole praetorian guard”
Steven Lawson: Despite these difficult circumstances, Paul nevertheless preached some of the greatest sermons that ever came from his lips while here in Rome. However, these messages were not delivered to large, swelling crowds, but to the emperor’s guards, one-on-one. In turn, the truth was eventually received by the guards, who carried it into the palace of Caesar. These new believers carried the gospel where Paul could never have gone, into the very household of Caesar himself. Those around the emperor were being converted by the witness that Paul had given to the praetorian guard. These soldiers were the most elite Roman guards in the entire empire. They were the personal bodyguards for Caesar, and served in his imperial palace. They were often the powers of influence near the throne and exerted a persuasion upon the emperor’s understanding and decisions. The apostle preached every sermon while in chains to these men who were being rotated through his rented house. From there, the gospel advanced into the very headquarters of the empire and beyond.
John MacArthur: The praetorian guard was originally composed of some ten thousand handpicked soldiers. It had been established by Caesar Augustus, who was emperor at the time of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:1). These men were dispersed strategically throughout the city of Rome to keep the general peace and especially to protect the emperor. Later emperors greatly increased their numbers, and Tiberius built them a conspicuous fortified camp to make sure they had a high-profile presence in Rome. Members of the praetorian guard served for twelve (later sixteen) years, after which they were granted the highest honors and privileges, including very generous severance pay. Eventually they became so powerful that they were considered “king-makers,” who not only protected but also chose the emperors.
b. to all other unbelievers as well throughout Rome and the empire
“and to everyone else,”
B. (:14) Strengthening the Faith and Courage of Believers to Proclaim the Gospel
- Strengthening the Faith of Believers
“and that most of the brethren,
trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment,”
The right response to difficult circumstances can mobilize the ministry of others by encouraging them to step out in faith.
Gordon Fee: “Most of the brothers and sisters” refers to the Christian community in the location of his imprisonment—Rome in our view. That Paul is not referring to believers in other churches seems certain, since as loyal partners of his in the advance of the gospel, the Philippians would have been among the first of his churches to have been so spurred on, yet he feels the need to inform them about this recent development. Thus, it is not “brothers and sisters” in Corinth, Thessalonica, and elsewhere, but in Rome, who have been emboldened by his imprisonment. Moreover, “most” in this case probably means simply that the church as a whole has been largely affected in this way by his imprisonment.
- Strengthening the Courage of Believers to Proclaim the Gospel
“have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”
There is a natural fear of witnessing that needs to be overcome in order for us to advance the gospel.
Max Anders: Conventional or worldly wisdom would think the threat of jail would make Christians fearful of proclaiming their faith. Yet the opposite was true. God saw fit to use what looked to be a setback to gain new converts.
Nijay Gupta: Paul emphasizes the relationship between Christian faith and boldness. Obstacles and challenges are not a reason to become cautious, hesitant, and shy. They ought to inspire courage. Paul came to observe that his imprisonment served as an inspiration for local Christians around him to preach the gospel with even more boldness. They saw Paul’s bleak situation, admired his resilience, and it gave them fresh energy to trust the unstoppable God and gospel (Phil 1:14). A handful of verses later he mentions that he too will dare to preach with boldness and confidence, even in prison, in order to make Christ known and magnified to all around him (1:20).
G. Walter Hansen: Having been convinced by the Lord to put their confidence in the Lord, they dare all the more to proclaim the gospel. The word dare indicates a willingness “to show boldness or resolution in the face of danger, opposition, or a problem.” Paul is not saying that the believers did not have any boldness at all; he asserts that they had more boldness as a result of his imprisonment. The comparative word more points to a remarkable increase in the bold proclamation of these believers. When the danger of speaking for Christ increased beyond their worst nightmares, their boldness increased beyond measure. Before they were witnessing, but timidly and hesitantly; now they dared to take big risks in their witness and speak out without fear in dangerous situations. Paul’s example and the Lord’s presence took away their fears and gave them amazing courage. Courage is contagious. The timid catch boldness from the brave.
C. (:15-17) Stimulating Increased Proclamation of the Gospel of Christ –
Though with Mixed Motives
Gordon Fee: The description itself is set forth in a nearly perfect chiasmus:
A Some preach Christ because of envy and rivalry (v. 15)
B Others because of good will (v. 15)
B′ The latter do so out of love because they know my imprisonment is in behalf of the gospel (v. 16)
A′ The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing they are causing affliction in my bonds (v. 17)
Steven Lawson: The motives of every believer in ministry are critically important to God. It matters not only what we say and do, but why we do it. We can conceal selfish motives while serving Christ. We must never use our ministry for Christ as a cover-up to hide our own self-promoting agenda. The purest motives require that we do all things for the glory of God.
Richard Melick: Significantly, Paul evaluated these preachers carefully and objectively. Three areas of concern emerge in his evaluation of others: their methods, their motives, and their message. They clearly had a correct message. Christ was proclaimed (1:14–18). Likewise, their methods caused no problem. The text reveals only one way of ministry: They preached. The point of difference was their motives. Motivations generally remain inside and quiet, but these preachers quite openly explained their motives. Paul had a great concern for motives in the ministry, yet he did not attack these preachers the way he did others. Apparently this was because they acted toward him, not toward the gospel or Christianity in general. He chose to look on the bright side since the message and the method furthered the truth. God alone can deal with motives!
Gordon Zerbe: Paul’s strident language suggests that this rivalry is a grave concern and amounts to disunity and possible disintegration, seemingly the same kind of rivalry that threatened the Corinthian church (1 Cor 1:10–17). Paul perceives these rival preachers in Ephesus to be minimizing the cruciform and socially radical aspects of the gospel while being sympathetic to Roman imperial authority and elite social values. They appear much like the status-seeking preachers evident in Corinth (1 Cor 1:17–31; 2 Cor 10–13). On this topic, Paul’s teaching is closely aligned with that of Jesus: Paul seems to be confronting the same kind of social patterns of status pursuit that Jesus addressed in the exchanges preserved in Mark 8–10.
- (:15-17) Motivations May Be Mixed
“Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife,
but some also from good will;
16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;
17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.”
People might proclaim the gospel from either good or bad motivations.
G. Walter Hansen: Although Paul draws a sharp line of contrast between these two groups, he is clear that they have the same identity and the same message. He introduces both groups with pronouns (some … others) that have as their antecedent the brothers and sisters referred to in verse 14. So both groups have the same identity: they are all included within the Christian family of brothers and sisters. They are not wolves in sheep’s clothing; they are not pseudo-Christians. They are really brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul also repeatedly asserts that both groups preach Christ (vv. 15, 17, and 18). So both groups have the same message. They all faithfully preach the gospel message of salvation through the cross and resurrection of Christ. They are not people who subtract from the gospel message, as some in Corinth did by their denial of the bodily resurrection. They are not people who supplement the gospel message, as some in the Galatian churches did by their requirement of circumcision and other Jewish rituals. The factor that divides these two groups of people is not their Christian identity or their Christian message but their different attitudes toward Paul.
a. Bad Motivations = Out of a Sense of Competition and Personal Ambition
envy speaking more of the internal emotions and strife of the resulting outward conflict
Turner: As horrible and ungodly as this kind of thinking is, it should not surprise us that, living in the seat of power of the most powerful government on the face of the earth, some brethren could, and did, get caught up in the pursuit of power, striving out of envy for preeminence among the brethren.
John MacArthur: Paul said his detractors were thinking to cause him distress during his imprisonment (v. 17). They weren’t concerned with the church–with the purity of its doctrine or its growth. They just wanted to hurt Paul so they could be on top. ‘Thinking’ refers to planning and scheming. They came up with various ways to aggravate Paul’s already distressing situation. By attacking his integrity, credibility, faithfulness, and character, they knew they would hurt him–and that, sad to say, was their objective.
G. Walter Hansen: Perhaps they thought that Paul’s imprisonment removed their competition and gave them a chance to take center stage and outshine Paul, who had been taken offstage. They supposed that the contrast between their spectacular ability to preach outside of prison and Paul’s inability to preach in prison would cause Paul great pain.
John MacArthur: Envy, wishing others did not have what they have, is closely related to jealousy, which is wishing to have what someone else possesses. From the context, it seems likely that Paul’s detractors were both envious and jealous of the apostle. They envied Paul’s giftedness, his blessings, his intellect, his effectiveness in ministry, and, perhaps especially, his being highly respected and beloved in the church. They may even have envied his personal encounters with the resurrected and exalted Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 9:1–6; 18:9–11; 22:17–18; 23:11). Consequently, like all those motivated by envy and jealousy, they considered the apostle to be a threat to their own prominence and influence in the church.
Strife is from eris, which refers to contention, especially with a spirit of enmity. As it is used here, it is frequently associated with envy and jealousy, as well as with other sinful passions, such as greed and malice. Envy leads to competition, hostility, and conflict.
b. Good Motivations = Out of a Genuine Love and Sense of Good Will
George Hunsinger: The situation is not without its bright side. There are others proclaiming the gospel in Rome who love Paul and do not malign him. They understand why he is in prison, and they respect his defense of the gospel. They do the right thing in the right way. They preach Christ truly and regard Paul fairly. They live lives worthy of the gospel. They do not undermine the community through envy, rivalry, and strife. They rejoice with Paul, we may presume, for the unexpected surprises of grace.
- (:18) Mission of Proclaiming Christ Must Take Priority
“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.”
We should rejoice in the proclamation of the gospel irregardless of the motives of the proclaimers or their good or bad intentions towards us personally.
(Note: not condoning their bad motivation, but emphasizing his primary goal of the advance of the gospel. The Holy Spirit can use the truth in the lives of others even where the spirit of the messenger is faulty.)
George Hunsinger: No room for discouragement can exist as long as Christ is lifted up.
Charles Swindoll: A heretic with sincere motives is still preaching a gospel that has no power to save anyone. But a presentation of the truth, even by those who aren’t living in accordance with it, still has the power to bring a person to faith. Never forget: It’s the work of the Holy Spirit, not His empowered preachers, that saves people.
David Garland: Paul sets an example for the Philippians to emulate. His prestige, reputation, and personal feelings are secondary to the preaching and advance of the gospel. Paul is not immune to personal hurt (2Co 1:23–2:4; 7:3–16), but he does not put his personal feelings above the progress of the gospel. What is important is not his personal vindication before a Roman court or rival Christians, but the defense and confirmation of the gospel. His private concerns must not outweigh his ultimate task.
Ben Witherington: Paul does not seem to be accusing his rivals of distorting God’s Word here, but is accusing them of lacking transparency about their motives. The difference between transparency and duplicity is at issue, but even more the issue is selfless versus selfish motives. If we ask why Paul rehearses the woes in Rome for the converts in Philippi, it is to give the Philippians examples of good conduct to emulate and bad conduct to shun. The gospel must be truly proclaimed, even if it results in more suffering. In the course of this one verse, Paul shifts from his present circumstances to reflections on his future. No matter what happens to him, no one will steal his joy in Christ from him. There is joy in the present and in the future not only because Christ is and will be in both, but because Christ is involved in making sure of the advancement of the gospel.
Gordon Zerbe: Paul wants to communicate his absolute confidence and resolute optimism in the gospel itself, despite the rivalrous heralds. The work of Messiah does not ultimately depend on any human activity alone. Paul emphasizes that Christ is the center of attention and the Lord of his own destiny through a strategic use of the passive voice: Messiah is being proclaimed. This grammatical shift also anticipates the way in which an expected active voice, “I will magnify Messiah,” becomes Messiah will be magnified in verse 20. In effect, the phrases Messiah is being proclaimed (v. 17), and Messiah will be magnified (v. 20) stand as the keynote claims of the whole unit. The gospel of Christ advances and will ultimately triumph regardless of any external opposition or any internal human frailty, or even disintegrating and self-serving rivalry. This confidence—along with the emphasis on boldness, daring, and having no fear (vv. 14, 20)—reassures his readers as they face their own opposition.
Steven Lawson: Do you rejoice in the midst of your suffering when you see the name of Christ being advanced? Do you care more about your reputation or your Redeemer’s? It is a challenge for every one of us to maintain this perspective. God has placed us in different circumstances, with different trials being brought to bear upon us. Whatever may be confronting us, we must rejoice in the Lord as we see our adversity as advancing the gospel. We are prevented from collapsing in our affliction as we recognize that Christ is being made known. We must recognize that our life is not about us being comfortable, but about Christ being made known.