Philippians 1:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

NIV: It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

NASB: Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill;

CSB: To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will.

NLT: It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives.

KJV: Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

NKJV: Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill:

Paul acknowledged that it's possible to preach Christ with wrong motivations. Some people were jealous of Paul's popularity among Christians, so they mimicked his message in order to become more popular themselves. Based on the persecution Paul and others suffered for their faith, this was clearly not a common motivator. Others saw Paul as a rival or as competition and sought to become more popular through their own preaching outreach. It's also possible that those who hated Paul's message were deliberately spreading it, in order to inflame his enemies (Philippians 1:17).

In verse 18, Paul notes that a person's motivations for spreading the gospel don't change the fact that the gospel is being spread. As long as what these envious, jealous people said was the truth, it made little difference why they said it.

In addition to these two inappropriate motivations, Paul noted that some who preached Christ in Rome did so "from good will." They had an appropriate, godly motivation to share Christ, and to help lost people be found in Jesus. By this time in the early AD 60s, many were apparently sharing Jesus in Rome. Before long, the city would be considered the capital of Western Christianity.

Philippians 1:12–18 explains Paul's perspective on his imprisonment. Specifically, Paul sees the many hardships of his life as a good thing, for one reason: they have led to the spread of the gospel. Paul has been held captive; this has allowed him to preach to his jailers. Paul has seen others repeat his own message in an effort to harm him; this has caused even more people to hear the gospel. This passage sets up Paul's upcoming argument that, whether by life or death, he intends to bring glory to God.

In chapter 1, Paul thanks the Philippian believers for supporting his ministry. Even when Paul was jailed, or persecuted, they had been generous and loyal. Paul encourages these Christians by explaining that all of his suffering has been for a good cause. Even better, these attempts to persecute Paul have actually caused the gospel to spread. For this, Paul is grateful. He fully expects to be released, and to see the believers of Philippi again.

Chapter 1 introduces the major themes of Paul's letter. A large proportion of the passage is given to thanking the Philippian church for their loyal support of Paul. Paul also encourages them with a reminder that, good or bad, anything a Christian experiences can be used for the glory of God. This sets the tone for the rest of the letter, where Paul will continue to stress the importance of living out the Christian life. This, he says, starts with having a proper attitude and approach.

Philippians is Paul's discussion of living the Christian life. In this letter to the church of Philippi, Paul highlights themes such as joy and glory. He also puts great emphasis on how a Christian's thinking—their attitude—affects the way they live out their faith. Paul is very thankful for the support of the Philippian church, but is also concerned about the influence of various false teachers. This letter is less theological than most of his other writings, and more practical.