Phil. 1:15-17 - Appointed for the Defense of the Gospel

15 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.

Preaching Christ!

Vs. 15 - “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will”

“preaching Christ even from envy and strife” - Paul’s enemies are spreading the gospel in order to cause problems for Paul as he evangelizes. Think how someone could preach the Gospel without believing it. Wouldn’t they almost surely stray from the true message? How could Satan encourage those to tell the truth about Christ? Leading people to salvation through Jesus Christ would drive the enemies of the church to distraction. The angrier they get, the wilder their accusations become. It would be worth telling a few lies, from their perspective, to get believers harassed, arrested, punished and killed. It would be worth a few lies to grind the church to a halt. This would seem to work as long as the church has a relatively small presence in a culture. I can’t see this plan working in the United States, or any non-Muslim culture. Someone acting this way in a hostile environment for the church would be an undercover agent, a spy to lead believers to entrapment.

“from good will” - These are people emboldened to preach Christ by Paul’s courage. In spite of the dangers, Christ is being proclaimed as Lord and Savior. They follow Paul’s model. They preach so others may have life abundantly.

Vs. 16-17 - “the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment”

“The former... out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives” - These people are filled with envy and cause strife because they wish to cause harm. The letter by Jude explains this: “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, ‘In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts. These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.’ ” (Jude 1:17-21)

What a clear image this gives us:

• mockers - deriding your belief and faith in Christ
• own ungodly lusts - following emotions rather than the truth;
• causing divisions - divide and conquer, like wild beasts and predators separating a weaker prey so it is defenseless;
• devoid of the Spirit - A person would never spread lies about our Savior if led by the Lord.

“Thinking to cause me distress” - Paul was not intimidated by any actions of men. He lived for Christ, not for men. Whether people were pleased on not, it mattered little. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20) He knows full well that our struggle is not with men, but spiritual. (Eph. 6:12) I am not saying Paul was unrealistic about the circumstances or the struggle ahead fer the church in an evil and corrupt world. The description in Eph. 6:13-18 is preparing the church for war - “Onward Christian Soldiers”.
Satan will fight with all his resources until he is finally cast into Hell for eternity. He is the enemy of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The world is his battle field. He may have lost, but he will take as many down with him as possible!

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