Philippians 1:12-18

Philippians 1:12-18

The Advance of the Gospel

1. The Advance of the Gospel because of Paul’s Imprisonment (1:12-14)

Paul’s imprisonment enabled the Gospel to be known among the palace guard and others (13)
Paul’s imprisonment encouraged most of the believers in Rome to preach the Word of God
-more courageously
-more fearlessly/not being intimidated (14).

"When Paul says that this is true of "most of the brothers," he does not mean that there was a minority that refused to seize this opportunity for evangelization; he means that so many did so that their action characterized the Roman church as a whole. Nothing could have given Paul greater delight."
from F. F. Bruce. Philippians, NIBC (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1989): 42.

"The apostle, however, did not merely say that the gospel had continued to make progress in spite of adversity; rather, the adversity itself had turned out for the advancement of the gospel... One should note, moreover, that implicit in this statement is a recognition of God's sovereign workings in the affairs of men... Paul stressed the ironic turn of events: men may have intended to curtail his ministry with chains, but, in fact, his imprisonment had led both to the evangelization of pagans (v. 13) and to the edification of believers (leading in turn to even greater evangelism, v. 14)."
from Moises Silva. Philippians, WEC (Chicago: Moody, 1988): 67-68.

The most suitable meaning for praetorium in this passage is "a body of men" rather than a place (Lightfoot, Bruce, Silva 70).

2. The Advance of the Gospel because of various Preachers (1:15-18)

Some preach of out envy and rivalry Some preach out of good will (15)
Some preach out of selfish ambition,                Some preach out of love,
    not sincerely, hoping to cause trouble            recognizing that Paul is in prison
    for Paul while in prison                                      for the sake of Christ (16-17)
Paul’s primary concern and cause for rejoicing is that the Gospel is preached
-even if it is from false or true motives (18).

"The word [eritheia=selfish ambition] originally meant doing something for hire or wages, but came to denote a mercenary attitude, and in the NT is always used in a bad sense, of party spirit and the contention to which it leads."
from F. F. Bruce. Philippians, NIBC (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1989): 45-46.

Applications

What attitudes and actions do non-Christians see when you are in the midst of trouble?
Do your difficult circumstances encourage others to live for Christ? to stand in their faith? To not be intimidated in their faith?
What is your primary concern for the Church? This church?
Are you willing to look past external differences or personal preferences in order for the Gospel to be preached?

Bibliography
F. F. Bruce. Philippians, New International Bible Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1989.
Moises Silva. Philippians, Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary. Chicago: Moody, 1988.