Philippians Chapter 1 verse 18 Holy Bible

Philippians 1 : 18 Bible Verse Songs

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Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 18. - What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; rather, only that, as R.V. (comp. Acts 20:23). What is the result of all this preaching? Only that Christ is announced, that the story of Christ is told. The motives of the preachers may not be good, but the result is good; the gospel facts are made more widely known, not only by those who preach in sincerity, but even by means of those who strive to promote their own party ends under the pretense of preaching Christ. And I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. St. Paul rejoices in the good which God brings out of evil; though that good is produced by the outward agency of his own adversaries. Yea, and I shall rejoice. He will not allow himself to be vexed by the bitterness of his opponents, he will not imitate their party spirit; his joy will continue, for he knows that, in spite of present hindrances, the result is assured.

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(18) The contrast of this verse with such passages as 2Corinthians 12:4--where the Judaisers at Corinth are said to preach "another Jesus and a different gospel;" with Galatians 1:6--where their gospel is declared to be "a different gospel," and not merely a variety of the same (see Note there); and even with the emphatic warning as to Philippi, in Philippians 3:2-16, is singularly instructive. St. Paul, in the words "in pretence" and "in truth," is speaking of the motives of the preachers, not of the substance of their preaching. For the latter he cares much; for the former nothing. When (as at Corinth) the rejection of his personal authority was bound up with rejection of his apostolic doctrine, he rebukes it vehemently; when (as here) there was no such connection, it is to him a very small thing. But we may also gather from this that, whatever might be the case at Philippi, at Rome St. Paul's Epistle had done its work, and the battle of principle was won; even at Colossae it had wholly changed its character (see Colossians 2:16-23), and its old phases had passed away. The differences between the parties at Rome were no longer fundamental, although, as so often is the case, the bitterness of division might remain. "Every way Christ was preached," and accepted as justifying through faith. This being so, St. Paul could rejoice. Even an imperfect Christianity, with something of narrowness, and perhaps of superstitious formalism, cleaving to it, was as different from the gross heathenism which it superseded, as light from darkness.Yea, and will rejoice.--Properly, I shall rejoice to the end. The words lead on to the next verse, which gives the reason of this persistent rejoicing.