Philippians 1:12-18, Part 4

So the situation that faces Paul is proclamation of Christ for very different reasons. The implied question, then, is what does he think of the fact that some people may be engaging in preaching activities for such base reasons (“What then?” v. 18a). His response reveals his single concern: As long as “Christ is proclaimed . . . I rejoice” (v. 18b). What is especially interesting about this section (vv. 12-18) as compared with the former one (vv. 3-11) is that here Paul seems to take a pragmatic approach in focusing on the end result—the announcement of the news about Christ—whereas there Paul was very much interested in the internal lives of the Christians.

We could draw the wrong conclusion from this observation and say that Paul is simply a pragmatist, intent on Christianizing. However, what this observation really points up is the fact of God’s sovereignty evident in his working through less-than ideal circumstances. Above it had been Paul's imprisonment and the hostility of the palace guards; here it is the twisted motives of some of the insiders, fellow Christians. And Paul’s response is key here as well, for he determines, first, to recognize God’s working, and, second, to rejoice in it, even when as now it means a level of discomfort for himself.

Earlier I mentioned that Paul holds himself out as a model and that is part of the reason why he shifts from concern for the Philippians to excursus on his own circumstances, and then back to matters involving his recipients in 1.27. In this context it is notable that Paul resolves to rejoice in every circumstance here (1.18) and later states his desire to remain in the flesh for the “progress and joy in the faith” (1.25b) of the Philippians.

Essentially, Paul wants this group of Christians to reach the same state of being able to find their wholeness of meaning and fulfillment in glorify of Christ that he himself enjoys. He is not merely stroking his ego and singing his own praises, but is showing his young converts how to orient themselves in the midst of adverse circumstances. The repetition of “I will rejoice” in verse 18b is a bridge that allows Paul to draw a theological conclusion to his experiences above as well as to begin a brief new section (vv. 19-26/30?) that links the apostle and his experiences to his church at Philippi.