Some, to be
sure, are
preaching
Christ
even from
envy and
strife:
Tines
men
kai...ton
Christon
kerussousin (3PPAI)
kai
dia
phthonon
kai
erin
:
(16;18
Ac5:42;
8:5
8:35;
9:20;
10:36;
11:20;
1Co1:23;
2Co1:19;
4:5;
1Ti3:16) (2:3;
Mt23:5;
Ro16:17
16:18;
1Co3:3
3:4;
13:3;
2Co12:20;
Gal2:4;
Ja4:5
4:6) (17;
1Pe5:2
5:3
15:4)
"out of envy and rivalry" (NIV), "through envy and contention"
(YLT), "I know that
some are preaching Christ out of jealousy, in order to annoy me"
(Phillips) "It is true that some of them are preaching Christ out of
malice and rivalry" (NJB)
"Some"
reflects back to verse 14--"the brethren."
"To
be sure"
emphasizes that the detractors Paul is referring to did indeed preach
the genuine gospel & were not heretics, Judaizers, Gnostics, idol
worshipers, or devotees of Greek mythology.
They were "preaching (present
tense = continually) Christ"
(literally "the Christ" or "the Messiah") and not "another gospel"
(Gal1:8)
or "another Jesus" (2Co11:4)
In Acts we see the early church "kept
right on teaching and preaching Jesus as (the) Christ" (the Messiah)."
(Ac5:42)
Philip "went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming
(the) Christ (the Messiah) to them" and to the
Ethiopian eunuch "Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this
Scripture (Isa53:7) he preached Jesus to him." (Acts
8:5
35)
Wasting no time after his Damascus Road encounter with the Resurrected
Messiah, Paul
"immediately...began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is
the Son of God." (Acts9:20)
Paul continued to emphasize that "we preach Christ (Messiah) crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to
Gentiles foolishness," and that they did "not preach
(themselves) but Christ Jesus as Lord." (1Co1:23;
2Co4:5) (Click
here for 15 references re "preaching Christ")
Who is my life "preaching"?
These detractors
valued success, not as a triumph over paganism, but as a triumph over
Paul. It would make them feel good if they could make his sufferings in
prison more acute by reason of jealousy which might arise in his heart.
But their evil motives did not steal his joy, for as long as Jesus was
being proclaimed as the Messiah, Paul was content.
John MacArthur says that the
aspect of ministry that
"most distresses (him) is being falsely accused by fellow
preachers of the gospel. For whatever reason, there are men who seem to
desire to discredit the ministry of others. As a result they falsely
accuse other ministers, not because those they attack are unbelievers,
but simply to discredit them....The
pain runs deep when preachers of the gospel slander, malign,
misrepresent, criticize, accuse, oppose, or belittle your ministry."
"Envy"
(phthonos) is closely related to jealousy and describes the
painful or resentful awareness of excellence, happiness or advantage
enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage.
There are none reading this who cannot quickly call to mind personal
examples as both recipient or possessor of this sinful attitude.
Paul's detractors were
jealous of his apostolic power and authority, his success and immense
giftedness.
“Strife”
(eris) connotes discord, contention, rivalry, and conflict, which resulted
when Paul’s critics began discrediting him. Paul was simply following
the example of his Master Jesus (1Pe2:21)
Who even Pilate "knew that
because of
envy ...had (been)
handed ...over." (Mt27:18)
It is a sad that this kind of
contention is rampant in the church today. Because people are jealous,
they focus their whole lives on trying to discredit people who occupy
places of blessing, such as evangelists, writers, pastors, teachers, and
leaders of various ministries. Like Paul's detractors, they compete with
others by using slander, accusation, and criticism--anything to tear
another down.
Some preached Christ but had
personal ambition whereas others had personal hostility toward Paul
Paul had scolded the Corinthians
for persistence in similar sins writing that
"for you are still fleshly.
For since there is jealousy and strife (Gk = eris, wrangling,
quarreling) among you, are you not fleshly,
and are you not walking like mere men?" (1Cor3:3)
Puritan Thomas
Manton gives some good advice when you find yourself in a situation of
being misrepresented like Paul was. He writes
"God is the most powerful asserter of our innocence. He has the hearts
and tongues of men in His own hands, and can either prevent the
slanderer from uttering reproach, or the hearer from the entertainment
of the reproach. He that hath such power over the consciences of men can
clear up our innocence; therefore it is best to deal with God about it;
and prayer many times proves a better vindication than" to attempt to
defend ourselves.
How did Paul
handle the false accusations? (see
Phil1:18)
Charles Simeon
(click
here to read biographical sketch of Simeon if you want to see
an almost unbelievable example of standing firm in the face of fierce
opposition) wrote,
"Let a pious
minister arise in the Established Church (of England), and what
labors (those filled with envy & strife will use) to draw away
his people: preachings, prayer-meetings, societies, will all be formed
for this very end & persons of popular talent will be brought from a
distance to further the base design"
but
some
also from
good
will;
tines
de
kai
di'
eudokian:
"but some are
preaching him in good faith" (Phillips) "but there are many
as well whose intentions are good;" (NJB)
"Good
will"
(eudokia) refers to
good pleasure, good intent, benevolence, a gracious purpose. This group
was kindly disposed to Paul
& was composed of Gentile converts, friends of Paul, who were encouraged
to preach by the thought that it would give joy to the great apostle
whose liberty was restricted. They were sympathetic towards Paul and grateful for
his ministry. There are also people like that today--what a blessing,
encouragement, and source of joy they are! If these "Barnabas"
type folks are in your life then you should give praise and thanks to
God for their lives.
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DEVOTIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
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Our Daily Bread: When the famous
sculptor Michelangelo and the painter Raphael were creating works of art to
beautify the Vatican, a bitter spirit of rivalry rose up between them. Whenever
they met, they refused to speak to each other. Yet each was supposedly doing his
work for the glory of God. Jealousy often parades behind the facade of religious
zeal. Miriam and Aaron criticized their brother Moses for marrying an Ethiopian.
But God's anger revealed that it was actually jealousy that prompted their
criticism. Out of jealousy, Saul sought to kill David, whom God had chosen to
succeed Saul as king. And when the apostle Paul was in prison, some people were
so jealous of the way God was using him that they preached Christ in order to
add to the apostle's distress.
We can overcome this harmful attitude, but first we must identify it. Jealousy
believes that someone else is getting what we deserve—whether money, popularity,
wisdom, skill, or spiritual maturity. Second, we must confess it. Call it what
it is—sin. And third, we must give thanks. The moment we see someone enjoying
any advantage, we must accept it with gratitude. We can keep jealousy in check
by refusing to compare ourselves with others. As we learn to find our
satisfaction in God, His grace enables us to rejoice with those who rejoice.
When we do that, we have little room for envy. —DJD
When we turn green with jealousy,
We are ripe for trouble.
