The Philippians had some experience with people who preach the gospel with wrong motives. In this week’s passage, Paul addresses this, and clarifies the difference between such people and himself.

Take a look at this passage in Philippians 1:15-16:

In Paul’s experience, and apparently the Philippian believers had experienced it as well, people preached the gospel from two motives. Some preached out of envy and rivalry, while others preached the message out of goodwill and love. In Paul’s opinion, either motive resulted in Christ being preached, and thus brought joy to him.

Remember, Paul is in prison, and word has reached him that many others are preaching the message, but Paul senses that the Philippian believers are troubled by those with wrong motives. The preaching he is referring to is that mentioned in the previous verse, but not all of them are doing so appropriately.

The main concern here is the motive, and not the message. Paul doesn’t indicate that those preaching with the wrong motives are preaching the wrong message, or a heretical one. It seems that the message was correct, but the motives were not.

It is clear that Paul is in prison at the time he wrote the letter to the Philippians. But his captivity did not diminish his desire to share the gospel with those around him. This passage reveals the depth of his efforts

You can see it for yourself in Philippians 1:13-14:

For some, there may have been some questions about why Paul was in prison. But it didn’t take long for people to see just what the real reason was. His imprisonment was not for a political or civil crime, but because of his adherence to the gospel and the spread of its message.

In fact, because of his imprisonment, the whole palace guard knows of Paul’s mission, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Originally, the term Paul uses here for the palace guard meant the leader’s tent in a Roman encampment. Later it came to mean the governor’s palace, and even the emperor’s palace. This use is even evident in the New Testament, referring to Pilate’s residence in Jerusalem and Herod’s palace in Caesarea. But Paul’s use adds another level of meaning to this word.

Paul’s use seems to shift from the residence to the residents. When he says “the whole palace guard,” he is speaking about the people there, and is confirmed by the next phrase, “and everyone else.” Paul was in prison, but there were plenty of people around. Many of these would have been the guards watching him. These may have been the emperor’s guards, if he was imprisoned close to that palace, but it seems more likely that it was a provincial governor’s residence, outside but close to Rome. This would be where political or judicial issues would have been resolved for the most part. Paul would likely have been held here until his appearance before Caesar.