Philippians 1:17

Philippians 1:17, in plain English

The preachers with selfish motives, on the other hand, are preaching Christ insincerely. Their real goal is to add pressure and distress to Paul's already difficult situation—to make his imprisonment more painful.

Why it's here

This is shocking: they're technically preaching the right message (about Christ), but for the wrong reasons and with the wrong intent. They're not trying to help Paul or advance the gospel—they're trying to hurt him. This reveals that religious behavior without genuine faith can become genuinely malicious.

Who's speaking

Paul, exposing the twisted motives of insincere preachers

Where it sits in the story

Jesus warned repeatedly about people who appear righteous outwardly but whose hearts are far from God. He confronted the Pharisees about this same dynamic—doing religious things for the wrong reasons, with the wrong spirit. Paul is facing a version of that same problem.

The scholarly reading

By contrast, those motivated by selfish ambition preach with insincere motives, seeking to compound Paul's suffering through competitive advancement.

Language and setting

The phrase 'out of selfish ambition' (ἐριθεία, eritheia) in Greek rhetoric denotes factional strife or partisan rivalry—preaching becomes a vehicle for personal advancement or factional victory. The qualifier 'not sincerely' (οὐχ ἁγνῶς, ouch hagnōs) suggests their proclamation lacks purity of intention, though not necessarily doctrinal integrity. The final clause 'supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains' (δοκοῦντες ἐγείρειν θλῖψιν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου) reveals their calculation: by outdoing Paul in missionary success, they imagine magnifying his suffering through comparative diminishment. The verb ἐγείρω (egeirō, to raise up or stir) suggests they hope to provoke or exacerbate his anguish. This passage demonstrates how theological labor can become corrupted into competitive advantage.

Voice

Paul

Significance

The reality of corrupted motives within Christian ministry prefigures the ecclesiological realism of later church history—institutions and movements comprise both saints and those animated by mundane human ambitions.

15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

16The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

17The former, however, preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains.

18What then is the issue? Just this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

19because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance.

Read all of Philippians 1 — Written from prison, this letter overflows with joy. Paul has found something that circumstances cannot touch — and he wants the Philippians to find it too.