COMING TO GRIPS WITH INJUSTICE

Philippians 1:12-18
Bob Bonner
February 17, 2008

Every now and then we hear someone talking about the wonderful days of the early church as though it had been a perfect era when Christians really got along and lived such radically different lives than what we see today taking place in Christendom. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful,” they say, “if the church today could be as it was in the first century, during the days of the early apostles?” But this is a false idealization; it is an attempt to make the early church into something it never was. It is an attempt to escape the problems of our day by looking back to something that exists only in the imagination of many uninformed Christians.

Let me illustrate this for you from what we know historically, of actually what was happening during the first century church, and specifically from Paul’s day. Before Paul ever visited Rome for the first time he wrote, in 58 A.D., his letter to the Roman church. Through that letter, the new and young Christians in Rome were strengthened and encouraged in their faith. One can only presume that as a result of the truth they learned from Paul about their Savior and His finished work for their lives, that they became even more bold in the sharing their faith. 

Then Paul, about three years later, finally shows up in Rome for the first time in chains. He remained under house arrest in Rome for two years awaiting his hearing before Caesar, Nero. While under house arrest (not in a dungeon, as some have suggested through their art), Paul was shackled 24/7 to the Roman soldiers who made up the Praetorian Guard.  As a result of being his captive audience, these soldiers witnessed Paul writing many letters to friends in churches he had planted around the known world. They watched and heard him pray. They were forced to listen to him teach/preach to those who came to visit him. They observed how he dealt with his friends and how he was loved by them. They could not help but witness his remarkable example of Christ-likeness. As a result, many of those soldiers came to Christ.

Because these soldiers were typically hand-picked from a group of high ranking officers and who were of typically high social status, the gospel spread through them like wildfire to the rest of Rome, across economic and political boundaries. Paul’s name became famous in that city, along with the name of Jesus. He was the Billy Graham of his era. 

You would think that this should have caused other Christians in Rome to praise God for this turn of events. And indeed, some were excited about this. However, many were not. Keep in mind that there were churches in Rome long before Paul arrived there. The leaders of these churches had attained a degree of prominence among the brothers. With the arrival of Paul and especially with the spreading of his fame throughout the city, it is easy to understand that these leaders were beginning to lose some of their former prestige. Their names were no longer mentioned so often. Hence, they became envious of Paul. And thus, becoming jealous of Paul, they preached against him.

As we look at our passage this morning, we will learn that some preached Christ to add affliction to Paul’s bonds. It will not do to call these troublemakers in Rome, unbelievers. These people were Christians. They were not anti-Christs. They were anti-Paul, and they were anti-Paul with a vengeance. These first century Christians preached Christ out of unworthy motives—jealousy, strife and partisanship. They were pugnacious Christians, the kind who loved a good battle and were not particularly worried if they shot their own soldiers while attacking the real enemy. What does Paul say about his opponents? How does he respond to them? We will see this morning in our study. But allow me to continue to further establish the historical setting.

According to Roman law, no one could remain in prison untried for more than two years. We don’t know the specifics as to how it was that Paul was eventually released from prison, because there is no written record outlining the specifics of his release. However, we can presume that because there is no record that Paul actually got to stand before Caesar and present his case, he won his release from prison by default, in that his accusers never showed up to press charges against him. Hence, as best we can tell, his release lasted only 2-3 years. During that time, he traveled through Greece visiting churches. It was during this time that he wrote 1Timothy and Titus. 

But then, upon his return to Rome he was once again arrested. Do you want to give a guess as to by whom, and why he was arrested?  Very likely Paul was arrested and subsequently executed by Nero as the result of the trouble caused him by the jealous troublemaking Christian preachers in Rome. Roman historians record that there was such a religious unrest amongst the Jewish-Christians in Rome, that in order to settle the unrest, they arrested and got rid of the focal point of that unrest: the Apostle Paul. 

One Roman Christian historian by the name of Clement wrote a letter about 90 A.D. to the believers at Corinth. In chapters three through six of his letter, Clement warns the Corinthians about the bad effects of jealousy which, he says, has always resulted in suffering and death among God’s people. This was true in Old Testament times, according to Clement, and he includes seven examples to prove it. Among them are Cain’s jealousy of Abel, Esau’s jealousy of Jacob, the friction between Joseph and his brothers, and similar examples of envy from the lives of Moses, David, and Saul. Clement also gives seven examples from what were, to him, more recent times. Among those he speaks of Paul. He says, “by reason of jealousy and strife Paul by his example pointed out the prize of patient endurance...and when he had borne his testimony before the rulers...he departed from the world and went to heaven” (1 Clement 5). The point is that jealousy among some Christians toward Paul led to his execution.

Think about this: the envy and jealousy of brothers in Christ led to this great apostle’s death. Just like Christ, being ultimately crucified because of the religious jealousy of the Pharisees, so was Paul executed. It leaves one speechless just to think about it. How could Jesus be honored by that?! How could He have allowed such an injustice to be committed by Christians against Paul? 

Well, such were the good old days in the first century Christian church in Rome. And I am saddened to say, that church history shows that the church has been no different, including up to our day. As through history, we are continually divided by strife, envy and partisanship, demanding that things be done our way with our expected outcomes. And if not, we will split the church, start a new church or go to another church, just as in Paul’s day. 

Once again, past and present history causes me to be embarrassed, ashamed and humbled to suggest that God will accomplish His work through us, not so much because of us, but in spite of us. It was true in the first century church, the early church and all through church history to this very day. I only hope that for me and you, we don’t continue to be part of the problem, but that we learn to humbly love one another, put our personal preferences aside, and be a positive influence for Jesus Christ.

As we study this passage, we will see what stance Paul took during these embattled years of the early church, under which he suffered an unjust arrest and later would be executed. We will learn from his example what our attitude should be toward those brothers and sisters who are responsible for inciting ongoing strife. By the way, as we consider the verses we are about to study, we should not be too quick to pass over examining ourselves as possible promoters of strife and discouragement to others in the church.

This morning we will begin looking at the section of Scripture found in Philippians 1:12-26. In these verses we will see what Paul’s attitude and daily focus was as he awoke each morning of his life for the last 4-5 years of his life, in and out of prison. Then, in weeks to come, beginning with 1:27-2:18, we will sit under Paul’s specific instruction as to how we are to live our life just as he has modeled it for us. I dare say, that during the past year and a half, as I have buried myself in this text, I have walked away humbled, at times ashamed, but mostly, extremely grateful to God for His mercy toward me, for His forgiveness, and the hope I have that one day, in spite of myself, I will live more like Christ, because He is at work in me.

Let’s read Philippians 1:12-18 as we look at our passage of study for this morning. As we look at these words of Paul, one might wonder, “What motivated Paul to write these things here, to these friends at Philippi?” The answer is simple: When you love somebody, you are always interested in the circumstances of their lives. So it was with the Philippians. They loved Paul, had heard rumors of the tensions and conflicts he was facing in Rome, and needed to hear how he was doing. Questions like:

Was Paul still in chains? 

Had he gotten sick, along with their friend Epaphroditus? 

Had he already come to trial? 

Maybe he was already martyred for his faith? 

They had no way of knowing. Feeling their concern, and having just greeted them and thanked God for them, and having expressed his prayerful hopes for them, he now turns to tell them about himself. Paul is giving us his testimony in these verses. Paul writes: “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice...”

As we look at these verses, they appear to fall into two subject matters. The first, in verses 12-14, deals with Paul’s answer to others’ possible question “Do you feel like your ministry there in Rome has been in vain?” To which his hearty answer is “absolutely not!” Then, in verses 15-18, Paul addresses the second subject of two kinds of preaching that are going on there in Rome.

Paul saw firsthand how divisions affected the work of the gospel in Rome. The divided church at Rome surely grieved Paul. Although he did not complain in his letter about the injustices he suffered he pointed out the positive aspects of the situation, obviously the disunity concerned him. In the end, his explanation of his circumstances provided a natural and easy way to, later on in this letter, encourage the Philippians not to allow what was taking place in Rome to take place in Philippi.

Paul’s intense concern that the Philippians get this underlying message is seen in his opening words in verse 12, “Now I want you to know, brethren...” This was a manner of expression in Paul’s day to speak with emphasis that what he is about to say is important. It would be similar to today’s gifted preacher, Charles Stanley’s saying, “Now listen!...” Paul really wanted his readers to understand that what he was about to say was important and that he meant just what he had said.

First, Paul wants them to understand that despite his circumstances, he was not bitter or discouraged about what was happening there in Rome, but rather, he had seen great reason to rejoice over his present circumstances. He actually saw that his being in prison had brought about “progress” in the spreading of the gospel. This term “progress” literally means “to cut toward.” It’s a military term used of engineers who would prepare a road for the advancing army by removing obstructions such as rocks and trees.

Paul then cites as an example, that because of his imprisonment, other believers have become bold in preaching the gospel daringly and fearlessly and people are getting saved, members of the “praetorian guard and everyone else” or others outside of his place of imprisonment, even into “Caesar’s household,” according to Philippians 4:22. The good news of Jesus Christ was being thrust even into upper levels of Roman society where, up until Paul’s imprisonment, it had never reached before. That was all good.

Hence, Paul did not view his present difficulties with self-pity. Rather, he saw the positive results of difficulties and viewed them as miracles happening against very real obstacles. There is an obvious lesson for us here: When it comes to the spreading of the good news of Jesus, resistance is to be expected.  Whether the resistance comes from the secular world, from the Jewish Pharisees back in Jerusalem or from other Christians in Rome, rather than focusing on its source and lamenting, resenting or complaining about his hardships, Paul acknowledged that resistance was an unavoidable element of ministry. Furthermore, he was willing to take on such resistance to get the gospel out, leaving the how, the wherefore and the results to God.

Just a quick sidelight: Originally, this Praetorian Guard was composed of 10,000 handpicked high-ranking soldiers, who held substantial status in Rome. They served in this position for 12 years, to retire on a government pension that made them very wealthy and influential people.  Eventually, they became so powerful that they were considered “king-makers” who not only protected but also chose the emperors. These guards chained to Paul, were changed every six hours over a two-year period. That means that during his imprisonment, Paul was able to witness to hundreds of soldiers, possibly to 3,000 of them, one at a time as they remained chained to him. That lends a whole new meaning to the expression “captive audience.” Even in chains, Paul was a superb ambassador for Christ.

And as a result of Paul’s courage, “most of the brethren” in Rome gained courage and were motivated to speak up for Jesus without fear. Before Paul’s “imprisonment,” believers were reluctant to share openly their faith. Hostility to this new sect of Judaism, as it was commonly considered throughout the empire, was growing. However, seeing Paul’s boldness while in prison led to them being emboldened. 

The operative word here is “most of the brethren.” Not everyone was pleased with Paul’s ambassadorship in prison. Instead, some used Paul’s imprisonment as a platform to speak against him, as verses 15-17 reveal, with the expressed purpose to cause him pain. Let’s look again at those verses: “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.”

Paul notes in these verses that there were two kinds of Christian preachers back then: those who used the pulpit for their own selfish ambition (riches, notoriety or both), and those who used the pulpit with pure motives, out of love and concern for the lost.

Notice that Paul does not give us a lot of specifics about who and what they were saying about him. He is reticent to name names or to go into depth concerning their sins. All we know is that their motives were not pure and that they were selfishly ambitious. They saw Paul as their rival or competitor. They were “envious” of Paul and enjoyed stirring up trouble. “Envy” speaks to the emotion behind their actions of “causing strife.” One of their goals was to cause Paul distress.  They wanted to aggravate Paul. That word “distress” literally means “friction;” like the friction one might experience in the painful rubbing of iron chains against a prisoner’s arms and legs. I believe, in light of Paul’s situation, he used this term as an intended pun. I wouldn’t be surprised if these fellow Christians attacked Paul through making accusations such as, “Paul is in prison because of his sin. God has abandoned him because of his egotistic methods of ministry.” It wouldn’t surprise me in light of what I have witnessed of pastors taking pot shots at other pastors who have truly been used of God, just in my thirty years of ministry. And note: I’m not talking about pastors agreeing to disagree as to how they approach a ministry or pastors who agree to disagree theologically. Nor am I speaking of those unique occasions when one must tell the truth about a pastor, even if it hurts him to hear it. I’m referring to pastors deliberately, maliciously, with the intent to harm, try to undermine the success of another’s ministry out of jealousy.

On the other hand, there were the others who preached Christ out of their love for Christ and Paul. Their motives were pure. They knew that Paul was appointed for the defense of the gospel. That term “defense” refers to making a logical presentation of facts designed to show that Christianity was not a civil threat to the Roman government. The verb, “I am appointed” is a military term used of a soldier who was on guard duty. These other good preachers knew that Paul was called of God to be a soldier of the cross who protected the integrity of the gospel message. However, seeing that he temporarily could no longer be involved in preaching Christ publicly, they stepped in to pick up the slack.

So how did Paul react to this situation of personal animosity against himself? He tells us in verse 18, “Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.”

How could Paul respond this way? How could he respond with genuine joy when his own fellow Christians were out to harm him? I’ll tell you how: three things. First, Paul’s secret was a simple one: Paul’s heart and mind was filled with his love for Jesus Christ and all that Christ had done for him. He was passionate about Jesus. Paul was so humbled by Christ’s death and by Christ’s personally confronting him on the way to Damascus so that Paul could be saved, that he never forgot it. From that point on, his life was being lived on borrowed time that belonged to his beloved Savior and Lord. And every second of it was going to be used to point people to Jesus. Having filled his mind with Christ, he could not think of himself or of revenge or bitterness.

Second, because Paul’s thinking was founded on sound theology, he viewed life through the proper lens of the eternal divine perspective. And that perspective fully understood the third reason he was able to rejoice.

And that is that Paul fully understood from the get go, that following Christ guaranteed suffering all kinds of injustice, even from those within the household of faith. If Christ suffered at the hands of his fellow Jews and the world, why should Paul be exempt from suffering at the hands of both the Jews and the Christians, as well as from the world? Discipleship meant as he says later in 3:10-11 “to participate in the sufferings of Christ,” to be ready to be poured out as a drink offering in ministry for the sake of others,” as he refers to in 2:17.  Paul accepted as a fact of life that suffering is all apart of discipleship, including suffering at the hands of other brothers and sisters in Christ. And as a result of his gratefulness to his Savior, Jesus Christ, Paul was more than willing to take up the way of the cross and to suffer unjustly for his Lord

All he cared about is that the gospel of Jesus got preached. He didn’t care by whom or from what motives. He just wanted people to meet Jesus. Now, if they were preaching a different gospel, as they were in Galatia, that was a different story. But here, it was the true gospel being preached, though through impure motives.

The how nor the who of the preaching was not the object of Paul’s joy; it is the truth behind the preaching that brought Paul joy. For the true gospel itself is what’s powerful enough to change people’s lives. That’s why men and women who don’t walk the talk can still be so successful at evangelism. I could name a handful of pastors I have known in the past who were absolute scoundrels, but yet, they led many people to Christ. The power of the gospel doesn’t depend upon the character of the preacher, but the truth it’s based upon.

Paul’s words demand that we take a long and hard look at ourselves. How do we respond to Jesus and His leading in our lives? Do we adore Him as Paul did when we face injustice or other difficulties? If we do, what continuous actions and attitudes reveal this to others? If we do not adore Him in hard times as Paul did, why not? How important is the gospel to us, that good news that one can know God and be forgiven and rightly related to Him through Christ? Does it mean enough that we are willing to suffer hardship intentional or otherwise in order for it to prosper? Or, do we put our own comfort, our own preferences, our own rights, or our own selfish ambitions above it? These are all questions we should ask ourselves often.

As we look at Paul’s example in these verses, we can take home several lessons. First, the way Paul faced his imprisonment and the injustice aimed at him by other Christians demonstrates that every injustice and every situation can be an opportunity for spreading the gospel. Even the hospital bed can become a pulpit and the hospital a mission field. We may not see the fruit of it at the moment, but approached as Paul did, it will surely produce eternal fruit in the end. 

Here’s something else that we can take away from Paul’s example: We cannot always trace the hand of God, but we can always trust the heart of God. His heart is always devoted to working all things together for good, ours and His. God’s purposes are never evil. 

Sometimes it’s hard to understand why it is that God allows suffering. But I can think of at least four purposes in God allowing injustices and suffering to happen to Christians. Sometimes God allows sufferings of different kinds for corrective purposes, intended to get us on the right path when we have gone astray. Proverbs 3:11-12 tells us, “My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”

Some hard times come to us from God for the intended purpose of awakening us to the needs and feelings of other people. 

Sometimes they are intended to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7). 

But for the Apostle Paul, none of these seem to quite fit the purpose of his suffering. His hardship and suffering injustice was for the purpose of advancing the gospel. 

No matter the reason or the difficulty in tracing God’s hand in our lives amidst difficult circumstances, God’s purposes are always good and are for producing good in the end.

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