WHY WOULD PAUL REJOICE WHEN HE KNEW PEOPLE PREACHED THE GOSPEL “IN PRETENSE?”
Roger Campbell (edited for space)

. . . “What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice” (Phil 1:18). Since “pretense” is defined as “a deceptive and false action or appearance; a false purpose” [Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus], many have wondered: how could Paul rejoice when folks were preaching in a deceptive manner or with the wrong attitude? . . .

The theme of this section deals with the circumstances under which the Gospel was preached in Rome while Paul was a prisoner there. . . .“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel” (1:12).

As we try to analyze the message of these verses, some basic questions are helpful.

1) Who had been preaching when Paul wrote this epistle? A: “Many of the brethren in the Lord” (1:14).

2) How had these brothers preached? A: On one hand, they had preached boldly – the preachers were “much more bold to speak the word without fear” (1:14).

3) What message were these brethren preaching? A: “The gospel” (1:12,17), “the word” (1:14), the “Christ” (1:15,16,18). How many messages were these brothers preaching? Were they preaching one message, or three different ones? A: One. From Acts 8:4,5,12,25,35 we learn that to preach the word is the same as preaching the Christ, which is the same as preaching the Gospel. Thus, when Philippians 1:15-16 says the brethren preached the Gospel or the Christ, it means they were preaching the right message (Mark 16:15).

4) How does the Holy Spirit describe the two groups of saints that preached in Rome when Paul was in bonds there? A: Notice the words or terms associated with one group: “envy and strife” (v.15), “contention” (v.16), “not sincerely” (v.16), desiring to add to Paul's affliction (v.16), “in pretense” (v.18). The ones who made up a second group are described as preaching “of good will” (v.15), “of love” (v.17), and “in truth” (v.18). What a contrast between them and the other group!

It is sometimes suggested that in view of the inspired message of Philippians one, when religious error is taught, we ought to just leave that error and those who teach it alone. After all, Paul did rejoice, didn't he? There are two facts we must not overlook. First, the brethren about whom Paul writes in this section taught the truth, not error. Second, the conclusion that we should be silent when religious error is propagated contradicts other clear Bible statements and thus is an incorrect view (2Timothy 4:2). . . .

. . . why in the world would Paul rejoice when he knew that some of those who were preaching did so with the wrong motive and spirit? . . . Wasn't the pitiful attitude of some of the preachers cause for sadness and weeping rather than joy? By no means did Paul praise anyone for using deception or having an improper motive. The Spirit's message about love that is recorded in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 shows the necessity of having genuine love. . . . .

No, the apostle could never praise impure motives or the wrong spirit. What about those people that heard the preaching of the envy-strife-contention-pretense brethren? . . . If the hearers responded to that truth by believing and obeying it, they would be saved from their sins, regardless of the attitude or motive of the one(s) that preached to them. That is, the salvation of the obedient hearers did not depend on the attitude of the preachers. . . . Concerning Paul's joy, we note that he could never rejoice over strife and envy, because these will keep people out of the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:20,21). . . . Paul was, however, delighted that souls were being saved by obeying the Gospel that they heard (1:18; Rom. 6:17,18).

May God help us to rejoice when souls are saved. At the same time, may we ever be on guard against unholy motives and attitudes that might crop up, both in ourselves and in others.
 

Family Bulletin Board

Remember in prayer and with cards, phone calls, or visits those who have chronic illnesses: Delsie Bishop, Reva Brewer, Ella Brumitt, Jamie Farmer, Francis Ferren, Elizabeth Fowler, Savannah Green, Lola Mae Hamlett, and Louise Hunt.

Ladies, you are invited to a Baby Shower to welcome little Emma Crossman next Sunday, here at the building, at 4:30pm.

Elementary Youth Group meetings will now be held on the second and fourth Sundays, here at the building, at 4:30pm.

Sign-up sheets still need a few names. July and December have some empty spaces. Also, there is a lot of room on the sign-up sheet for mowing the lawn.

Pancake breakfast - June 14, at the Mark Reed home.  Breakfast will be served from 8 ‘till 10:00am Please put your name on the sign-up sheet in the foyer.

Directory updates will be printed soon. If you have changes to your family information be sure to give it to Laura Stark.

New address:
Larry & Sharilyn Herren
431 Sandy Ridge Drive
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: (219) 465-6178