"I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances . . ." (1:12). "Circumstances." Verses 12-18 are about "circumstances," about "what has happened to me" (ESV, NIV). How are we to view circumstances? Circumstances just come at us. They impose themselves on us. At times we choose them. Other times we don't. How does the Apostle Paul view them? Especially, how are we to view circumstances when they deteriorate or disappoint? Do things just happen, without meaning or purpose?

The Apostle Paul sees his circumstances as divinely appointed. Remember, he is being attacked on all sides. He's in a Roman prison, with its myriads of humiliations and physical discomforts. His character and reputation are being attacked by fellow Christians. He is staring in the face of death, and he is weighed down by his concern for all the churches. Physically and emotionally he's under tremendous stress as he is challenged by Christian and non-Christian alike. If ever a person had a right to despair or become embittered, it was the Apostle Paul. He had given up everything to serve Christ, and yet these were his circumstances. It might seem to him and others that God had abandoned him.

Instead, he views his hardships from the perspective of the cause of Christ. Bad as his situation is, it has "turned out for the greater progress of the gospel" (v. 12). It matters not at all what has happened to him. His pain, suffering, possible death all recede into the background. "It strikes us," says Müller, "that Paul does not speak of himself, or enlarge upon his experiences, but has in mind only the cause of the gospel of which he is a servant. Even during and in spite of his imprisonment, all is well, for the gospel is being advanced. And to him that is the only thing that matters."1 By speaking as he does, he teaches the Philippians, and us, how to look at our circumstances as well.

Afflictions from Without (1:12-14)

Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, (Phil 1:12)

Silva entitles this section, stretching from 1:12-26, "Paul's Missionary Report." The Philippians financially had supported the Apostle Paul's missionary work, and just as missionaries still do today, he reported back to them regarding the progress of his work. The Philippians, in the Apostle's imprisonment, have also suffered a great loss. Their founder and chief support has been incarcerated. They are wrestling with "circumstances" or "what has happened" as well. Appreciate what a terrible loss this was to the young, struggling churches. It was like a team losing its best player, or a small but effective army losing its general. They are at sea without their captain. They are vulnerable. They are fearful. They're alarmed (1:28). Loud voices are attacking their Apostle, questioning perhaps his character or strategy, or even his calling. Was this imprisonment not a sign that God had abandoned him? Was it not a sign of divine disfavor, as some claimed? No, he says, bad as my circumstances are they have led to "the greater progress of the gospel." "Progress" (prokopē) is defined by Martin as, "advancement in spite of obstructions and dangers which would block the path of the traveler."2 It is a military term which refers to the cutting away of trees and undergrowth, removing barriers which hinder the progress of an army. In spite of all the problems we've had, the Apostle Paul says, the result has "really served to advance the gospel" (ESV, NIV). His argument is counterintuitive. Silva points out that, "The Apostle . . . did not merely say that the gospel had continued to make progress in spite of adversity; rather, the adversity itself had turned out for the advancement of the gospel."3 The gospel through suffering and attacks had made "greater progress" than otherwise would have been attained. All his suffering, imprisonment, hardship, and inconveniences are valued by the Apostle because they have served the end of greater gospel progress.

Nineteenth century Princeton Seminary theologian, Charles Hodge, said a long time ago that there is "no gain without pain." You may have seen a form of this proverb posted in a weight room somewhere. It goes back at least to Hodge in the 1870's. Often the Lord Jesus will bring hardship into our lives because it accelerates the process of growth in Christ. Why do we suffer disappointments, heartaches, pains and sorrows as we do? Why are His people rejected, ostracized, and ridiculed? Why is the church attacked and its work obstructed? Because it is primarily in difficulty that we learn patience, humility, and dependence upon God, among other things, and that opportunities are created for gospel witness. The Apostle Paul's point here is that his hardship has meant gain for the cause of the gospel. What is true for the progress of the Kingdom of God in general is also true for the progress of the gospel in the heart of the individual Christian. God uses all things for our good (Rom 8:28; cf. 2 Cor 12:7-10). Hardship is good because it creates opportunities for witness and speeds up our sanctification. Suffering brings us closer to Christ and results in purposeful, fruitful, living.

In verses 13-14 he explains how this claim of progress can be made.

First, it resulted in the spread of the gospel among the praetorian guards.

"so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well-known through the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else." (Phil 1:13)

"Praetorian guard" refers to "either the emperors' bodyguard or praetorian cohorts stationed in the metropolis" of Rome, says O'Brien, of which there were as many as 9000.4 He refers to them as the "palace guard." 5 Apparently the reason for Paul's imprisonment became a conversation piece among them. This unusual prisoner was not a thief, a murderer, or an insurrectionist, but a follower of Jesus Christ. Because of the Apostle Paul's speech and conduct, combined with the natural curiosity that such a man should be imprisoned for such a reason, the cause of Christ became "well known." It became "clear, evident" (phaneros).6 And it became known "to everyone else." It became "the talk of the town."7

The Apostle Paul knew how to grow where he was planted. He saw his imprisonment not as a tragedy, but as a divine appointment. He was determined to make the most of it. His jail cell became his pulpit. This is often how the Christian gospel grows. Wherever we go, we are to go as those who are sent. There we serve. There we minister. There we love. Our hope is that we will be known by those around us as Christians. Our aim is that, whatever our circumstances, Christ will become known at our school, work, home, on our ball team, and in the community. Our ambition is that others will see Christ in our actions. If the Apostle Paul can be an effective witness from a hostile prison, then we have hope that we, in all our weakness and ignorance, can effectively witness in our place of calling.

Second, it resulted in an increase in preaching.

"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." (Phil 1:14)

The Apostle Paul is establishing perspective. He had his detractors. He'll mention them in the next sentence (v. 15). But "most of the brethren" had responded to his imprisonment by "stepping up," as we say in the world of sports. They saw the need to step into the gap left by the Apostle Paul's departure. They had begun "trusting in the Lord" to use them during the Apostle Paul's imprisonment. They had "become confident in the Lord" (ESV). They had "far more courage" or, were "much more bold" (ESV). Apparently they had courage before, but now even more so. They saw the Apostle Paul's courageous endurance; they saw the Lord's kind provision in dismal circumstances; they saw the need for pinch-hitters, for substitute teachers, and so they courageously and boldly began to preach. The net effect was gain. They thought, "If Paul is willing to preach even if it means imprisonment, then so are we." Thus the imprisonment of Paul, designed by the Romans and Satan to hinder the gospel, had the opposite effect: it promoted the progress of the gospel. Great as he was, he was only one man. His imprisonment multiplied the number of men who were willing to take up the cause.

This is what God is always doing. All suffering and affliction, all "bad" circumstances are worked by God for advance of the kingdom and the welfare of His people (Rom 8:28).

The clearest example, the ultimate paradigm for "bad circumstances, good results," is the crucifixion of Christ. Peter says Christ was nailed to the cross as an act of "godless men." Yet he also says He was "delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23; cf. 4:27,28). The serpent strikes and bruises the woman's seed (Gen 3:15), but the net effect is his ultimate defeat and the salvation of a multitude that no one can number. God is in the business of taking the evil designs of evil people and turning them for His and our ultimate good. The church is scattered in Acts 8 because of persecution, yet because they preach where they are scattered, the church does not disintegrate (which the enemies of the Cross expected), but instead it spreads.

Another example may be found in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul says that because of the "surpassing greatness of the revelations" he received, he was given "a thorn in the flesh," which he also calls "a messenger of Satan" (2 Cor 12:7). Yet the effect of Satan's work was (1) to humble the Apostle Paul ("to keep me from exalting myself"); (2) to weaken the Apostle that the power of Christ might be more clearly seen, "for My power is perfected in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9). Was that Satan's intention? Of course not. But God permitted, even commissioned, Satan to afflict the Apostle Paul because it suited His purpose, and that, by the way, is the only time Satan may afflict us. In all his raging, Satan only manages to do God's bidding, to fulfill God's purposes. Matthew Henry summed up the wonder of it all in this saying: "A strange chemistry of Providence this, to extract so great a good as the enlargement of the gospel out of so great an evil as the confinement of the apostle."8

When we see the wicked triumph and evil prosper - when we see the criminals and cheats and thieves getting away with something, we are to remember that nothing is out of control. We may not be able to see it, but God is confounding the evil ways of evil men and using those things for good.

Even more particularly, I am to look for and believe that as I walk faithfully, all my personal hardship is being used for the progress of the gospel. Circumstances may be difficult. I may be frustrated. I may feel trapped in my home or school. I may feel that circumstances are such that I am in a place without a purpose. However, I must never feel that I am rotting away futilely. God is sovereign over these circumstances, both for my good and the good of the gospel.

Afflictions from Within (1:15-18)

Ten to one. That is my anecdotal observation on the ratio of problems caused from inside the church versus those from outside. In verses 15-18, the Apostle Paul addressees a second problem: his in-house detractors. There had been a church at Rome before Paul, and no doubt a number of Christian preachers had gained a degree of prominence in the leadership of that congregation. With the Apostle Paul's arrival they may have begun to lose some prestige. People may have begun to look to Paul for leadership and the other leaders became jealous. So he says,

"Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;" (Phil 1:15)

"Some," that is, a minority, "are preaching" with bad motives. They preach with "envy," or "jealousy," and "strife," or "rivalry." 9 This is not a problem of orthodoxy. The content of the preaching is sound; they preach Christ (v. 15,17,18) and the Apostle Paul rejoices in their message (v. 18). They cannot be Judaizers, who preach "another Jesus," or "another gospel" (2 Cor 11:4,13) and are vehemently opposed by the Apostle Paul (Gal 1:6,7; 5:1-6; Phil 3:2,3). He would never stand for a compromised gospel. Instead, their dissension is a personal matter. They are jealous. They see the Apostle Paul as a rival for the affection of the Philippian congregation. Martin says, "They must be Christians who bore no love to the apostle personally, who were anxious to see him remain in prison, and who intended to make that imprisonment as galling and irksome as possible, deriving a ‘malicious satisfaction' (Heinzelmann) from aggravating him in this way."10 Others preached out of right motives.

. . . but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; (Phil 1:15b-16)

Yet his detractors had mixed, or even corrupt, motives.

the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. (Phil 1:17)

They preached "from selfish ambition." This term (eritheias) refers to "self seeking" or "party-spirit" to "purchasing favor and promotion by gifts."11 Silva prefers to render it "strife" or "partisanship" rather than "selfish ambition."12 Rather than "pure motives" they preach with "mixed motives,"13 "thinking to cause me distress." They mean to hurt him. These are malicious, personal, petty attacks. They wish to diminish the Apostle Paul in the eyes of the church. They're happy to see him suffer and happy to help it along. If you've ever had someone who wished to intentionally hurt you, you know how distressing that can be.

Yet the Apostle Paul does not react with personal vengeance. Clearly he is wrestling with their cruelty. It troubles him. He is distressed by it. But a greater consequence overrules his personal distress. Because he is Christ and gospel-centered he is able to overcome his personal anxiety. For him, if anything advances His kingdom, he rejoices.

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. (Phil 1:18)

He says "in every way" (i.e. whatever the motives), "whether in pretense or in truth," that is, whether for "false motives or true" (NIV), "Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice." The Apostle Paul won't allow himself to be blinded to the good by petty differences. Here we see one of the secrets to his joy in this epistle of joy. His emotional well being is wrapped up in the progress of the gospel. His personal well being takes a back seat to the advance of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. This is his focus, his passion, his purpose.

Love is not proud and doesn't take into account a wrong suffered. Love is not jealous (1 Cor 13:4). How easy it is to strike back - to even the score - or even to plan one-upmanship when being attacked. The Apostle Paul reacts to petty personal attacks as Jesus did and as we should - he ignores them. He displays neither defensiveness, nor jealousy, nor anger, nor a vengeful spirit.

What circumstances do we face? Are they difficult? What guards us from the baser passions? Christ-centeredness. When our minds are focused on the glory of Christ, we can be attacked, we can suffer, and it doesn't matter. So long as Christ is proclaimed, we can maintain our joy no matter what the circumstances. When He is our chief concern (and not ourselves) and He is being honored (though we are not), then we can have joy even in the midst of our troubles. Our circumstances cannot rob us of our joy, not when we have learned to forsake self-centeredness, and focus all our ambitions upon Christ Jesus. The bottom line for the Apostle is that he no longer lives. He has been crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20). He lives no longer for himself (2 Cor
5:15). What he cares about is not his own reputation and well being, but the glory of Christ.

This has everything to say about how we view other ministries as well. We, like he, must oppose and denounce Christian heresies. But where Christ is faithfully proclaimed, though with head-scratching and seemingly self-seeking and ego-inflating motives, still we can rejoice. We can see the good that comes from their preaching even if we can also see that they are obsessed with numbers and driven by worldly success. The Apostle is not naïve. He recognizes the bad motives. He is disturbed by the bad motives. We need not put our heads in the sand when we recognize worldly motives for Christian ministry. Still, we may disagree with them and yet be magnanimous in our judgments, even charitable, because Christ is being proclaimed, and in this we can rejoice.

"Bad Circumstances, Good Results" Terry Johnson, Independent Presbyterian Church / IV. Expositions of Philippians / Philippians 1:12-18 / February 15, 2009