Philippians 1:12-26
Dear RTB’ers,
A really good passage today, with a couple of very strong truths proclaimed. First, after acknowledging that his example in his imprisonment has caused others of the brethren to preach the gospel, Paul maintains that not all are preaching from a true heart: Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. (v. 15) Recognizing that some of these preachers’ motives may be misguided, Paul does not continue to fault them, but rather sees the benefit of their preaching: What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (v. 18) I see an application today in our own situation. Although we have left the Episcopal Church and we have seen splits in the Methodist Church (just across the street from our own location), we have to recognize that there are millions of good people with whom we disagree, but who have remained “behind” and are still encouraging others in their faith. It’s like the truth that we see in today’s divisive politics in our own country, “What unites us is far more important than what divides us.” We need to be careful in how we speak of these divisions.
A second truth is one that I often cite: …to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (v. 21) It’s a truth that, in part, led me to the Lord. Jim was a young man who had (over the course of three years) been sharing the gospel with me. I saw the life that he was living and I reasoned that he could not lose: If God were real, Jim would spend eternity with Him, but if there were no God, Jim was fully enjoying the life that he was living. For him, to live was Christ and to die would have been gain. A simple, yet profound truth!
Yes, a really good passage today…!
Blessings.
See also: October 13 (2021) / Philippians 1:1-30.