Rejoicing in Christ, Not in Compromise (Philippians 1:15–18)

Maybe you've gone through the same thing, but often when I offer criticism of certain practices by certain preachers, churches, or movements, Philippians 1:15–18 gets thrown at me—as if pointing out error is somehow unspiritual or unloving, a violation of the "apostolic spirit." So let's look at the text and unpack what it does say and what it doesn't.

"Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the Gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice…" — Philippians 1:15–18

Paul is rejoicing because Christ is being proclaimed even by those with sinful motives like envy, rivalry, and selfish ambition. His joy is rooted in the fact that the gospel message itself remained intact and was advancing, even though some of the messengers were hostile toward him personally. So yes, we should rejoice when the true Gospel is preached, even if it's by people who might not like us.

But what is Paul not saying? He's not saying that:

1. All preaching is good, no matter what is taught.

2. All churches are above critique.

3. We should never confront false teaching or unhealthy practices.

4. Bad doctrine is acceptable as long as Jesus is mentioned.

5. Rebuke, correction, or discernment are unloving.

6. We should tolerate false gospels or abuses in the name of unity.

Paul isn't celebrating bad motives! He's rejoicing that, in spite of those motives, Christ is truly being preached. And if Christ weren't truly being preached, Paul wouldn't be rejoicing. That's key.

In fact, Paul regularly and strongly rebukes false teaching and calls out error (see Galatians 1:6–9; 2 Corinthians 11:4; 1 Timothy 1:3–7). And he instructs Timothy to do the same: "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." — 2 Timothy 4:2

Part of faithfully preaching the Word is correcting and confronting when needed. And yes, it must be done with patience and love, but it must be done.

So yes, let's rejoice when the Gospel is preached. Absolutely. But when the Gospel is distorted and the church is harmed, let's not hide behind a misreading of Philippians 1. Love requires clarity. Love requires correction.

Philippians 1:15–18 is not a shield against all critique. It's a call to rejoice when the real Christ is preached, even in messy or imperfect situations. It is not a free pass for false teaching, harmful and unbiblical ministry or sinful motives.

Nino Marques