What does it mean to preach Christ from envy and strife (Philippians 1:15)?

In Philippians 1:15, Paul confronts a challenging reality: not everyone who preaches Christ has pure intentions. Paul says, “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife; and some also of good will” (KJV). Here, Paul offers insight into the motivations that drive our actions, even in the proclamation of the gospel. To preach Christ from envy and strife—or from “jealousy and rivalry,” as the NLT has it— is to be motivated not by love but by jealousy, quarrelsomeness, and conflict.

To preach Christ from envy and strife seems counterintuitive. After all, the gospel of Christ is rooted in love, peace, and good will. During Paul’s time some other preachers saw themselves as competitors of Paul. Their preaching stemmed from a desire to outshine Paul and advance themselves. The Amplified Bible brings out this motivation: “Some, it is true, are [actually] preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry [toward me—for no better reason than a competitive spirit or misguided ambition], but others out of goodwill and a loyal spirit [toward me]” (Philippians 1:15). Even in our own time, preachers are sometimes motivated by money, fame, and power. Instead of preaching Christ out of love for God and neighbor, they are motivated by selfish desires and a grasping for prestige.

Paul goes on to describe these individuals as those who “preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains” (Philippians 1:17). Paul was writing his epistle to the Philippian church while he was incarcerated, and his “rivals” in the ministry were taking full advantage of his lowly condition to advance their own stock. Their star was on the rise, even as Paul’s was falling. Of course, Paul should not have had “ministry rivals” at all. They all should have been on the same team, working toward the same goal.

Paul’s mention of those who preach Christ from envy and strife is a reminder of how the ego can corrupt our ministry, if we let it. We too easily allow feelings of competitiveness taint our work for the Lord. Paul reminded the Corinthian church of the way God works through different individuals to bring about His purpose: “After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:5–9, NLT). Jesus wanted His disciples to keep a balanced view of ministry: “Whoever is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40).

To preach Christ from envy and strife creates unnecessary division and discord within the church, which is antithetical to the gospel. In Galatians 5:26, Paul says, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (ESV). Also, we are to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3, ESV). There is a temptation to preach Christ from selfish ambition and promote ourselves as our talents are on display, but this is countered by esteeming others as more significant. The natural tendency is to look out for oneself more than others, but believers must adopt the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5–11).

Paul’s acknowledgement of those who preach Christ from envy and strife highlights the negative aspect of preaching Christ with impure intentions, but it also allows the genuineness of others to shine more brightly. That’s why he also mentions those who preach “out of goodwill, . . . out of love, knowing that I am put here [in prison] for the defense of the gospel” (Philippians 1:15–16).

Paul’s conclusion is amazing. Yes, some preach Christ from strive and envy, but he is able to see that some good may yet come from it: “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice” (Philippians 1:18). The main thing is that the gospel is going forward. God can use even those with impure, selfish motives to speak the truth. As long as people are being saved, Paul will rejoice. When others want to compete against us, we can simply take ourselves out of the competition and point to Jesus. He’s the only one who matters.