What Does Philippians 1:18 Mean?

(18) The contrast of this verse with such passages as 2Corinthians 12:4—where the Judaisers at Corinth are said to preach “another Jesus and a different gospel;” with Galatians 1:6—where their gospel is declared to be “a different gospel,” and not merely a variety of the same (see Note there); and even with the emphatic warning as to Philippi, in Philippians 3:2-16, is singularly instructive. St. Paul, in the words “in pretence” and “in truth,” is speaking of the motives of the preachers, not of the substance of their preaching. For the latter he cares much; for the former nothing. When (as at Corinth) the rejection of his personal authority was bound up with rejection of his apostolic doctrine, he rebukes it vehemently; when (as here) there was no such connection, it is to him a very small thing. But we may also gather from this that, whatever might be the case at Philippi, at Rome St. Paul’s Epistle had done its work, and the battle of principle was won; even at Colossæ it had wholly changed its character (see Colossians 2:16-23), and its old phases had passed away. The differences between the parties at Rome were no longer fundamental, although, as so often is the case, the bitterness of division might remain. “Every way Christ was preached,” and accepted as justifying through faith. This being so, St. Paul could rejoice. Even an imperfect Christianity, with something of narrowness, and perhaps of superstitious formalism, cleaving to it, was as different from the gross heathenism which it superseded, as light from darkness. **Yea, and will rejoice.**—Properly, *I shall rejoice* to the end. The words lead on to the next verse, which gives the reason of this persistent rejoicing.