WHETHER IN PRETENSE OR IN TRUTH, CHRIST IS PREACHED

This is the second part of one editorial Beebe wrote answering two questions on biblical passages.  This is part two. What then? Notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice (Philippians 1:18).”

 

But we will pass to consider the text in Philippians 1:18.

In this text the apostle expresses his joy that Christ was preached, and in a variety of ways, and from different and conflicting motives; some even of envy and strife, and some of goodwill, or with pure motives. The one preaches Christ of contention, not sincerely, but maliciously, designing thereby to add affliction to Paul’s bonds. Others of love, knowing that Paul was set for the defense of the gospel. Of all this, Paul says, “What then?” What if the enemies of the gospel are filled with envy and feel maliciously inclined towards Paul, and towards all the ministers of Christ who like Paul preach of love and goodwill? Shall their enmity, envy, and malice retard the dissemination of the gospel? By no means. They can do nothing against the truth but for it. Their wrath shall praise God, and the remainder of their wrath God will restrain. What then? If some preach Christ even of envy and strife, and others of goodwill, and some of contention, to afflict Paul, “Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached;” the tidings are spread far and wide, and the great purpose of God in publishing the gospel in every land is subserved; and in that, Paul rejoiced; yea, and would rejoice.

The words of the apostle seem to imply that there were some preachers who really preached the gospel, and to the edification and profit of their hearers, who did it from the basest of motives, even from envy and strife, and with a design to add affliction to Paul’s bonds; and we have no right to doubt that such was the case then, and that there are even now some who with no better motives, have really preached Christ, and that to the profit of the saints, whose hearts have never been warmed by the love of God, who in their preaching has designed to gain the confidence of the saints, and finally to make division and trouble in the church, and to bring the true ministers of Christ into trouble and disrepute. If not greatly mistaken, we could now name a score of preachers of that description, some of whom we have once regarded as able ministers of the New Testament, and under whose ministry we have sat with delight and profit until their real character has been developed, their mask has fallen off, and their hypocrisy has been exposed. These have added far more affliction to our bonds than all the open-avowed enemies of the cause combined could do. Like the unclean ravens which carried food to Elijah, they have dealt food to the saints of which they themselves have never tasted; or like Balaam’s ass, when speaking with a man’s voice, they have uttered words which, while unintelligible to themselves, have been God’s message of comfort and consolation to some of the saints.

But it is not, however, our understanding that those malicious enemies who desired to add affliction to Paul’s bonds always preached Christ as Paul and other ministers of Christ did, by standing up in the public assemblies to expound the Scriptures, or to proclaim salvation in his name. But the manner in which their opposition to them, and to the gospel, was overruled by the Lord to the furtherance of the gospel, as explained in the context in which he adverts, first to the things which had happened to him, probably when he was in Macedonia, or at Philippi, and the bitter persecution which he had encountered, and by which his life seemed to be imperiled, had fallen out rather for the furtherance of the gospel. So that their wicked efforts to prevent the preaching of the gospel by raising a tumult against him, having him arrested and bound and imprisoned, and sent away to Rome, had given currency to the gospel, and they were themselves instruments in proclaiming it, instead of being able to conceal it. Their malicious persecution had stirred up the brethren, so that the brethren of Paul, or as he calls them, “Brethren in the Lord,” waxing confident by Paul’s bonds, in which he was held by their malice and envy, were much bolder to speak the word without fear. It is in this way that some preach Christ of envy and strife. Some of whom? Of the brethren in the Lord; but how of envy and strife? Of the envy and strife of their enemies; for certainly not of envy in their own hearts; but they were impelled, emboldened, and waxed confident, by the envy and strife of their enemies. While others of the dear disciples, less timid, did not need the enmity and persecution of their adversaries to stimulate them, but preached Christ of love and goodwill. It is certain that the envy and strife of the enemies stimulated the disciples with the greater boldness to preach Christ, and even the imprisonment and bonds of Paul exemplified this truth. And the joy and exultation of Paul were in that the gospel of Christ was preached, by his brethren in the Lord, who were stimulated to preach, by the envy and strife of their cruel and malicious enemies, who were maliciously bent on suppressing the preaching of Christ, and adding affliction to Paul’s bonds. Yet notwithstanding every way, through some of his brethren from love and goodwill, regardless of the opposition they encountered, and others, being timid, were stimulated by persecution; although persecution was used to embolden them, still, in the result, Christ was preached and Paul rejoiced.

It has been, and still is the wisdom of God to employ the envy and strife, and persecution of the world for the promulgation of the gospel from the beginning of the gospel dispensation. Instead of offering large bounties of worldly comfort, fame, or treasure, to induce men to engage in the work of the gospel ministry, it has been the divine pleasure and wisdom of God to employ the rage, malice, and persecution of his enemies to hasten his ministers to the field of their labor. A large number of God’s chosen ministers were very pleasantly situated in a large upper room at Jerusalem, and being all of one accord, it was delightful to be all of them in one place. But, “As an eagle stirreth up her nest,” so the Lord caused them to be scattered as soon as they were endued with power from above; and this was done by letting the powers of darkness loose upon them. Persecution arose against them in Jerusalem, and being severely persecuted, they were scattered by the persecution, and they that were scattered went everywhere, preaching the word. That is just where the Lord had told them to go and preach, and we have no right to doubt that persecution was by him ordained to enforce their obedience to his command. At all events, the persecutions they endured were used, under the mighty hand which controls them, for the furtherance of the gospel. The experience of Paul himself is in point, from place to place, he was tossed about by the cruel persecutions which followed him everywhere so that he knew whereof he affirmed when he said that some indeed preach Christ of envy and strife, but all that envy and strife had resulted in the more abundant dissemination of the gospel of Christ. In our context, he says, “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things (persecutions, etc.) which happened unto me, have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places.” Heartily and cheerfully as the apostle labored, and more abundantly than all the other apostles, who can doubt that much of his labor was induced by persecution? Instead of Mission Boards, Mission Societies, large salaries, and flattering titles, the apostles and primitive ministers were hurried from place to place by the lash of persecution; and thus of the envy and strife which rankled in the hearts of their bitterest enemies, Christ was preached, and more abundantly preached by the persecuted servants of God, and Paul rejoiced and would rejoice. The things which had happened to him had finally resulted in taking him to the capital of the Roman Empire, and before kings and rulers where he had an opportunity to preach Christ, which otherwise he could not have had. And from the apostle’s days to the present, the envy and strife, opposition and persecution, endured by the faithful servants of Christ, under the overruling hand of God, who controls them all, has done more for the promulgation of the gospel of Christ than all the humanly devised institutions that have ever been invented for that ostensible purpose. And in the great result, with Paul, we do rejoice; yea, and we will rejoice.

Of course, Paul did not approve nor rejoice in the deceptive course of those who preached Christ insincerely, deceptively, or hypocritically, of envy and strife; nor did he sanction the spirit of persecution in the avowed enemies of Christ, though God had overruled all to the furtherance of the gospel. It was rather on the principle that we now rejoice in the crucified and risen Savior, through his crucifixion was by wicked hands. “Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and with wicked hands have crucified and slain (Acts 2:23).” We rejoice not in the wickedness of his murderers, but in the accomplishment thereby of the gracious counsel and purpose of God. So Paul, and so we rejoice, that Christ is preached, notwithstanding every way.

Elder Gilbert Beebe
Middletown. N. Y. December 1, 1868.