What Does It Mean to “Proclaim Christ”?

In Philippians 1, Paul rejoices that Christ is proclaimed, whether through good motives or bad ones. What does it mean to “proclaim Christ”?

Scripture:       

Philippians, chapters 1-4

Philippians 1:12-18 (NASB):

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brothers and sisters, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.

Observations: Proclaim Christ

Paul is writing to his Philippian friends from a prison cell, traditionally believed to be in Rome. He wants to encourage his friends. They have supported him both through prayer and through financial assistance. It would be easy to wonder why Paul is in prison, when his only “crime” has been to preach the gospel. Why has God allowed this to happen, when all Paul has done is to proclaim Christ?

Paul does not spend time dwelling on such issues. To him, the most important thing is that people proclaim Christ! Ever since his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul has devoted himself to telling others about Jesus. That’s what brought him to Philippi in the first place, several years previously. Paul’s ministry pointed the Philippians toward Christ, who transformed them just as He had transformed Paul.

Paul encourages his friends by telling them that his imprisonment has emboldened others to proclaim Christ: most of the brothers and sisters, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. The only way that could happen is through the power of Christ at work in them. How else could they have more courage to proclaim Christ if doing so landed Paul in prison? As Paul will remind them at the end of this letter, we can do anything that God calls us to do through Christ (4:13).

Application: Proclaim Christ Through Good Motives or Bad

The last part of this passage is really striking when you think about it. We live in a world where people are more focused on being “right” than anything else. These days, much of that debate centers around politics. However, political discussions often overlap with religious ones; people seek to justify their political beliefs for biblical reasons. The biggest problem with that is that people lose sight of what is most important. Our spiritual beliefs should control our political views, not the other way around.

What does that have to do with this passage? Paul insists that proclaiming Christ is our primary task. That’s why he makes the shocking declaration that he doesn’t care why people are proclaiming Christ, so long as they do! Some,, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from oure motives, thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.

That does not mean that our motives are unimportant. The people who proclaimed Christ with improper motives were wrong. But here’s what’s important: Paul realized that it was not his responsibility to sort that out. He left the matter in God’s hands, realizing that the “seed” of the gospel could bear fruit regardless of the motives of the “sowers.”

Proclaim Christ Through Words and Actions

The message is the key. As Paul wrote to the Romans, the gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). That’s why Paul refused to focus on the motives of those preaching Jesus for the “wrong reasons.” He realized that it was not up to him to judge others: “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4).

But that’s not the case when the message is wrong. That’s the tricky part for us. We tend to spiritualize our own views, and consider them on the same level as the gospel itself. Here’s what I mean: if someone says that the Bible is not the word of God, I’m obligated to disagree. If they say that Jesus was just a man, and not the eternal Son of God, I have to challenge that. And if there are people who profess to follow Jesus but who deny the truth of Scripture, I cannot just “agree to disagree.”

But when we say that someone has to vote a particular way to be a Christian, we’ve crossed that line. We can, and should, understand the ways the Bible informs our views. But we should not assume that we are infallible in that understanding. For example, the Bible tells us to care for those who are “aliens and strangers” among us. Some Christians understand that to apply to everyone who is here, regardless of how they came to be here. Others would argue that we also have an obligation to follow our country’s laws. How do we balance that? I think we balance it by remembering that it is not up to us to “judge another man’s servant.” When we divide the Church by political views rather than by fundamental biblical truth, we work against Jesus’ prayer that His followers would be one (John 17:22).

Prayer:

Father, thank You for reminding us that our primary calling is to proclaim Christ. Jesus gave us the commission to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). He told us to follow Him and promised that He would build His Church (Matthew 16:18). Heaven rejoices anytime one of Your prodigal children comes home. Guard us against the temptation to think that the work of Your kingdom is in winning elections or gaining power. In the Great Commission, Jesus reminded us that You have already given Him all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Keep us focused on Him! Amen.