The previous two verses are some of the most often quoted in this letter to the Philippians. But this week’s passage shows Paul’s heart perhaps even more clearly.

Take a look for yourself in Philippians 1:23-24:

Paul is very agitated. He knows that his time on earth may be short, and he fully expects that his imprisonment may not end well. But he also realizes that to live means that he will continue to preach the Gospel, and to die is to stand in the presence of Christ himself!

He is torn, and doesn’t know which to long for more.

In fact, in this passage, he makes the statement, “I am torn between the two.” This is a word that conveys the idea of being pulled strongly in two different directions, with pressure from two equally strong desires, causing Paul great agitation and anxiety.

It is clear, that if he is forced to chose between the two, his greater desire is to depart and stand before Jesus. The word “depart” is a military term, meaning to strike camp, or a nautical term, meaning to release the moorings and set the vessel free. Paul is ready to die. In fact, this is the more preferable outcome because of the end result. He would be ushered into the presence of God finally and eternally.

While Paul’s theology on what happens at death is sketchy, whether there is a period of waiting until Christ’s triumphant return or he is in the presence of God immediately, his point here is clear. It is better to be ready for death than to be able to understand the process fully.

The letter to the Philippians is perhaps the most human of all of Paul’s writing. What I mean by that is that in this brief letter you see his heart more clearly than anywhere else. And in this week’s passage, we see it the most clearly of all.

You can find this glimpse of Paul’s heart in Philippians 1:21-22:

Paul’s letter is full of rejoicing. He loves seeing the Philippians grow in their faith. He loves knowing that they are pursuing the gospel whole-heartedly. He is excited about the levels of spiritual maturity they are displaying through their behaviors and actions. He loves seeing them grow, even from afar.

On the other hand, he longs to be with them to encourage them more as they deepen their faith. But he is hindered by prison, and he does not know if he will survive it or not.

In this passage, we see clearly how torn Paul is. He earnestly desires to stay and continue to advance the gospel, in partnership with the Philippian believers. But on the other hand, if he dies, he stands in the presence of Jesus himself! His heart is torn by the choice he faces.

Paul’s statement here refers directly back to the previous statement in verse 20. And at the same time, it is perhaps one of the greatest statements of personal conviction and devotion to the faith ever uttered.

The thought that Paul began at the beginning of this paragraph, which we looked at last week, is continued in the remainder of this passage. Last week, we saw his thoughts about those who preach from pure motives. In this passage, he turns to those whose motives are wrong.

You can see it for yourself in Philippians 1:17-18b:

Paul addressed those who preach from pure motives at the beginning of this passage. His attention now turns to those who have the wrong motives for preaching. These people are probably those who are jealous of Paul’s leadership and authority, wanting to hold such positions themselves. It is worth noting again that Paul does not condemn these people for preaching incorrect doctrine. He only addresses their motives.

These teachers and preachers were placing their own egos and their desire for recognition above the message of the gospel. They were preaching the truth, but they were doing it for the wrong reasons.

It seems as if they were doing as much as possible to stir up trouble for Paul, in whatever way that they could. Just how they were doing this is not clear. It may be that they were intentionally preaching to stir up the community, knowing that Paul was in prison. This could adversely affect his legal standing, and cause serious problems.

However, Paul’s perspective is not what they expect. Instead of attempting to stop them, Paul finds encouragement in what they are doing. After all, either way, the gospel is being preached!

The Philippians had some experience with people who preach the gospel with wrong motives. In this week’s passage, Paul addresses this, and clarifies the difference between such people and himself.

Take a look at this passage in Philippians 1:15-16:

In Paul’s experience, and apparently the Philippian believers had experienced it as well, people preached the gospel from two motives. Some preached out of envy and rivalry, while others preached the message out of goodwill and love. In Paul’s opinion, either motive resulted in Christ being preached, and thus brought joy to him.

Remember, Paul is in prison, and word has reached him that many others are preaching the message, but Paul senses that the Philippian believers are troubled by those with wrong motives. The preaching he is referring to is that mentioned in the previous verse, but not all of them are doing so appropriately.

The main concern here is the motive, and not the message. Paul doesn’t indicate that those preaching with the wrong motives are preaching the wrong message, or a heretical one. It seems that the message was correct, but the motives were not.

It is clear that Paul is in prison at the time he wrote the letter to the Philippians. But his captivity did not diminish his desire to share the gospel with those around him. This passage reveals the depth of his efforts

You can see it for yourself in Philippians 1:13-14:

For some, there may have been some questions about why Paul was in prison. But it didn’t take long for people to see just what the real reason was. His imprisonment was not for a political or civil crime, but because of his adherence to the gospel and the spread of its message.

In fact, because of his imprisonment, the whole palace guard knows of Paul’s mission, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Originally, the term Paul uses here for the palace guard meant the leader’s tent in a Roman encampment. Later it came to mean the governor’s palace, and even the emperor’s palace. This use is even evident in the New Testament, referring to Pilate’s residence in Jerusalem and Herod’s palace in Caesarea. But Paul’s use adds another level of meaning to this word.

Paul’s use seems to shift from the residence to the residents. When he says “the whole palace guard,” he is speaking about the people there, and is confirmed by the next phrase, “and everyone else.” Paul was in prison, but there were plenty of people around. Many of these would have been the guards watching him. These may have been the emperor’s guards, if he was imprisoned close to that palace, but it seems more likely that it was a provincial governor’s residence, outside but close to Rome. This would be where political or judicial issues would have been resolved for the most part. Paul would likely have been held here until his appearance before Caesar.