Wednesday, July 9, 2025
“The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds” (Philippians 1:16 KJV).
Is it sincerity… or just spite?
An amateur “philosopher” once posed the following question: “Can a good deed, if done for selfish reasons, still be good?” The answer, of course, is a resounding, “No!” If selfish, it is not good. It is an evil deed appearing to be good. Human goodness is not goodness at all; it is simply self-righteousness, a heavenly way to Hell, a godly façade masking a satanic interior.
The Adamic nature, or sin nature we have inherited from Adam, can indeed hide behind religion or piety while committing evil. Matthew 7:21-23 is a classic illustration: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
If words mean anything, according to the Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (one of Christendom’s favored passages!), someone preaching in the Lord’s name, someone casting out devils in the Lord’s name, and someone doing many “wonderful works” in the Lord’s name, can actually be guilty of “iniquity” (evil, unjust, wickedness). He even says He does not have a personal relationship with the people in these verses—although they look like His servants and address Him as “Lord, Lord!”
Paul, in the context of today’s Scripture, recognizes two types of preachers. Some have the right heart attitude, but others do not. (Verse 15, “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy [ill will, hatred] and strife [quarrels, fights]; and some also of good will:….”) Even while under house arrest in Rome, he was hearing news about those preaching the Gospel as an act of worshipping God (they wanted lost souls to hear how to be saved from sins) versus those preaching the Gospel simply to be unkind (they sought to irritate people, antagonize or distress Paul, and so on)….
333 Words of Grace 