“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice” (Philippians 1:15-18, NKJV).

There are two main ancient manuscripts that translators use. Most modern translations use one that’s different from what the King James Version uses, and occasionally the wording is a bit different. I had never read the New King James until this year, and it’s been fun seeing new things in Scripture because they literally weren’t there before.

In other translations, these verses end with, “in that I rejoice.” The King James and New King James have an additional little tag, “yes, and will rejoice.” I don’t rejoice at preachers who are full of self-ambition, envy, and strife. While some might find Jesus in spite of them, I also think they will likely produce a lot of false believers, like themselves, who can talk like they know the truth, but their hearts are far from God.

I thought it odd that Paul is rejoicing that pretenders are preaching Christ. It didn’t make any sense to me. But I can hear it differently in the New King James version. I hear the decision to rejoice, “I rejoice, and will rejoice.” We’re getting to see an example of Paul rejoicing in all circumstances, of giving thanks for all things. He found a way to be thankful and rejoice in the midst of being in prison while other false shepherds are after the flock. He says, at least they can learn about Jesus. I can rejoice for that. Instead of gnashing his teeth at a situation he can do nothing about, he finds a way to rejoice, and makes the decision to continue to rejoice.