Philippians 1:15

Some indeed preach Christ of envy and strife; and some also of good will.

The New Testament does not reveal any of the details concerning those who preached Christ of "envy and strife"; and speculation leads us nowhere. Boice cited writings of Suetonius and Clement in support of the view that "Paul perished as a result of the jealousy and strife that existed among Roman Christians.[32] Whether such jealousy arose from Judaizing elements of the church opposing Paul's teaching, or from certain "leaders" of the church in Rome who found themselves eclipsed by Paul's success and influence through winning many converts in the praetorian guard and even the palace is impossible to determine.

Envy and strife caused trouble in those days, and so do they still cause trouble now. As Boice observed:

Never in the history of the world have the opportunities been greater for the proclamation of the gospel; yet never has the believing church been more irrelevant and divided ... the bitter fruits of the strife and envy that divide today's believers.[33]

[32] James Montgomery Boice, op. cit., p. 69.

[33] Ibid.