1:15–18 There are not rival messages, since both parties preach Christ, but opposing motives and attitudes. The motive of one group is goodwill and love for Christ, and Paul’s defense of the gospel explains why they love the apostle (vv. 15, 17). The dominant motive of the other group is “rivalry” (v. 17), the very attitude against which Paul warns the Philippians (2:1–5). They preach Christ so that they themselves can seem important, an attitude quite different from Paul’s (vv. 20, 21), and they respond to Paul’s success by seeking to increase his suffering (v. 16).