Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Philippians 1:14

"and that most of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear." — Philippians 1:14 (ASV)

The second way the Gospel had been advanced was that Paul’s circumstances had emboldened other Christians in Rome. One might suppose that his imprisonment would have dampened any evangelizing efforts and have caused believers in Rome to “go underground.” Or if Paul had become depressed by these new developments, the others too would have lost enthusiasm for the Gospel. But exactly the opposite was true. They drew courage from Paul’s example, laid their fears aside, and became more bold in proclaiming God’s word. The present tense shows it was no momentary enthusiasm that quickly passed but was still the situation as Paul wrote his letter.