Lesson from May 24, 2009
Philippians 2: 12-18
Having laid out Jesus as the supreme example of someone who humbled himself for the good of others, the topic of unity is still on Paul’s mind as he continues in the application section of the letter. As he uses the image of an offering to describe his life and service, Paul continues the theme of selflessness and calls on the believers to mirror his efforts as they mirror those of Christ (v. 18). He uses the language of athletics, as he does in several other places in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 9: 24 – 27; 2 Timothy 4:8 ), to express his hope that in the end he did not “run or labor for nothing” (v. 16).