Memory Verse: “Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2, NKJV).

INTRO: In this week’s lesson we are reminded again of Paul’s emphasis on unity among believers through commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. To do so, Paul uses a poem, which perhaps also became a hymn in the early church to describe the humility or condescension it required of Jesus to provide the pathway for unity among all believers who claimed to be His followers. Here is how Paul introduces this poem: Memory Verse: “Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2, NKJV).

Q: What is the significance of the poetic depiction of Jesus which Paul details in vv.5-11? What is Paul’s clear model and purpose for humility?

Q: When Jesus talked about himself as the “Good Shepherd,” what dangers do you think He feared for people who followed his teaching? How is this caution still relevant today?

Q: How is the doctrine of the “Trinity” (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) a solid biblical basis for understanding Paul’s appeal for unity among followers of Jesus (“any partnership in the Spirit”), as referred to in Phil. 2:1?

Q: What are the costs of disunity among Christ-followers? How is the church to find its way when disagreements arise?

CLOSING SIDEBAR:

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.”
— Philippians 2:5–6 (NKJV)

“The self-emptying of Christ reveals the very identity of God as one who gives rather than grasps. To have the ‘mind of Christ’ is to participate in this cruciform pattern of life. Such participation is the basis of genuine unity in the community shaped by the cross.”
— Michael J. Gorman, Inhabiting the Cruciform God

Paul presents the humility of Christ as the foundation for genuine unity among believers. Jesus’ willingness to lay aside privilege reveals the very heart of God and sets the pattern for life together in the church. Unity is sustained not by uniformity or force, but by shared humility shaped by Christ’s self-giving love.

NEXT WEEK, we’ll look at Paul’s metaphor, “Shining as Lights in the Night.” My thanks to Naomi Cueto and Faith Montes, our program engineers, and to all of you for listening in. Until next time, for the “Good Word,” I’m Phil Muthersbaugh.