The Christian Life Involves Hard Work, Intense Feeling, and Willing Sacrifice

After telling them to have the mind of Christ in them, the apostle has commanded them to work out their own salvation, and then held out both himself and Timothy as examples. Now in the final example, Epaphroditus, he holds out to them a Christian life that is hard work in the face of both obstacles and opposition; intense emotion toward the Lord and His people; and, self-sacrifice that is more willing that self would suffer than that the name of Christ or the good of His church would suffer.