Paul loved to use word pictures as windows into his message. In Phil. 1:27-28 he uses verbs that (1) convey the idea of the courage that soldiers possess who stand side by side and refuse to leave their posts and (2) convey the notion of athletes working together as a team with one mind for one goal. This goal is to preserve the Christian faith brought into existence by the gospel.
It all comes down to the question of Scripture. Is the Bible a reliable witness to God and who he is? Are the apostles credible witnesses to the real Jesus and what he both said and did? How should we, as Bible-believing Christians, approach the interpretation of Scripture? These are the questions my Greek students and I will be asking ourselves when our studies resume in two weeks.
I hope, if they are lacking it, that they will recover their full confidence in the truthfulness and reliability of the Sacred Scriptures. We should devour and treasure God's word as our most precious possession. The books of the Bible must be acknowledged as teaching reliably, faithfully, and without error the truth that God wanted put into the sacred writings.
Can't wait for classes to start.