(1) bearing faithful witness even to the point of suffering; (2) identifying with the weak as an expression of God’s cruciform wisdom and power; and (3) lovingly, as a servant, seeking the benefit of others rather than self. In sum, Paul’s spirituality of participation in the death of Christ is congruent with—indeed fundamentally the same as—Jesus’ call to cross-shaped discipleship. In addition to considering the connections between Jesus in the gospels and Paul, we will also note the same or similar themes in other New Testament witnesses.
