That I May Know Him – Philippians 3
‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;’ — Philippians 3:10
There is no doubt that Paul knew the Lord. He personally met the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. He counted ‘all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus [his] Lord’ (v.8). By giving up his trust in his own righteousness and by believing on Christ, Paul has won Christ (v.9).
But Paul then said that he wanted to know Christ (v.10). If Paul already knew Christ, then why did he say he wanted to know Christ? The idea here is to know experientially. This is more than just an acquaintance; this is knowing Christ in a personal, daily walk that grows deeper each day.
Paul elaborates on what he means when he says that he wants to know ‘the power of his resurrection’, ‘the fellowship of his sufferings’, ‘being made conformable unto his death’ ‘if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead’.
To know Christ is more than just being saved. It is to identify and understand the power of Christ’s resurrection. It is to enter into the fellowships of Christ’s sufferings. It is to conform our lives and hearts to the death of Christ. It is to ultimately attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
How well do you know Christ? Are you learning to walk in His resurrection power? Are you fellowshipping with His sufferings? Are you conforming to His death? Are you longing for the resurrection? Let us go deeper in our walk with Christ today. Let us never stop pursuing a closer fellowship with our Lord.