“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).
The initial step to a knowledge of God is an individual experience with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, shew us the Father." Jesus addressed him, "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father" (John 14:8-9). In the event that we would know God, we should start with Jesus Christ.
We can't pressure too decidedly that "know" signifies "to come to know by understanding." Paul's desire communicated in Philippians 3:10 is to come to know the Lord Jesus in that completion of knowledge by distinguishing himself with Christ and resembling Him. It was this individual contact with life, and not insignificant scholarly knowledge, that our Lord had at the top of the priority list when He asked, "This is life interminable, that they may know Thee the main genuine God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
How did Paul look to accomplish his objective of knowing Christ all the more profoundly? His objective was a tri-fold affair.
**POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION **
Christian experience starts with the trusting sinner tasting Christ's resurrection power in recovery. Keeping in touch with adherents, Paul stated: "You hath He stimulated [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). Sparing confidence produces otherworldly life; the adherent is "conceived once more" (John 3:3-5).
Since Paul was spared when he communicated this longing, to what degree did he need to know Christ and the power of His resurrection? In the event that we are to overcome the day by day propensities for transgression and live in blessedness, we should draw from the power of Christ's risen life. In Romans 5:9-10, Paul shows that we are presently legitimized by the blood of Christ and accommodated to God by the demise of His Son, yet he additionally includes: "we might be spared by His life." To live in the power of Christ's resurrection is to end up increasingly dead to the methods for the world and the desires of the substance, and to be more similar to Christ. It was the experiential knowledge of that power—its effect without anyone else internal life—that Paul sought after.
SHARING IN CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS
These sufferings of Christ are not the physical torment and anguish of the cross in which He bore the punishment for sins. Nobody could share these with Him. Or maybe, they might be what the Lord discussed when Paul was changed over: "I will shew him how extraordinary things he should languish over My name's purpose" (Acts 9:16). These are sufferings in which we may have partnership with our favored Lord, for example, being the objects of the world's scorn and mistreatment due to our remain for Christ. To know Christ in the association of His sufferings intends to tolerate rebuke for His name's purpose.
The greater part of us would happily appreciate the cooperation of Christ's gifts, yet what number of among us would similarly as readily look for the association of His sufferings? Have you at any point appealed to God to ask Him that He would give you the benefit of knowing Christ in the partnership of His sufferings? Paul did!
ADHERENCE TO HIS DEATH
Paul finishes up his interest for knowledge with the communicated want to be made "similar unto His passing." His demise was the objective of His incarnation; Christ was destined to pass on. He stated, "The Son of man came not to be served unto, but rather to serve, and to give His life a payoff for some" (Matthew 20:28). I don't trust Paul is communicating a craving to physically kick the bucket as Christ did, on a cross. Or maybe, we locate Paul's significance in such expressions as "killed with Christ" (Galatians 2:20), "I kick the bucket day by day" (1 Corinthians 15:31), and "continually bearing about in the body the diminishing of the Lord Jesus" (2 Corinthians 4:10).
Being made comparable to Christ's demise is something we as a whole psychologist from. We don't surrender our lives effectively; incredible. We battle wildly to keep the old man alive. However, what does God's Word show us? "Knowing this, that our dad is killed with Him … figure ye likewise yourselves to be dead in reality unto sin, however alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:6,11). This is the adherent's actual position in Christ and it was what Paul was taking a stab at in day by day viable experience.
Our Lord's natural life was so fragrant and wonderful as a result of His total putting aside of self in compliance to the Father's will and in benefit for others. He took upon Himself the type of a hireling and was eager to be abandoned by the world. He paid whatever cost was fundamental keeping in mind the end goal to be the Servant of all. Would you be unified with Him in such an affair?
