I remember years ago discovering the Philipians 3:10. “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” It sounded so cool the first time I read it. But, there was this nagging something in my gut when I read the last two dependent clauses; “and the fellowship of His sufferings,” and “being conformed to His death.” I have to admit that I didn’t fully understand that at the time. I believe that in that moment, God spoke to my heart a profound truth that I would only understand later, after many years of living. Right then, I knew that I would one day know exactly what it meant.
You see, knowing him in the “Power of His resurrection,” would be awesome. It is awesome. I know that power. I have lived it via Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and gift of Holy Spirit. But, there is no fullness in sharing only in a partial life in Christ. There is only fullness in knowing all of Christ.
Jesus’ life was certainly one of power and victory and celebration. We see it all in Scripture. He was life. He is life. But, Jesus’ life was also one of incomparable struggle and pain: persecution, the Garden of Gethsemanee, the cross, and so much more. So how is it that we can fully know the real power of Jesus? We can only know it through the resurrection.
To say that we can only know it through the resurrection implies something. It implies that there is a death preceding it. There is. Paul told the Corinthians in 15:31 that “I die daily.” He speaks of it more than once. Death is painful. The death of Jesus was not easy. It was gruesome. Our death physically may not be painful. But, try dying to yourself. I mean, try dying daily in a spiritual and emotional way. It hurts like hell.
This message that God gave to me in part was this message of dying. It was the message that true power and joy only are fulfilled when I die fully to myself and surrender to Him. It is then that I understand the power of His resurrection because, like Him, I am aligned with His pain and suffering. I am being conformed to Him in death.
Paul uses a specific verb tense here that gives the idea of a present but perpetual, continued conforming to death. Jesus died once and all for us. We die daily. This is the clear distinction between us and Him in this passage. As Paul said, “I die daily.” We are “being conformed to His death.
I am learning all of this through simply living in Christ. It is a painful process. Some preachers say that pain and bad stuff indicate that you aren’t living right. I’d certainly like to see how they navigate through this passage. What would one of those preachers do with this verse: “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If he would render Himself as a guilt offering, he will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper His hand,” (Isa. 53:10). The Lord was pleased crush His own Son. But notice that he was doing it so that He could multiply His life through us. That is why knowing Christ in His power is also knowing Him in His death.
It is through pain and suffering that our faith is perfected. It is the fire that brings the refined man. It is the hurt that when it is healed wields a strong spirit. It is the piece of dull and formless steel that when sharpened against hard metals and flames produces a beautiful, sharp weapon. It is only when your life is crushed that the aroma of Christ exudes from it.
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
I love you, your servant, your friend,
Tim
You see, knowing him in the “Power of His resurrection,” would be awesome. It is awesome. I know that power. I have lived it via Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and gift of Holy Spirit. But, there is no fullness in sharing only in a partial life in Christ. There is only fullness in knowing all of Christ.
Jesus’ life was certainly one of power and victory and celebration. We see it all in Scripture. He was life. He is life. But, Jesus’ life was also one of incomparable struggle and pain: persecution, the Garden of Gethsemanee, the cross, and so much more. So how is it that we can fully know the real power of Jesus? We can only know it through the resurrection.
To say that we can only know it through the resurrection implies something. It implies that there is a death preceding it. There is. Paul told the Corinthians in 15:31 that “I die daily.” He speaks of it more than once. Death is painful. The death of Jesus was not easy. It was gruesome. Our death physically may not be painful. But, try dying to yourself. I mean, try dying daily in a spiritual and emotional way. It hurts like hell.
This message that God gave to me in part was this message of dying. It was the message that true power and joy only are fulfilled when I die fully to myself and surrender to Him. It is then that I understand the power of His resurrection because, like Him, I am aligned with His pain and suffering. I am being conformed to Him in death.
Paul uses a specific verb tense here that gives the idea of a present but perpetual, continued conforming to death. Jesus died once and all for us. We die daily. This is the clear distinction between us and Him in this passage. As Paul said, “I die daily.” We are “being conformed to His death.
I am learning all of this through simply living in Christ. It is a painful process. Some preachers say that pain and bad stuff indicate that you aren’t living right. I’d certainly like to see how they navigate through this passage. What would one of those preachers do with this verse: “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If he would render Himself as a guilt offering, he will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper His hand,” (Isa. 53:10). The Lord was pleased crush His own Son. But notice that he was doing it so that He could multiply His life through us. That is why knowing Christ in His power is also knowing Him in His death.
It is through pain and suffering that our faith is perfected. It is the fire that brings the refined man. It is the hurt that when it is healed wields a strong spirit. It is the piece of dull and formless steel that when sharpened against hard metals and flames produces a beautiful, sharp weapon. It is only when your life is crushed that the aroma of Christ exudes from it.
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
I love you, your servant, your friend,
Tim
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