Philippians 3:9 says, “And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith.” Then verse 10 gives the result: “To know Him and the power of His resurrection.” Verse 10 continues, “And the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” This means that we not only suffer with Him, but we also fellowship with Him in His sufferings. The word know in verse 10 involves three items: knowing Christ, knowing the power of His resurrection, and knowing the fellowship of His sufferings. The verb know has three objects: Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.
Participation in the fellowship of His sufferings results in being conformed to His death. “To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (v. 10).
Verse 11 says, “If perhaps I may attain to the out-resurrection from the dead.” The American Standard Version renders this verse as: “If by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead.” The result of being conformed to Christ’s death is attaining unto the resurrection from the dead. This matter is difficult to understand. According to 1 Thessalonians 4, all the saved ones, those who belong to the Lord, who are dead in Christ will be resurrected at the Lord’s coming back. There is no doubt in regard to this. However, even a person like Paul, who not only was saved but who also overcame, did not dare to say he would definitely attain to the resurrection from the dead; rather, he says, “If...I may.” It seems as if there is a contradiction and inconsistency between the word spoken in Philippians 3 and the word in 1 Thessalonians 4.
First Thessalonians 4:16 says that all those who believe in the Lord and who are saved will be resurrected at the Lord’s return. The apostle used these words to comfort Christians whose family members had passed away. If we have family members who have passed away, we should not grieve like unbelievers. When an unbeliever dies, there is no hope, but when a believer dies, we have hope because we will be resurrected when the Lord returns. This word is very clear, and there is no doubt about it.
If this is the case, why did Paul say, “If perhaps I may,” when speaking about himself in Philippians 3? It seems as if he was not sure. According to Darby’s New Translation, resurrection here refers to an extraordinary resurrection, not an ordinary one. The Greek word indicates an extra-resurrection. I spent much time to study this verse, and finally I saw that even though all the saints will be resurrected in the future, there is an extra-resurrection, an outstanding resurrection in that resurrection. For example, all of the students in a class will graduate, but among these students there may be three students who are outstanding. We may say that the top three students have an “extra-graduation.” All the students who passed their exams will graduate, but only the top three will be recognized as outstanding with awards, prizes, and honors.
Philippians 3:12 says, “Not that I have already obtained or am already perfected, but I pursue, if even I may lay hold of that for which I also have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” In 1 Thessalonians 4 the apostle says that there is a resurrection for every saved person, but in Philippians 3 he says that he might not obtain the out-resurrection. He continued, “Brothers, I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward” (vv. 13-14). These verses clearly show that the “out-resurrection” which Paul spoke of refers to a prize.
We need to emphasize that in order for someone to be conformed to the mold of the Lord’s death, he must know Christ’s resurrection. No one can be conformed to the mold of the Lord’s death without having sufficient knowledge of the Lord’s resurrection. The meaning of being conformed to His death is that one has put to death all that he is, including his mind, emotion, will, preference, and opinion, thus allowing God to have a way in him. This is the mold of the Lord’s death. Being conformed to the Lord’s death means that in our daily living, we pass through death. Those who are conformed to the Lord’s death are those who know resurrection, and those who know resurrection are those who know Christ.
In verse 10 three things are linked together: knowing Christ, knowing resurrection, and knowing the fellowship of His sufferings, which is being conformed to His death. The first thing for us to know is Christ, then resurrection, and finally the fellowship of His sufferings. Knowing the fellowship of His sufferings is to be conformed to His death. The more we participate in and have fellowship with Him in His sufferings, the more we are conformed to His death.
Because the book of Philippians does not speak much on knowing Christ, we need the book of Colossians. Colossians 2:9 says, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” All that belongs to God is in Christ: love is in Christ, holiness is in Christ, light is in Christ, and power is also in Christ. Love, holiness, light, and power are elements of the divine nature. Hence, God is love, God is holiness, God is light, and God is power. All these are elements of God’s nature, and all these are in Christ.
If we desire to enjoy all the fullness of the Godhead, we need to know Christ. In order to know Christ, we need to know that all the fullness of the Godhead is in Christ: love is in Christ, holiness is in Christ, light is in Christ, and power is in Christ. All the elements of the Godhead are in Christ for us to enjoy. In order for Christ to give us all the fullness of the Godhead which dwells in Him as our enjoyment, He must be our life. Christ being our life is a matter of resurrection, and His coming to be our life means that He desires to be lived out from us.