This process of obtaining Christ, as revealed in verse 10, is to know Him by knowing the power of His resurrection. However, if we would know the power of Christ’s resurrection, we must share in His sufferings and know the fellowship of His sufferings.
In a very real sense, Christ’s sufferings have not yet been completed. When some hear this, they may say, “Christ died, was buried, and was resurrected once for all. Now He is on the throne. How can you say that His sufferings have not been completed?” Consider Paul’s word in Colossians 1:24: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His Body, which is the church.” To be sure, Christ is on the throne, but there is still a lack with respect to His sufferings. As the Head, Christ’s sufferings are complete. But the sufferings of Christ for the Body are not yet finished. Such sufferings are also called “His sufferings.” Furthermore, in Colossians 1:24 Paul regarded his own sufferings as the filling up of what is lacking of Christ’s sufferings for His Body. For this reason, Paul indicates in Philippians 3:10 that we need to share in Christ’s sufferings. The sufferings of Christ for His Body are still going on, and we need to share in them. When Christ was on earth, He suffered. As those who follow Him, we must share in His sufferings for His Body. If we would know Christ by experiencing the power of His resurrection, we must share His sufferings. The process of obtaining Christ is related to His resurrection, His sufferings, and His death. To know Him we must share His sufferings and be conformed to His death that we may experience the power of His resurrection.
Verse 10 opens with the infinitive “to know Him.” This infinitive is related to a compound predicate found in verses 8 and 9: “that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.” First we need to suffer the loss of all things and count them as refuse that we may gain Christ. To gain Christ in this way is not simply to believe in Him or receive Him. It is to count all things as loss, to suffer the loss of all things, and then to count them as refuse. Paul was one who suffered the loss of all things and counted them refuse. He was free from all earthly entanglements. To gain Christ he had given up everything, including religion and culture, and counted it all as refuse, trash, dog food. Therefore, the way was clear for Paul to gain Christ and to be found in Him in order to know Him.
The rendering “to know Him” is a literal translation of the Greek. Many versions, however, do not use the infinitive. Instead, they say “that I may know Him,” or “in order that I may know Him.” Nevertheless, according to the Greek, Paul was saying that he wanted to gain Christ and be found in Him to know Him. Like Paul, we need to be free from all earthly entanglements and also count everything as refuse. Then we shall be able to say, “Lord Jesus, I care only for You. I want to gain You, be found in You, and know You.”
We have pointed out that the obtaining in verse 12 is a continuation of the gaining of Christ in verse 8. Paul’s desire was to gain Christ in order to know Him and obtain Him. Paul was seeking to gain Christ that he might obtain Him by knowing Him, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.
“To know Him” refers to knowing Christ in a general way. But knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings and being conformed to His death are details related to knowing Christ. Actually to know Christ here means to know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. Some Christians claim that they have known Christ for years, but they do not know the power of Christ’s resurrection, although they may realize that Christ is powerful and that He displayed this power by raising Lazarus from the dead. However, the resurrection of Lazarus is very different from the power of Christ’s resurrection. Eventually, Lazarus died and was again buried in the tomb, but Christ’s resurrection was a resurrection that brought Him to the throne. When Paul speaks of the power of Christ’s resurrection, he has in mind something different from the power manifested in the resurrection of Lazarus. Paul is speaking of a resurrection that can be called Christ’s resurrection. He wanted to know the power of His resurrection.
In verse 10 Paul mentions the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. It is possible to suffer without participating in Christ’s sufferings. For example, someone may lose his job because he fails to work properly, and this may cause him to suffer. But this suffering has nothing to do with Christ’s sufferings.
There is also a difference between those sufferings which are for our transformation and those which are for the Body. Paul’s word in 3:10 does not refer to suffering for transformation. If we compare 3:10 with Colossians 1:24, we shall see that the sufferings about which he is speaking here are those which make up the lack of Christ’s afflictions for the Body. It is when we suffer for the Body that we shall experience the power of Christ’s resurrection. No doubt, sufferings are needed for us to be transformed. But we should not identify such sufferings with the sufferings of Christ, for He did not suffer in this way.
Many Christians do not even have a proper understanding of those sufferings which are for transformation, much less those sufferings which are for the Body. Some Bible teachers stress suffering as a discipline or punishment. They warn others to obey the Lord and to walk according to the Word of God, lest they be disciplined by Him. Some use Hebrews 12 to point out that sufferings may work to make us holy (v. 10). However, they often do not explain what it means to be holy.
In the book of Romans Paul does not speak of suffering as a discipline. However, he refers to transformation and conformation. Romans 8:28 says that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. Certain Bible teachers place great emphasis on this verse without connecting it to the following verse, which indicates that God’s intention is to have us conformed to the image of His Son. This conformation is the result of transformation. All things work together for our good that we may be transformed and conformed to the image of the Son of God. No doubt, this process involves suffering, suffering which helps us become mature sons. As we undergo this kind of suffering, we also can experience the power of Christ’s resurrection, but not as much as when we suffer for the Body.
Just as there is more than one kind of suffering, there is more than one kind of resurrection. All the dead will be resurrected, some to the “resurrection of life” and others to the “resurrection of judgment” (John 5:29). The kind of resurrection with which we are concerned in this message is Christ’s resurrection and its power. Not many Christians know the power of this unique resurrection.
Knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection is related to knowing the fellowship of His sufferings. Paul experienced the power of Christ’s resurrection in this way. When we suffer for the sake of the Body in the name of Christ, we also shall experience the power of His resurrection. I can testify that when I am bold to stand for the Lord, I experience anointing and empowering. However, if you are ashamed to say that you are a Christian, especially a Christian in the church life, you will have no power. But if you testify that you are a Christian standing on the church ground, you will be empowered.