Knowing Jesus

Knowing Jesus

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That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)

There was a simple goal and plea in the life of Paul the Apostle: to know Jesus. He summed it up in these words: That I may know Him. The legalists troubling the Philippian Christians couldn’t know this longing to know Jesus. Legalism focuses on self, not God. But Paul wanted Jesus, not self.

Knowing Jesus

To know Jesus is not the same as knowing His historical life; it is not the same as knowing correct doctrines regarding Jesus; it is not the same as knowing His moral example, and it is not the same as knowing His great work on our behalf.

– We can say that we know someone because we recognize him: because we can distinguish what is different about him compared to other people.
– We can say that we know someone because we are acquainted with what he does; we know the baker because we get our bread from him.
– We can say that we know someone because we actually converse with him; we are on speaking terms with that person.
– We can say that we know someone because we spend time in his house and with his family.
– We can say that we know someone because we have committed our life to him and live with him every day, sharing every circumstance as in a marriage.

Knowing Jesus also means knowing the power of His resurrection, the new life that is imparted to the believer now, not at death.

– The power of His resurrection is the evidence and seal that everything Jesus did and said was true.
– The power of His resurrection is the receipt and proof that the sacrifice of the cross was accepted as payment in full.
– The power of His resurrection means that those connected with Jesus Christ receive the same resurrection life.

Knowing Jesus also means knowing the fellowship of His sufferings. This is all part of following Jesus and being in Christ. Being in Christ also means being conformed to His death. Yet, Paul was not morbidly focused on suffering and death in the Christian life. His focus was on the resurrection from the dead. Paul understood that any suffering and death allotted to the Christian are a pathway to resurrection life right now and the ultimate resurrection from the dead. Paul faced true hardship, but the suffering was worth it, considering the greatness of the resurrection from the dead.

Remember that Paul wrote this having experienced more suffering than we will ever experience, and he wrote it from the custody of Roman soldiers. This wasn’t merely theological theory and ideas, but a lived-out connection with God.

Dear friend, do you pursue the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Is the plea of your life, that I may know Him?

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 3

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If Water Is Wet and Rocks Are Hard

If Water Is Wet and Rocks Are Hard

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Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy. (Philippians 2:1)

Philippians 2 contains a powerful and poetic description of the nature and work of Jesus. But Paul’s purpose for that description was to help the Christians of Philippi to get along better. So, he challenged them by introducing the basis for unity, humility, and love among believers. If the Philippian Christians had received what he mentions in this verse, then they had a responsibility to do what he was about to teach them.

If Water Is Wet and Rocks Are Hard

If there is any consolation in Christ. Do Christians receive consolation in Christ? Yes, they do. Every Christian should know what it is to have Jesus console their soul. Luke 2:25, says Jesus is the Consolation of Israel. And in 2 Corinthians 1:5, For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:16, says that God has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace. Of course, in Jesus Christ there is great consolation – but are you experiencing it?

If there is any…comfort of love. Do Christians receive any comfort of love? Yes, they do. Every Christian should know what it is to have Jesus give them the comfort of His love. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says that God is the God of all comfort. There is no circumstance beyond His reach to comfort. The word comfort in this passage has the idea of more than sympathy. It also has the idea of strengthening, helping, and making strong. The love of God in the life of the believer makes them strong and brave. Of course, in Jesus Christ there is comfort of love – but are you experiencing it?

If there is any…fellowship of the Spirit. Do Christians receive any fellowship of the Spirit? Yes, they do. Every Christian should know what it is to have the fellowship of the Spirit. “Fellowship” here is the ancient Greek word koinonia. It means the sharing of things in common. Believers share life with the Spirit of God that they never knew before. The Holy Spirit fills, guides, and moves in our lives in a powerful and precious way. Of course, in Jesus Christ there is fellowship of the Spirit – but are you experiencing it?

If there is any…affection and mercy. Do Christians receive any affection and mercy? Yes, they do. As Paul wrote in Romans 5:5: the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Every Christian knows something of the affection of God, and the mercy of God – but are you experiencing them?

Paul suggests that these should be obvious parts of the Christian’s experience. These things should be just as real in our lives as the wetness of water, the hotness of fire, and the hardness of rocks.

Are they obvious parts of your life?

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 2