Philippians 3:10
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death
This verse expresses Paul’s deepest desire and ultimate aim: to know Christ experientially and intimately, thereby partaking in His divine nature as a result (cf. 2 Peter 1:4).
He longed to know Christ in the fullness of His power and authority—not as a distant observer, but as one deeply united with Him, filled with Him, and overflowing with His divine life.
Regarding Christ’s sufferings, Paul expands upon his earlier desire “to know” Him. By introducing the concept of “fellowship”—or communion—he elevates the depth of this relationship.
Paul desired to know Christ’s nature and authority intimately. Yet in relation to Christ’s sufferings, he sought an even deeper union—one in which he would be so wholly united with Him, that he will not only behold and experience all of Christ’s sufferings till His death but also share in them himself.
Sadly, many in modern Christianity pursue goals far removed from these essential realities. If our life’s pursuit is not rooted in the same vision and passion the Holy Spirit deeply imprinted on Paul—giving him a burning passion to chase after—then all our efforts are in vain and bear no eternal significance. The Eternal Spirit remains the same today; He resides on this earth with us for this preeminent purpose: that we may intimately know and experience Christ in His fullness.
Now, even when people seek Christ’s power and authority, they often pursue them as ends in themselves rather than pursuing Christ—the One who conquered death and in whom all power eternally resides for all ages. This creates a troubling separation between the Lord and His power. In the end, seeking power apart from Christ becomes a snare to the soul—it ultimately corrupts and misleads many.
Finally, modern Christianity often focuses entirely on “God blessing us” while vehemently rejecting any form of suffering. Consequently, it is rare to hear about the need-to-know Christ in His sufferings, let alone the call to be perfectly united with Him in them and suffer for His sake.
As Amy Carmichael rightfully pointed out in her writings:
Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star,
Hast thou no scar?
…….
Yet as the Master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole. Can he have followed far
Who has no wound nor scar?
Anyone who truly follows Christ will eventually be presented with the opportunity to partake in His suffering. If we have experienced no suffering—or lack the understanding that it is an essential part of the Christian walk—we must ask: Are we really His, or have we simply stopped short of following Him fully? The point is not to glorify suffering for its own sake. Rather, our focus must be on our total union with Him, the eventual outflow of which is sharing and partaking in His suffering.
Paul discovered that the secret to knowing the depths of Christ was to walk with Him down His road of suffering. Every one of us can get to know Christ in this same profound way. Yet, there comes a point on that road where it is impossible to advance any further without facing suffering ourselves. It is no longer enough to merely witness Christ in His weakness and vulnerability; we are suddenly confronted with our own pathway to our cross!
It is here we find ourselves in the same shoes as the disciples at Gethsemane, where everyone deserted Him at His weakest point. Yet, if we allow the Spirit to transform us from within; helping us in our own weaknesses and shortcomings, as we follow Him further, we will find Christ and His sustenance in ways we have never known before.
It is fascinating to note that the one apostle who was not physically present to witness Christ’s earthly sufferings not only walked with Him down that pathway—perhaps more than any other—but arguably partook of those sufferings more than anyone before or after him. When Paul declares in Galatians 6:17, “From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus,” he was referring to the many afflictions he endured for Christ and the physical scars they left behind in his body. It would not be surprising if he retains those marks in his glorified, spiritual body as well—making him perhaps the only person permitted to share such an honor with Christ.
This demonstrates that any of us can know Christ intimately and deeply if we choose to pursue Him relentlessly and are willing to allow His Spirit to transform us, making us ready to follow Him at any cost.
Dearly beloved, the place of union in and with Christ, where we are granted one of the greatest privileges imaginable—witnessing Christ in His most vulnerable moments—is beyond precious. While this inspires us, we are soon confronted with our own inadequate responses when invited to partake of the same cup. It is at this exact moment that our choice and the Spirit’s transformative work become crucial. When we yield to that work, we travel down a blessed road, becoming so totally consumed by Christ’s presence and His all-sustaining love that any kind of suffering around us, no matter how severe, fades away in the brilliance of Him who surrounds us.
My prayer as we conclude this article is that we will make it our life’s goal to know Christ in His heights and depths!
“Only the bride who willingly shares His cup of suffering will have access to His glory in these last days, both now and in eternity!”
(TO BE CONTINUED )
