Philippians 3:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

NIV: I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

NASB: that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

CSB: My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,

NLT: I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,

KJV: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

NKJV: that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

Faith in Christ includes sharing in four aspects of Christ's life, which Paul addresses in verses 10 and 11. This verse provides the first three. First, knowing Jesus clearly involves the power of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus conquered death and provided the way to know the Lord.

Second, Paul notes the importance of sharing in "His sufferings." Many believers miss this trait, believing the Christian faith provides freedom from hardship. This is a common—false—teaching of modern motivational speakers who use biblical terminology in their speeches. Both Paul, and the rest of the early church, knew that living for Christ included sharing in both the joys and struggles of Christ. This sometimes means suffering. Paul personally endured hardship despite his faithful life spent serving Christ.

Paul also notes the concept of mimicking Christ in His death. Some see the idea of martyrdom in this verse. However, the focus is on becoming "like him" in death, not the method of death. Paul wants to die to the world of sin and temptation, so he can be fully transformed, in order to be like Christ. This is a sentiment he will mention again in verse 21.

Philippians 3:1–11 warns Christians about the influence of false teachers, particularly those who add legalism on top of the gospel. Paul describes his impressive credentials, showing that he has the right to consider himself ''justified'' according to the traditional Jewish view. And yet, knowing what he does of Christ, Paul sees all of those accomplishments as garbage. Faith alone saves, and fellowship with Christ is all that truly matters.

Paul details his impressive Jewish resume. None of his critics or challengers could boast the pedigree carried by Paul. He mentions this only to emphasize how little such things mean, next to faith in Christ. Paul's language here is sharp and to the point. He then explains how a Christian's focus ought to be purely on Christ, just as a runner concentrates on their goal in order to run effectively. Rather than looking to the past, or to ourselves, we ought to look forward, to an eternity with the Lord.

In chapters 1 and 2, Paul explained how Christians should respond to hardships. Since Christ was willing to obey God, even to the point of death, we should do the same. Complaining and worry have no place in the life of a saved believer. Chapter 3 makes a bold contrast. Paul's credentials, according to Jewish tradition, were impeccable. And yet, for him, none of those accomplishments are worth anything next to fellowship with Christ. For this reason, Christ is to be the sole focus of the believer. This sets up Paul's final greetings and instructions in chapter 4.

Philippians is Paul's discussion of living the Christian life. In this letter to the church of Philippi, Paul highlights themes such as joy and glory. He also puts great emphasis on how a Christian's thinking—their attitude—affects the way they live out their faith. Paul is very thankful for the support of the Philippian church, but is also concerned about the influence of various false teachers. This letter is less theological than most of his other writings, and more practical.