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In this message we shall cover more aspects of the believers’ experiencing and enjoying Christ as the One living in them.
Christ lives in the believers for them to have Him formed in them. In Galatians 4:19 Paul says, “My children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you.” To have Christ formed in us requires transformation. According to the book of Galatians, Christ has been revealed in us (1:16), He is now living in us (2:20), and He will be formed in us. To have Christ formed in us is to have Christ grown in us in full. First, Christ was born into us at our regeneration, now He lives in us in our Christian life, and He will be formed in us at our maturity.
Paul’s word about Christ being formed in the believers implies that we are being constituted of Christ. Christ is living in us, He is being formed in us, and He is becoming our constitution. To have Christ formed in us is a living, organic matter. Christ is now living in us so that we may be constituted of Him organically. He intends to constitute our whole being — our mind, emotion, and will — of Himself. Eventually, our whole being will be constituted of the element of Christ. This means that He will constitute every part of our soul so that we may have His form, His image, in every part of our being.
For Christ to be formed in us means that His element is being constituted into us. In other words, His constitution is becoming our constitution. This is not merely a matter of the element of Christ being within us but of having the element of Christ constituted into us. To be constituted of Christ in this way involves a process of organic transformation and formation.
The word “formed” in Galatians 4:19 corresponds to the word “image” in 2 Corinthians 3:18, where Paul tells us that we are being transformed into Christ’s image. This image is a form. Christ must be formed in us so that we may express Him by being in His image. As the living One, He with His element is working within us organically, constituting Himself into our being so that we may have His form and express His image.
Christ lives in the believers for them to magnify Him. Paul said, “Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death” (Phil. 1:20). In Paul’s bodily sufferings Christ was magnified, that is, shown or declared great (shown to be without limitation), exalted, and extolled. Therefore, to magnify Christ is to express Christ without limitation. It is to show to the whole universe that the Christ who lives in us and whom we live is unlimited. Paul, even when mistreated in prison, could display the unlimited greatness of Christ. Paul was happy in the Lord, and in his happiness he showed forth the immeasurable Christ he experienced and enjoyed. In this way Paul expressed, exhibited, exalted, and extolled Christ. He was a living witness of Christ, testifying of His ability, power, patience, love, and wisdom, all without measure. While Paul was in prison, he expressed the greatness of Christ in an enlarged way.
The word “magnify” means to make something large to our sight. We may wonder how Christ can be magnified since He is already universally great. According to Ephesians 3:18, the dimensions of Christ — the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth — are immeasurable, for they are the dimensions of the universe. Although Christ is vast, extensive, and immeasurable, in the eyes of unbelievers He may be virtually nonexistent. Therefore, in our daily living we should magnify Christ, making Him great in the eyes of others. We need to let others see Christ in the way of enlargement, in the way of magnification. According to the human concept, Christ is limited. But when others see us living Christ, they will realize that He is not limited.
As believers, we should be a magnifying glass in relation to Christ so that others may see Christ magnified through us. As Christ lives in us and is formed in us, we shall live Him. Then Christ will be magnified in us.
Christ lives in the believers also that they may boast in Him. In Philippians 3:3 Paul says, “We are the circumcision, who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” Those who are the circumcision here are the New Testament believers, the ones genuinely circumcised by Christ’s crucifixion. They are absolutely different from the Judaizers. They serve as priests by the Spirit of God, not by the ordinances of law; they boast in Christ, not in the law; and they have no confidence in the flesh but have their confidence in the Spirit. The Judaizers did evil things and even boasted in them, whereas the true believers boast in Christ. They glory and rejoice in Him. The word “boast” implies not only boasting but also rejoicing and glorying. Our boasting, glorying, and rejoicing are not in our outward deeds, not in our behavior or conduct, but in Christ alone. The Judaizers had confidence in the flesh, whereas the true believers in Christ have no confidence in the flesh. As a result of our experience and enjoyment of Christ’s living in us, we boast in Him.
Christ lives in the believers for them to “be found in Him” (Phil. 3:9a). Paul’s earnest desire was to be found in Christ. In the past Paul was fully in the Jewish religion under the law and was found by others in the law. But at his regeneration he was transferred from the law and his former religion into Christ, and he became “a man in Christ” (2 Cor. 12:2). Now he desired to be found in Christ by all who observed him — the Jews, the angels, and the demons. This indicates that he aspired to have his whole being immersed in Christ and saturated with Christ so that all who observed him could discover him in Christ. We also should aspire to be found by others in Christ. To be found in Christ actually means to be observed, seen, or discovered in Christ by others.
Before Paul was transferred into Christ, He lived in the law and under the law. He was a person altogether encased by the law, enveloped by it and fully boxed in by it. But one day he was transferred out from under the law into Christ. Henceforth, whenever others observed him, they could tell that he had become a person in Christ. Paul was not in culture, philosophy, or religion. He was a person who lived in Christ, and his aspiration and expectation were that he would be found in Christ by others.
It is one thing to have a doctrinal understanding of being found in Christ; it is quite another thing to be found in Christ in our daily living. Where we are when others observe us indicates the realm in which we live. If we live in our culture or in our good behavior, we shall be found in culture or in our behavior by others. In whatever realm we live, that is where we shall be seen, observed, and discovered by others.
To be found in Christ means that He is our unique expression. Because Paul could be found in Christ, Christ was his expression. In every aspect and from every angle, only Christ could be seen upon him. Paul’s aspiration was that Christ would be his only expression. He did not want to be found in his natural virtues or in culture or religion. Likewise, we should aspire to be found not in our natural virtues but in Christ.
If we would be found in Christ, we need to be watchful moment by moment, continually on the alert to live in Christ. If we are not alert, we shall immediately be distracted from Christ and live in something other than Christ. Our living may be very good, but in our experience we are not in Christ. We should live in Christ and become those who are in Christ in a practical way in our experience. Then when others see us or observe us, they will find us in Christ. We shall not be found in our own virtues — we shall be found in Christ and in Him alone. The more we live Christ, the more we shall be found in Him.
Christ lives in us for us to gain Him by counting all things loss and refuse. In Philippians 3:7 and 8 Paul says, “What things were gains to me, these I have counted loss on account of Christ. But surely I count also all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them refuse that I may gain Christ.” The Greek word for “gain” in verse 8 means to secure, to obtain, to lay hold of. According to the Greek, the noun form of the word gain is in verse 7 and the verbal form is in verse 8. Therefore, Darby translates verse 8 this way: “That I may have Christ for my gain.” To gain Christ is to gain His very person. Christ is the embodiment of the fullness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9) and the reality of the shadows of all positive things (Col. 2:16-17). To gain Him is to experience, enjoy, and take possession of His unsearchable riches (Eph. 3:8).
In order to gain Christ, we need to count as loss the things that were once a gain to us. We need to count every gain as loss for Christ. There is no comparison between any gain and Christ. If we make such a comparison, we shall count everything loss. The reason we regarded certain things as gain in the past was that we did not know Christ. But once our eyes were opened to see Christ, we began to realize how foolish it was to keep those other things.
Because Paul had this vision, he could say, “What things were gains to me, these I have counted loss on account of Christ.” These are the things mentioned in verses 5 and 6. The things that were gains to him Paul counted loss on account of Christ. All the different gains were counted as one loss by Paul because they all issued in one thing, that is, in the loss of Christ. All the things which were once gains to Paul hindered him and held him back from participating in Christ and enjoying Him. Hence, on account of Christ, all the gains were a loss to him. Paul counted as loss on account of Christ not only the things of his former religion but all other things as well.
We may think that the things in 3:8 refer to worldly, material things. In a sense, this understanding is partly right. However, to interpret Paul’s word in this way is not very practical. According to verses 5 and 6, Paul’s concept is not mainly related to material things. It is true, of course, that worldly, material things occupy people and keep them from experiencing Christ. However, Paul realized that the things which really frustrate people from experiencing Christ are mainly the things of religion, philosophy, and culture. If we get into Paul’s spirit and thought in Philippians 3, we shall realize that as he was writing he was thinking of religion, philosophy, and culture when he spoke of “all things.” The “all things” in verse 8 must certainly include the three categories of religious, philosophical, and cultural things. If we would drop our religion, philosophy, and culture, we would truly abandon everything. By dropping these three categories of things, we would automatically drop the worldly, material things, which are actually dominated by religion, philosophy, and culture. Although it is easy to overcome the influence of material things, it is very difficult to overcome religion, philosophy, and culture. We cannot experience Christ if we count as loss only the worldly, material things. In order to gain Christ, we need to count all things as loss, including the things of religion, philosophy, and culture.
Like Paul, we should not only count all things loss on account of Christ but also count all things refuse. The Greek word for “refuse” in 3:8 refers to dregs, rubbish, filth, what is thrown to the dogs; hence, dog food, dung. There is no comparison between such things and Christ. The more we count all things loss and refuse on account of Christ, the more we shall gain Christ for our experience and enjoyment.
Philippians 3:10a indicates that Christ lives in us for us “to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” The word “know” here is equal to “experience.” To know Christ means to experience Him, to enjoy Him, to participate in Him, and to partake of Him. To know Christ is thus to apprehend Him by experiencing Him. We know Christ in order to gain Him. To have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ (v. 8) is by revelation, but to know Christ is by experience — to have the experiential knowledge of Him, to experience Him in the full knowledge of Him. First we receive the revelation of Christ, and then we seek the experience of Christ — to know and enjoy Him in an experiential way.
To know Christ is a result of being found in Him. All the words between “be found in Him” in Philippians 3:9 and “to know Him” in verse 10 describe in what condition Paul aspired to be found in Christ. He was willing to suffer the loss of all things and count them to be refuse that he might gain Christ and be found in Him to know Him. According to Paul’s concept, if we would know Christ, we must first be found in Him. Moreover, to be found in Him requires that we count all things loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ and then suffer the loss of all things and count them to be refuse. Only when we have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, a vision of the supreme preciousness and surpassing worth of Christ, shall we be willing to let go of everything else and count those things as refuse. Then we shall gain Christ and be found in Him. We shall be those who live in Christ and who are found by others in Christ. Being found in Him, we shall surely know Him.
We seek to know not only Christ but also 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 are details related to knowing Christ. Actually to know Christ is to know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
Christ today is in resurrection. He is no longer natural and no longer in the flesh — He is in resurrection, and the reality of resurrection is the Spirit. Christ is now in resurrection as the pneumatic Christ, as the life-giving Spirit. Since He is the pneumatic Christ in resurrection, it is in resurrection that we meet Him and experience Him.
Christ and His resurrection are one. Christ Himself is the power of His resurrection, and the Spirit as the reality of the power of Christ’s resurrection is Christ in resurrection. We need to experience this power that we may gain Christ. Because Christ is now in resurrection, we cannot know Him experientially unless we know the power of His resurrection.
Christ’s resurrection power is not an outward physical power; it is an inward, intrinsic power. As such, it is a life power. Christ has manifested in His resurrection the intrinsic power of the divine life. This is the power of His resurrection. By experiencing the power of Christ’s resurrection we obtain Christ in reality. The more we experience the power of Christ’s resurrection, the more we obtain Him.
The process of obtaining Christ, as revealed in Philippians 3:10, 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. The participation in Christ’s sufferings — “the fellowship of His sufferings” — (Phil. 3:10; Matt. 20:22-23; Col. 1:24) is a necessary condition for the experience of the power of His resurrection (2 Tim. 2:11) by being conformed to His death. Paul was pursuing to know and experience not only the excellency of Christ Himself but also the life power of His resurrection and the participation in His sufferings. With Christ the sufferings and death came first, followed by the resurrection. With us the power of His resurrection comes first, then the fellowship of His sufferings and conformity to His death. We first received the power of His resurrection. Then by this power we are enabled to participate in His sufferings and live a crucified life in conformity to His death. Such sufferings are mainly for producing and building up the Body of Christ.
In a very real sense, Christ’s sufferings have not yet 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.” As the Head, Christ’s sufferings for the accomplishment of redemption are complete, but the sufferings of Christ for the producing and building up of 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 still 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.
There is 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 in 3:10 are those which make up the lack of Christ’s afflictions for the Body. It is when we suffer for the Body that we experience the power of Christ’s resurrection.
In order to experience Christ, we must be in the power of His resurrection. We cannot be in our natural life. The more we know the power of Christ’s resurrection, the more we shall participate in the sufferings of Christ and thereby have the fellowship of His sufferings. To know Christ in these aspects is truly to experience Him and enjoy Him.
It is crucial for us to realize that Christ is in resurrection. When we experience Christ in His resurrection, we are infused with all the elements of resurrection, and this infusion enables us to partake of His sufferings for the Body. In other words, we must have the dispensing of Christ’s resurrection so that we may experience His cross, His death. It is by knowing Christ’s resurrection that we experience His death. The following stanza from a hymn written by A. B. Simpson indicates this:
’Tis not hard to die with Christ
When His risen life we know;
’Tis not hard to share His suff’rings
When our hearts with joy o’erflow.
In His resurrection power
He has come to dwell in me,
And my heart is gladly going
All the way to Calvary.
Hymns, 481
Whereas Christ first passed through death and entered into resurrection, we first enjoy His resurrection and then we experience His death. The more we know His resurrection, the more we shall be put into His death to share in the fellowship of His sufferings.
In 1 Corinthians 1:9 Paul speaks of being called by God into the fellowship of His Son. All believers desire to enter into the fellowship of the Son of God. However, in Philippians 3:10 Paul speaks of the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, something in which we are not naturally inclined to share. But the more we experience Christ’s sufferings, the more we shall gain Christ. In other words, the more we experience the cross, the more we experience Christ. God gives us the cross, and the cross gives us Christ. We all need to have more experience of these things.
