Search
Philippians 3:9 says, “Be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith.” Then verse 10 gives the result: “To know Him and the power of His resurrection.” Verse 10 continues, “And the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” This means that we not only suffer with Him, but we also fellowship with Him in His sufferings. The word know in verse 10 involves three items: knowing Christ, knowing the power of His resurrection, and knowing the fellowship of His sufferings. The verb know has three objects: Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.
Participation in the fellowship of His sufferings results in being conformed to His death. “To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (v. 10).
Verse 11 says, “If perhaps I may attain to the out-resurrection from the dead.” The American Standard Version renders this verse as: “If by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead.” The result of being conformed to Christ’s death is attaining unto the resurrection from the dead. This matter is difficult to understand. According to 1 Thessalonians 4, all the saved ones, those who belong to the Lord, who are dead in Christ will be resurrected at the Lord’s coming back. There is no doubt in regard to this. However, even a person like Paul, who not only was saved but who also overcame, did not dare to say he would definitely attain to the resurrection from the dead; rather, he says, “If...I may.” It seems as if there is a contradiction and inconsistency between the word spoken in Philippians 3 and the word in 1 Thessalonians 4.
First Thessalonians 4:16 says that all those who believe in the Lord and who are saved will be resurrected at the Lord’s return. The apostle used these words to comfort Christians whose family members had passed away. If we have family members who have passed away, we should not grieve like unbelievers. When an unbeliever dies, there is no hope, but when a believer dies, we have hope because we will be resurrected when the Lord returns. This word is very clear, and there is no doubt about it.
If this is the case, why did Paul say, “If perhaps I may,” when speaking about himself in Philippians 3? It seems as if he was not sure. According to Darby’s New Translation, resurrection here refers to an extraordinary resurrection, not an ordinary one. The Greek word indicates an extra-resurrection. I spent much time to study this verse, and finally I saw that even though all the saints will be resurrected in the future, there is an extra-resurrection, an outstanding resurrection in that resurrection. For example, all the students in a class will graduate, but among these students there may be three students who are outstanding. We may say that the top three students have an “extra-graduation.” All the students who passed their exams will graduate, but only the top three will be recognized as outstanding with awards, prizes, and honors.
Philippians 3:12 says, “Not that I have already obtained or am already perfected, but I pursue, if even I may lay hold of that for which I also have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” In 1 Thessalonians 4 the apostle says that there is a resurrection for every saved person, but in Philippians 3 he says that he might not obtain the out-resurrection. He continues, “Brothers, I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward” (vv. 13-14). These verses clearly show that the “out-resurrection” that Paul spoke of refers to a prize.
We need to emphasize that in order for someone to be conformed to the mold of the Lord’s death, he must know Christ’s resurrection. No one can be conformed to the mold of the Lord’s death without having sufficient knowledge of the Lord’s resurrection. The meaning of being conformed to His death is that one has put to death all that he is, including his mind, emotion, will, preference, and opinion, thus allowing God to have a way in him. This is the mold of the Lord’s death. Being conformed to the Lord’s death means that in our daily living, we pass through death. Those who are conformed to the Lord’s death are those who know resurrection, and those who know resurrection are those who know Christ.
In verse 10 three things are linked together: Knowing Christ, knowing resurrection, and knowing the fellowship of His sufferings, which is being conformed to His death. The first thing for us to know is Christ, then resurrection, and finally the fellowship of His sufferings. Knowing the fellowship of His sufferings is to be conformed to His death. The more we participate in and have fellowship with Him in His sufferings, the more we are conformed to His death.
Because the book of Philippians does not speak much on knowing Christ, we need the book of Colossians. Colossians 2:9 says, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” All that belongs to God is in Christ: Love is in Christ, holiness is in Christ, light is in Christ, and power is also in Christ. Love, holiness, light, and power are elements of the divine nature. Hence, God is love, God is holiness, God is light, and God is power. All these are elements of God’s nature, and all these are in Christ.
If we desire to enjoy all the fullness of the Godhead, we need to know Christ. In order to know Christ, we need to know that all the fullness of the Godhead is in Christ: love is in Christ, holiness is in Christ, light is in Christ, and power is in Christ. All the elements of the Godhead are in Christ for us to enjoy. In order for Christ to give us all the fullness of the Godhead, which dwells in Him as our enjoyment, He must be our life. Christ being our life is a matter of resurrection, and His coming to be our life means that He desires to be lived out from us.
We all know that the Lord Jesus died and resurrected and that He is in us. Christ died and resurrected, but is He dead or alive in us? The parable of sowing in Matthew 13 compares our heart to the field and the life of the Lord to the seed. I would like to ask, after the seed is sown into the earth, is it dead or resurrected? Being sown into the ground is to die, and growing out of the ground is to be resurrected. When a seed is sown, it is in death; when it grows, it is in resurrection.
Similarly, when Christ is sown into us, He is sown in death and He comes out in resurrection. The Lord enters into people like us in order to die. However, His death is for His living and growth. This growth is the story of the Lord’s life and the experience of the Lord’s life in resurrection. On the one hand, the Lord’s coming into us can be compared to a seed falling and being buried in the ground, surrounded by the soil; on the other hand, there is life in the seed, and this life is the resurrection life with the resurrection power. The life that is confined in the soil has an ability to emerge from the soil, to grow out of the soil. I believe that many of us have seen seeds sprouting and growing out of the soil. The soil is broken apart by the sprouts coming out through the power of life within the seed; the soil splits, and the sprout grows.
If the soil could speak, it would say, “The seed in me has life; it has the power of resurrection, and it continually presses me apart so that it can grow and release its life.” There is a constant function within the seed, which is the power of resurrection; as a result, when the seed grows, its power splits the soil apart. This is the fellowship of the Lord’s death, being conformed to the mold of His death.
Christ passed through death and resurrection and lives in us. There is a power of life within Him, which is the power of resurrection. Once He enters into us, the power of resurrection constantly pushes us and demands that we give Him a way to grow. The way to grow is through the fellowship of His sufferings. His sufferings are His putting of Himself to death. John 12:24 says, “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” His falling into the ground and dying is His suffering. Having fellowship with Him in His sufferings means that we also fall into the ground and die.
The resurrection power within us demands that we put ourselves to death; it also pushes us and puts us to death. The resurrection life in us can be compared to a seed in the soil that desires to grow. In order for a seed to grow, there is a need for the breaking open of the soil, and in order for Christ to grow, there is a need for us to be broken open. However, the soil cannot break itself open; rather, it is the power of the resurrection life in the sprout that pushes on the soil and breaks it open. We also are not able to break ourselves; instead, the resurrection life of Christ will break us.
This is not an illustration but a fact that describes how the life of Christ’s resurrection power is always demanding that we put ourselves to death, demanding that we put to death our mind, emotion, will, view, capability, ability, and self. Even with such a demand on us, we cannot meet the demand. Thank the Lord, however, that He is also the power of resurrection in us that pushes us and puts us to death. On one hand, the resurrection life in us demands that we die, and on the other, it also pushes us to die.
We can be working for the Lord like Saul of Tarsus, using our eloquence, talent, zealousness, and capabilities. If we use our talents and abilities, we will realize, especially when we are quiet before the Lord, that there is an inward demand that we put these talents and abilities aside and not rely on them. This is the resurrection life in us demanding that we put to death our ability and eloquence; this is the resurrection life demanding that we die.
The resurrection life is the power of resurrection. This power, or we can say this life, inwardly demands that we put ourselves and everything in our soul to death. Sometimes, we have no strength to answer Christ’s demand. Yet His resurrection life not only demands, it also pushes. In Christ there is a power that can push us into death. This is similar to a seed growing out of the ground by being pushed out by the power of life.
We have all had this kind of experience. The resurrection life of Christ within us demands that we die, and the power of resurrection within us pushes us into death. Once it pushes us, we have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings; that is, we suffer with Him, and at the same time, we are conformed to His death. As a result, others see that we are constantly denying our self and constantly putting our mind, emotion, and will to death; hence, God has a way to come out of us.
When we have this kind of experience, the living that we have will be an overcoming living, which is also a living for God in Christ to be enjoyed by us. This will cause us to be filled with all the fullness of the Godhead and enable us to mature in the life of God early and be the firstfruits in Revelation 14:4. The firstfruits will be reaped before the harvest. This is the out-resurrection. There is an out-resurrection because the firstfruits ripen early and fully. They can ripen early and fully because they put themselves to death day by day and allow God to pass through them, allow the riches of God to be their enjoyment, and allow the element of God to be added into them day by day.
This out-resurrection is a prize for the group of people who are conformed to the Lord’s death. This is what the apostle Paul pursued. This is different from the reward commonly spoken of by Christians, which is too shallow. The prize that some will receive in the future is related to their early maturity in life. Early maturity in life is based on our experience of the resurrection life, which enables the element of God to be added into us again and again. We can experience this through our fellowship with Him in His sufferings and by being conformed to His death. Paul pursued this in order to lay hold of that for which he also had been laid hold of by Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:12).
If Paul did not pursue that for which he had been laid hold of by the Lord, he would not have been able to lay hold of it. For him to pursue meant that he pursued to pass through death so that all that is in God could become his enjoyment. Paul pursued so that he could lay hold of that for which he had been laid hold of by the Lord. This pursuit required him to be a person who ripened early, who became one of the firstfruits, and who attained to the out-resurrection.
In verse 15 Paul says, “Let us therefore, as many as are full-grown, have this mind,” and in verse 16 he continues, “Nevertheless whereunto we have attained, by the same rule let us walk.” This means that we should walk by and according to the same principle whereunto we attained. This is to put ourselves to death and to be conformed to the mold of Christ’s death so that His life can have a way to come out of us. We need to walk by this rule in whatever state we have attained in our spiritual life today.
Verse 15 says that whoever is full-grown among us must have this mind, that is, must pursue this matter. Then verse 16 says we should all walk according to this rule in whatever state we have attained, whether we are newly saved, childish, experienced, or advanced. This means that we must walk by this rule whether we are sanctified or not, whether we are experienced or not, whether we are childish or weak. The rule is to be conformed to the mold of Christ’s death and to allow His power of resurrection to open a way for God to pass through us. We should all take this as a rule, walk according to this rule, and have the intention to keep this rule.
Putting ourselves to death and being conformed to Christ’s death is a basic requirement of God on us because He desires to have a way to come out of us. Once this way is opened and everything of God has become our enjoyment, we will be able to progress rapidly in His life and mature early. Then in that day we will attain to the out-resurrection as our prize. We should all pursue the out-resurrection, that is, pursue that for which we have been laid hold of by the Lord. We should take this as a rule and walk according to this rule.
