That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. (Philippians 3:10)

That I May Know Him

There are friendships that become nothing more than casual acquaintances, and there are relationships that go beyond casual to intimate, where a deep bond is established. When Paul spoke of his relationship with Jesus Christ, he did not want to share an unintended knowledge of the Son of God but to have a deep and abiding knowledge of everything that made Jesus the Savior of the world. His association with the carpenter’s son from Nazareth demanded a complete devotion to everything about Jesus. Paul had no desire to keep Jesus at a distance. His only need was to immerse himself in the character of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The desire of Paul was to know why Jesus came to earth to die for those who would kill Him. Paul wanted to understand the power of raising a dead man from the grave and the significance of the resurrection of Jesus. In the past few years, Paul had suffered for the name of Jesus Christ, leading to his arrest and imprisonment. He was in Rome because of his love for Jesus. His desire was to know the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, even if it meant death. Paul was uncertain if he would live or, like Jesus, suffer a cruel death. It was not Paul’s purpose to bring suffering into his life, but he accepted whatever came from preaching Christ crucified and the power of the resurrection.

Paul wanted to know Christ. He wanted to plunge himself into the character and personality of Jesus Christ with every part of his being. This desire came from a debt Paul knew he could never repay. He would later tell Timothy that he considered his life as one of the worst sinners for what he did against the church when he was known as Saul of Tarsus. There was a heavy burden of grace Paul bore to understand how much God forgave him for what he had done. As a result of this grace, the apostle of Jesus Christ wanted to know his Lord and Savior with all of his fiber. He knew he had been saved by the grace of God. How could he repay such a debt?

The greatest need in the kingdom of God is for the people of God to fall in love with the knowledge of grace and forgiveness. There is nothing that can be done to repay the debt. Sin has destroyed the harmony of God and man. Jesus Christ came to save all men, shedding His blood for the sins of the world; and the world turned its back on the Son of God. For the few who come to the grace of God, an incredible weight of guilt flows through the spirit of those who seek to understand how much Jesus loves them and is willing to save them. Paul just wanted to know Jesus Christ, His resurrection, and His sufferings. His only desire was to be as much like Jesus as possible.

There are many Christians who have a casual relationship with Jesus. They know little about Him, have little desire to know Him, and spend their lives consumed with the trivial matters of a wasted life. The blessed are those who change their lives to know all they can about Jesus of Nazareth. Who is He? What made Him come to earth to save sinful man? Why would Jesus suffer death on the cross to save a world that hated Him? These questions drive the spirit to seek out the answers of who Jesus is and what makes Him to be the Savior of the world. It is not possible to have a casual relationship with Jesus and to know Him fully. To know Jesus, one must immerse oneself in everything that made the Son of God who He is. The result of such a desire will enhance the soul to greater heights of spirituality and faith. Paul desired to know Jesus. Do you know Jesus – truly?