Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Philippians 3:10

"that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death;" — Philippians 3:10 (ASV)

The phrase “to know Christ” resumes the thought of v.8 and explains in more detail what is involved in “knowing Christ Jesus.” Paul wants to know experientially the power of Christ’s resurrection. He is not thinking only of the divine power that raised Christ from the dead, but of the power of the resurrected Christ now operating in the believer’s life. This power enables us to “live a new life” (Romans 6:4) because we have been “raised with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5–6; Colossians 3:1).

Closely associated in the apostle’s thought is “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” No reference to Christ’s expiatory sufferings is meant, for those were Christ’s alone. But each believer, by identifying himself or herself with Christ, incurs a measure of Christ’s afflictions (Colossians 1:24). These may be of varying kinds and degrees, both inward and external, as believers find themselves in a world that is hostile because of their allegiance to Christ. Paul has already expressed this thought in 1:29, where he regards suffering in some sense as an inevitable consequence of believing in Christ (cf. Matthew 16:24).

“Becoming like him in his death” further elaborates the previous phrase. For believers to share Christ’s sufferings involves such a complete identification with him that it can only be explained as a death to the former life (cf. Romans 6:4– 11). One’s union with Christ must be experientially demonstrated in a life of sanctification, which is intended to bring the believer’s present state into everincreasing conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Therefore, those who died with him and rose with him (Colossians 2:20; Colossians 3:1–3) must exhibit this truth by separating from their old life and continually walking in the power supplied by Christ’s resurrection life.