That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)
The Apostle Paul’s desire was to live by the power of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection! His aim was to live in this world as one who had abandoned the natural life for that which comes through knowing Jesus Christ. The phrase, “that I might know Him” does not imply that the Apostle does not know the Lord Jesus, but that he has a desire to enter into a higher relationship with Him than he had previously known. The Holy Spirit has shown him that there is more available for him and us in Christ than what we have attained. His desire is not only for a visible or exterior demonstration of power but a spiritual intimacy that powerfully expresses itself outwardly. We all are invited into a more intimate relationship with our Lord. It is not only available but also offered to each one of us.
What does it take to find greater intimacy with the Lord? The Apostle gives us the answer: it is the experiential knowledge of Jesus’ resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and His death. We enter this coveted intimacy with the Lord through suffering the death of our self-life. Suffering death means giving up all rights and privileges that we call our own and submitting to the will of the Lord.
In Philippians 4:13, Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In this passage, we see tangible evidence that he has tapped into the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus that he so vigorously sought. Also, in Romans 8:35-39, he says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? […] Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Resurrection conquers all enemies, even death itself!