Philippians - Verse-by-Verse Biblical Exegesis

sufferings, the tribulations through which every Christian must pass, so he desires to understand and
experience the life-giving power of God, that power which He manifested in raising Christ from the
dead, and which He now displays in the new life the Christian receives from the risen Christ and
shares with him ... Since an ongoing participation in Christ here and now is in view, one should not
drive a wedge between Paul’s ambition of knowing Christ perfectly and a present, increasing
personal knowledge of Him, any more than one can separate his desire to be perfectly united to
Christ from his continuously living in Him … Understanding and experience brings out the nuances
of Paul’s statement ... It is an ongoing process that will be completed only on the final day ...
“Dunamis” denotes the full comprehensive power in its various phases. (P. O’Brien)
The "fellowship of Christ's sufferings" is won at the price of radical and total obedience. If you obey
His mandates to be filled with the Spirit and to take in His Word everyday, suffering will come your
way ... But think of the blessings that are promised to an individual as the result of a personal and
prayerful study of God's Word. (J.M. Boice) Let us pass by that crowd of outer-court worshippers
who are content to live without truly knowing Christ. Seek then, this knowledge. It is worth having.
Paul gave up everything for it. (J.S. Exell) In this passage we have the deepest secrets of Paul's
Christian experience unveiled (Kennedy), as well as death to the former way of life for Paul (H.
Kent). Paul's language is comprehensive enough to include several options: To become like Christ in
His death was for Paul partly self-identification with Christ crucified, partly a matter of daily
experience, and partly an anticipation of bodily death as a martyr. (F.F. Bruce) In Philippians 3:10
Paul emphasizes suffering, but he begins by stating the importance of postsalvation epistemological
rehabilitation related to spiritual self-esteem. Although Paul is in spiritual maturity as he writes, he is
giving us the benefit of his experience in spiritual self-esteem. Suffering for blessing comes in three
stages: providential preventative suffering, momentum testing, and evidence testing. (R.B. Thieme,
Jr.)
Believers grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ through a diligent study of the Scriptures
that testify to Christ. As they see Him and begin to know Him through the written Word, that truth
will transform their personalities into conformity to Christ ... The same power that raised Jesus
Christ out of physical death also raised believing sinners out of spiritual death. This power presently
operates within believers to give them daily victory over sin. (R. Gromacki) To know Christ is to
have experience of a life-giving power, but this power is shown only in the midst of difficulties,
sufferings and death. Furthermore, the fellowship uniting Christians with Christ and with one
another is forged only within such difficulties and sufferings. (J. Collange) Nothing is truly known
until it becomes part of daily conduct. (J. Stott) Paul wanted to experience the holy resurrection
power of Christ as he went about his life of service for Him. (J. Boice) The fellowship of His
sufferings are the exercises which the Lord would have His people employ themselves; while the
false apostles pressed forward upon them the useless elements of ceremonies. (J. Calvin)
Paul goes on again to speak of knowing Christ – the apotheosis of faith; not mere intellectual
recognition, but communion, appropriation; not historical insight nor theoretical information, mere
acquaintance with facts and dates, but the highest reach of Christian experience, a living intimacy
with the living Christ. (J. Robertson) Fellowship with Christ is a process. Knowing Him