That I may know him
The Ethiopic version reads "by faith"; and to the same sense the
Syriac. The apostle did know Christ, and that years ago; he knew
whom he had believed; he knew him for himself; he knew his
personal interest in him; nor did he know any but him in the
business of salvation: but his knowledge of Christ, though it was
very great, it was, imperfect; he knew but in part, and therefore
desired to know more of Christ, of the mystery and glories of his
person, of the unsearchable riches of his grace, of his great
salvation, and the benefits of it, of his love, which passes
perfect knowledge, and to have a renewed and enlarged experience
of communion with him. The apostle here explains what he means by
winning Christ, for the sake of which he suffered the loss of all
things, and counted them but dung; it was, that he might attain
to a greater knowledge of the person and grace of Christ:
and the power of his resurrection;
not that power which was put forth by his Father, and by himself,
in raising him from the dead; but the virtue which arises from
it, and the influence it has on many things; as on the
resurrection of the saints: it is the procuring cause of it, they
shall rise by virtue of union to a risen Jesus; it is the
firstfruits, which is the earnest and pledge of their
resurrection, as sure as Christ is risen, so sure shall they
rise; it is the exemplar and pattern of theirs, their bodies will
be raised and fashioned like to the glorious body of Christ; and
this the apostle desired to know, experience, and attain unto.
Christ's resurrection has an influence also on the justification
of his people; when Christ died he had the sins of them all upon
him, and he died for them, and discharged as their public head
and representative, and they in him: hence it is said of him,
that "he was raised again for our justification", ( Romans 4:25 ) . Now,
though the apostle was acquainted with this virtue and influence
of Christ's resurrection, he desired to know more of it, for the
encouragement of his faith to live upon Christ, as the Lord his
righteousness. Moreover, the regeneration of men is owing to the
resurrection of Christ; as to the abundant mercy of God, as the
moving cause, so to the resurrection of Christ, as the means or
virtual cause; and therefore are said to be "begotten again by
the resurrection of Christ from the dead", ( 1 Peter 1:3 ) . This
power and virtue the apostle had had an experience of, yet he
wanted to feel more of it, in exciting the graces of the spirit
to a lively exercise, in raising his affections, and setting them
on things above, and in engaging him to seek after them, and set
light by things on earth, and in causing him to walk in newness
of life, in likeness or imitation of Christ's resurrection, to
all which that strongly animates and encourages; see ( Colossians
3:1 Colossians
3:2 ) ( Romans 6:4 Romans 6:5 ) .
And the fellowship of his sufferings;
either his personal sufferings, and so signifies a sharing in,
and a participation of the benefits arising from them; such as
reconciliation for sin, peace with God, pardon, righteousness,
nearness to God or the sufferings of his members for him, and
with him, and which Christ reckons his own: these the apostle was
willing to take his part in, and lot of, knowing, that those that
are partakers of his sufferings in this sense, shall reign with
him, and be glorified together. What the Jews deprecated, the
apostle was desirous of; namely, sharing in the sorrows and
sufferings of the Messiah, and which they reckon the greatest
happiness to be delivered from.
``The disciples of R. Eleazar F25 asked him, what a man should do that he may be delivered (xyvm lv wlbxm) , "from the sorrows of the Messiah?" he must study in the law, and in beneficence.''And elsewhere they say F26,
``he that keeps the three meals on the sabbath day shall be delivered from three punishments, (xyvm lv wlbxm) , "from the sorrows of the Messiah", and from the damnation of hell, and from the war of Gog and Magog.''But our apostle rejoiced in his sufferings for Christ, and was desirous of filling up the afflictions of Christ in his flesh, for his body's sake, the church:
being made conformable unto his death;
either in a spiritual sense dying daily unto sin, ( 1
Corinthians 15:31 ) , having the affections, with the lusts,
crucified, ( Galatians
5:24 ) , and the deeds of the body mortified, ( Romans 8:13 ) , and so
planted in the likeness of his death, ( Romans 6:5 ) ; or rather
in a corporeal sense, bearing always in the body the dying of the
Lord Jesus, ( 2
Corinthians 4:10 ) , and being continually exposed to death
for his sake, and ready to suffer it whenever called to it.