The Results of Knowing Christ

We have probably all been involved in a conversation where somebody asks us “do you know so and so?” Usually that word know is in reference to a knowledge of someone, in the sense that you either know them personally or you have heard of them before. Typically it is not a very intimate knowledge that is implied by asking that question. However, if someone was to ask you if you know Christ, that is a different ballgame altogether.

In our text for today which is found in Phil. 3:1-11 Paul puts an emphasis on knowing Christ. The text reads:

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Phil. 3:1-11)

As we examine this particular passage I want us to realize some results of knowing Christ. This is not an awareness of who he is but rather it is an intimate, personal relationship with our Lord and Savior that Paul is discussing. Let us notice some of the results from knowing Christ.

First, knowing Christ results in draining our pride.

I’ve used this illustration before, but it’s worth mentioning again. Muhammed Ali was known for his pride as he used to go around saying “I am the greatest.” One day while on a plane flight a stewardess told him to buckle up. He said “superman don’t need no seatbelt.” She replied by saying “superman don’t need no airplane either, now buckle up” to which Ali did just that.

Prideful people put confidence in themselves. Paul uses the example of the Judaizers in this text, the Jewish Christians who were teaching falsely that at least certain aspects of Judaism must be held onto as a Christian. In Acts 15 when the council met it was over the issue of Judaizers teaching that the Gentile Christians must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to be saved. Reading through that text, we learn that the apostles and the rest of the brethren made sure that didn’t happen. In our text, Paul was warning the church at Philippi against these false teachers, even referring to them as dogs and evildoers (2). He makes a contrast by saying that the church, spiritual Israel is the “real circumcision” (3). Whereas these Judaizers were putting their confidence in the flesh governed by their circumcision {i.e. “mutilate the flesh” (2)}, the real circumcision was worshiping “by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus…” (3).

If anyone could put confidence in the flesh it was Paul. He basically had the perfect pharisaical pedigree. Have you ever known someone who had a pedigree that people knew? Think about people in United States history who have had a long pedigree: the Vanderbilts, the Kennedys, etc. Their name meant something when it came to power, prestige and politics. If the Judaizers wanted to put confidence in the flesh, Paul could really show them how he had a superior Jewish pedigree.

However, what Paul wants to emphasize in this text is that he put all of this aside for the sake of Christ. He was willing to drain his pride to be on Christ’s side. You’ve heard the statement leave your pride at the door. Christianity and hubris do not go together. Hubris is a word that means excessive pride. Christians cannot be a proud people and emulate Christ. We have already learned about his humility in chapter two of this letter. If we don’t fix our pride the Lord can do it for us. Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson the hard way when he had already been warned by Daniel to repent from his proud ways. Instead, he was driven from his kingdom for seven periods of time to dwell with the wild beasts, eat grass like an ox, his body would be wet from the dew of heaven, his hair would grow like birds’ feathers and his nails would grow like birds’ claws. At the end of this time his reason returned to him and he acknowledged and praised God, and he shared that “…those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Dan. 4:37). Don’t let God do this. If pride is your downfall now, fix it now. Paul shows us how we have to drain our pride if we’re going to know Christ.

Second, knowing Christ results in gaining our Lord.

There are many times in life when we might have a loss and gain, but we might choose to focus on the gain and not the loss. For example, when a daughter gets married  we don’t say we’re losing a daughter, but rather we are gaining a son. There is a positive way of looking at this, even though part of the change might be hard.

What Paul gained with Christ was so much better than what he had lost with Judaism. We know that Paul had a positive perspective on such a high level, and it seems that in this case it is all the more evident with what he reveals. Paul’s attitude had helped him through some tough times. When we read his words earlier from Philippians chapter one about the advancement of the gospel despite imprisonment and his rejoicing because Christ was preached despite impure motives, that had to do with his attitude and perspective (12-19). Even if Paul would wind up being killed, he would wind up rejoicing with the Philippians (Phil. 2:17).

In this text Paul says concerning the things he once viewed as making him superior he now viewed as “rubbish” (Phil. 3:8). Some translations use the word dung (KJV) and others use refuse (ASV). This word is used in essentially two ways: first, it can mean the excrement from the human body, and second, it can refer to the table scraps which can be thrown away (Vine 335-36). Interestingly enough, Paul had already referred to the Jews as the dogs, when they in actuality would use that term to refer to the Gentiles. Even more interesting, depending on if there is a connection, sometimes table scraps are thrown to the dogs. If this is the case, Paul may be saying that he is leaving all of these worthless reasons for confidence with the Jews because they didn’t benefit him anymore. Even if the word is used the other way around in dealing with human excrement or waste, that is left behind and we have no reason to go back to it; that’s why there is a handle which enables us to flush the toilet!

Paul considered this pedigree of position and power from his life of Judaism as loss and rubbish because he wanted to gain Christ. Looking back to a story that Jesus told about the rich, young ruler, you might recall that this young man focused on what he would lose rather than what he would gain. He chose to focus on the wrong things when confronted by Christ (Mt. 19:16-24). While living for Christ is to be a sacrifice, the focus should not be on what we will lose but what we will gain. Some things will be a realization in this life while others will not be realized until the next. Will you choose to focus on what you have gained by being a Christian or will you let your awareness of what you will have to leave behind keep you from gaining our Lord? Knowing Christ does result in gaining our Lord.

Third and finally, knowing Christ results in attaining our resurrection.

It is interesting at times to listen to various answers about what people’s goals are. Some want to be a big executive in a corporation, some want to be a millionaire, some want to be a professional athlete. What kind of response do you think someone would give if they heard someone else say they wanted to be resurrected from the dead? I’m sure there would be lots of weird looks from different people.

Paul tells us in this text that a goal of his was to be resurrected from the dead. He said “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil. 3:10-11). Paul did not have earthly goals in mind when he wrote this. He is referring to the resurrection from the dead. Upon reading this I cannot help but think about the resurrection of Christ. Paul actually points to this when he talks about knowing the power of his resurrection, sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death. Christ did indeed go through all of this to get to the resurrection. If there had been no resurrection, everything else would have been in vain. With Christ’s resurrection there came the promise that we would one day be resurrected, too. It seems that Paul is referencing the resurrection of the faithful, for those who have died apart from Christ won’t have anything in common with what Paul is hoping to attain in this passage.

Is this one of your goals? People may try to resurrect their career, their image, their financial standing, etc., but a resurrection of earthly proportions is not what Paul is discussing. He is writing this letter with the final resurrection in mind. When Jesus returned to Bethany after Lazarus had died, he told Martha “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn. 11:25-26). Jesus did raise Lazarus from the dead, but he wasn’t just talking about his temporary resurrection. For those who are obedient children of God there will be a resurrection from the dead to the realization of eternal life. Christ’s resurrection makes all of this possible for us.

Consider what Paul said: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:20-22). With what Paul writes about the resurrection we know that it will happen, and we are hoping to attain it just like Paul. Knowing Christ results in attaining our resurrection.

Without a knowledge of our Lord these results would not happen. There would be no reason to drain ourselves of our pride because we wouldn’t care about the Lord. There would be no gaining Christ because we would be concerned about gaining things of the world. There would be no attaining our resurrection because there would be no reason to want to experience what Christ did for us. Do you know Christ? As I said earlier, this word is much deeper than a common awareness of who somebody is. There is no knowledge of Christ without a relationship with Him. When Paul said “that I may know him” (Phil. 3:10), we know he did. Based on this Scripture, we sing a song called “I Want to Know Christ.” Well, do you?