Philippians 3:10. that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Paul has just given us a list of his life’s accomplishments and then told us that he counts all of them as loss and even as trash as compared to gaining Christ. And he has gained Christ through the alien righteousness of God that invaded his life by grace through faith. What is the result of the righteousness? This grace? “That I may know Christ.”
Paul has made knowing Christ the greatest goal and the greatest good of our lives. All of salvation is aimed at this end- knowing Christ. We give up everything as loss, and gain God’s righteousness so that we might know Christ. It is the culmination of salvation. Because HE is the culmination of salvation. Salvation is knowing Christ. Eternal life is knowing Christ. Because eternal life is Christ.
John 17:3. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
1 John 5:20. so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Eternal life is not a place; it is a person, Jesus. We should think less of eternal life as “going to Heaven,” and more of it as knowing Christ. Not just knowing ABOUT Christ. To know Christ is to have a personal relationship with him. To love him for his intrinsic worth. To experience him. It is far more than an intellectual knowledge of him. And it is far more than simply believing that he exists, died, and rose- even the demons believe all of that. But the demons don’t love him, and want to experience him. That is what Paul is talking about. Friends, brothers, lovers. That is our “knowing Christ.”
To know Christ is our greatest goal, because it is our greatest good, in so many ways. Knowing Christ is eternal life. That means we live forever. It also means that we live forever in HIS good life. Eternal life is not your bad life going on forever; it is his good life forever lived through you. This eternality and goodness combine to give all of life meaning and purpose. Eternality without goodness, or goodness without eternality makes anything meaningless. But in Christ all of life has meaning. And that is good. Knowing Christ is your greatest good, because it grants to you true goodness forever.
Do you know Christ? Not just about Christ? Do you know Christ personally? Experientially? Do you know that you are loved by him? On what basis are you loved by him? (If your answer does not include the cross then come talk to me.) Is knowing Christ your greatest goal? Do you see it as your greatest good? I pray that you do.
