That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
Philippians 3:10 (NASB)
When we talk about fellowship between two people, we always see a deep and sincere bond between them. There can be no fellowship if one does not know each other intimately and if they do not share the same vision and the same interests. When the Bible speaks of fellowship with Christ, it assumes that we know Him exactly as Paul explains in this verse.
In the Old Testament, even under the law, we see that God actively sought to develop such intimate fellowship with His people. This fellowship reflected both the collective level (the people as an entity) and the personal level (the individual). This same relationship is still available to us Christians today who live under grace.
As we mentioned above, for there to be this intimate fellowship, there must be a deep relationship, therefore a true knowledge of Christ. We are not talking about an intellectual knowledge, but rather a personal knowledge of Him. As Paul says so well, we are to share in the humble life of Christ, the fellowship of His sufferings and the power of His resurrection. The only way to do this is to walk in obedience to His word and in submission to the Holy Spirit.
Comments