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of an endless life, interceding for us as in the power of His risen life. The more
our Great High Priest. Paul encouraged we know “the power of his resurrection”
Timothy, “Be strong in the grace that is in (v10), the more we will be brought to ex-
Christ Jesus” (2Ti 2:1), the strength found perience suffering in fellowship with Him.
in the risen Christ who ministers grace to We can accept the reality of “the fel-
us daily. As we are occupied daily with the lowship of his sufferings” (v10), knowing
risen, glorified Christ, we can live in the that “if so be that we suffer with him, …
power of His risen life; the only alternative we may be also glorified together” (Rom
is the weakness of the sinful flesh. 8:17). Paul desired to know in his life the
reality of suffering in fellowship with
Knowing the Sufferings of Christ, because it reinforced to him the
Christ truth that he was eternally linked with
Salvation brings us into a wonderfully the risen Lord Jesus, and that he would
blessed fellowship with divine Persons be openly glorified together with Christ in
(see 1Co 1:9; 1Jn 1:3). In Philippians 1:29, a future day and share in the fellowship
Paul links our salvation with expected of His revealed glory. The apostle Peter
sufferings: “For unto you it is given in gives the same perspective: “But rejoice,
the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
him, but also to suffer for his sake.” Our sufferings; that, when his glory shall be
fellowship with divine Persons, whilst we revealed, ye may be glad also with exceed-
live in an evil world that is wholly anti- ing joy” (1Pe 4:13).
God and anti-Christ, makes it inevitable Knowing Conformity to
that we will “suffer as a Christian” (1Pe
4:16). Christ’s Death
The risen Saviour said concerning the Paul also speaks of the reality of iden-
newly converted Saul of Tarsus, “I will tification with the death of Christ: “being
show him how great things he must suf- made conformable unto his death” (Php
fer for my name’s sake” (Act 9:16). No 3:10). He was willing to be physically obe-
doubt Ananias conveyed this message, dient unto death and ultimately martyred
and Paul embraced the reality of being as a Christian. Also, in whatever time he
brought into “the fellowship of his suf- yet had to live for Christ, Paul desired
ferings” (Php 3:10) by association with the to die spiritually with Christ to all that
cross of Christ, and bearing His reproach Christ died in His accomplished death at
daily. The character of this world has never Calvary. He wanted to know the reality of
changed; the place of our Saviour’s suffer- dying with Christ to this ungodly world,
ing and rejection is the place of our own to law-keeping and to the indwelling
suffering and rejection. We do not share sinful flesh. This important truth of the
anything of those atoning sufferings for believer’s spiritual identification with the
sin that He endured upon the cross, but death of Christ is developed in greater
we share in the reproach of the world that detail in other Pauline writings (Rom 6-7;
gave our Saviour that cross. We believe in Gal 2; Col 2), helping us to know deliver-
the resurrection of Christ from the dead, ance practically from the dominion of sin,
and ungodly men have no time for those from self and the sinful flesh, and from
living in touch with the risen Christ and this ungodly world.

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