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Knowing Christ Jesus My Lord

The spiritual focus of the apostle Paul was nothing short of amazing. Throughout his writings we see man who is Christ-centered in his every thought, word, and deed. His prayers (recorded throughout his letters) focus almost exclusively on the spiritual growth of the saints and the spread of the gospel. His life was one of complete devotion to Christ and his apostolic mission, no matter the cost to himself. And his goal was always to come to know Jesus Christ at a deeper level. This latter point is one that I find perhaps most amazing and inspiring of all, the more so considering that Paul apparently never had the privilege of knowing Jesus on earth (except perhaps as an enemy). Yet in spite of this “disadvantage” that Paul had in relation to the other apostles, it seems that no one ever knew Jesus like Paul knew Jesus. Not to take anything at all away from the others, nor especially from their equally inspired and important works. On the contrary, we probably have been guilty of over-emphasizing Paul’s writings to the exclusion or neglect of the other works, especially of the gospels. If we want to get know Jesus deeper, we have to spend much time in the gospels. And I wonder if Paul didn’t do exactly that. Nonetheless, in Paul’s writings we see a man who came to know Jesus personally and deeply. Again, that was Paul’s lifelong goal. In Phil 3.7-10 he says, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection form the dead.”

Paul penned these words in his latter years, while chained to Roman soldiers during his first Roman imprisonment. Reflecting on his life, and thinking of all the power and privilege and honor he once enjoyed, he says that it was all rubbish “in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (vs.8). “Gaining Christ” (vs.8), “being found in Christ” (vs.9), “knowing Christ” (vs.8,10)—to Paul nothing else mattered. Even in his old age it was still his ambition and aspiration, for in the verses that follow he tells us that he was not yet there (vs.12-14). That is perhaps the most remarkable thing of all. I am convinced that no one ever knew Jesus like Paul knew Jesus, yet he says, and I paraphrase, “I am not there yet. I’m still pressing on for that goal of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” He knew Jesus deeply, but he wished to know him better still.

That gives me hope. But my hope is not that I come to know Jesus as well as Paul knew Jesus. That’s a goal that seems beyond reach for me. Rather, my hope is that I would simply come to recognize “the surpassing value of knowing” Jesus. For until we come to learn the value of knowing Jesus, we will never make it our goal to really know him. If I really understood the value of knowing Christ, however, I believe my life would be transformed, my prayers would be transformed, my studies would be transformed. And I would probably spend more time in the gospels, reading about Jesus’ life and teachings.