Paul uses the present tense verb "count" here, indicating that this is occurring in his life at the time of his writing. He continues: "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (v. Paul had to be willing to turn his back on his human accomplishments in order to gain knowledge of Christ. In order to truly know God, Paul says: "Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ" (v. That’s why Paul says we should have no "confidence in the flesh" (v. Paul’s life changed because God revealed Himself to Paul, not because Paul had all the right answers. Paul knew all about God, but Paul did not know God until he met Jesus face to face on the road to Damascus.
In Philippians 3:4-7, Paul explains that he met all the religious qualifications of the day, and he was at the apex of Jewish leadership. It might seem surprising that Paul says he wants to know God in Philippians 3:10 after all, he knew all about God from his intense training in the Law and his lofty stature in the Jewish community. Knowing God involves encountering Him and finding out that He is who He says He is. To know God is not just reciting His biblical resume or hearing testimony of what He has done in someone else’s life.
Knowing God does not mean knowing facts about God. When the Bible talks about knowing God, it’s not referring to a merely intellectual exercise. Every other desire pales in significance to this one.ĭid you know that it’s possible to be a Christian and not really know God? John 14:8-9 tells us that Phillip, after following Jesus for a number of years, says to Him, "Lord, show us the Father." And Jesus replied, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me?" The greatest desire of a true Christian is to know God. And Paul says that his heart longs to "know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings" ( Philippians 3:10). David prays: "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God" ( Psalm 42:1).
Moses says to God: "I pray You show me Your glory" ( Exodus 33:18). What is the greatest desire of a Christian? Throughout Scripture, the great men and women of God say that their passion is to truly know Him. Elias Rivera-Reyes - El Buen Pastor U.M.C.