God’s Word for You

Philippians 3:10-11 that somehow I may arrive

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Friday, April 10, 2026

10 I do this that I may know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 in the hope that somehow I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead.

Paul considers all the advantages he thought he once had to be rubbish so that he will have righteousness that is from Christ, through faith in him. This is so that he will know Christ, and the power of the resurrection.

What is the power of the resurrection? It is the restoration of the dead to life. The Greek poet Simonides said of brave soldiers, oὐδὲ τεθνᾶσι θανόντες, “They died but they are not dead,” meaning that they had a special glory in their death, but Paul means something entirely different. The resurrection taught in the Scripture is the actual restoration of physical life to those who have died. Abraham had a command from God to sacrifice his son Isaac by slaughtering him and burning his body on an altar, and yet he told the servants, “We will worship and then we—not I, but we—will come back to you” (Genesis 22:5). And Paul teaches: “The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

What is “the fellowship of his sufferings”? This is partly the suffering of the cross on Calvary, although we do not suffer for our forgiveness. Christ did that, and without sin. But to a far lesser degree than he suffered for us, we could be said to suffer for him. Not to his advantage in any way, but on account of our belonging to him. Therefore we might be better to think of his other sufferings, such as in the Garden when he prayed, or in the wilderness when he was tempted, or when the crowds all but assailed him for the wrong reasons. We often suffer because we love him, and the world does not. And we suffer even grief when the world would try to twist our faith into something that it is not.

And what does it mean to “become like him in his death”? This not a martyr’s death, but rather the act of becoming dead to sin. Paul describes this elsewhere as the correct understanding of baptism, which is lost on so many readers of the New Testament. Baptism washes sins away (Acts 22:16). Our baptism is for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38), and Christ was baptized so that we would be joined with him in our own baptism, for the Holy Spirit teaches that we “will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5), and in our baptism we have clothed ourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27). In death, sin is ended. Sin cannot rise from the dead. Once the human being is dead, the judgment of death is carried out, and Christ’s death, which atoned for our sin and paid its penalty, shows that death, meaning our own personal death, will not have a hold on us forevermore. When Jesus deems the time to be right, he will call us out of our graves: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead!” (Ephesians 5:14). And we will come out of our graves just as Lazarus did. We will rise to eternal life.

But how humbly Paul speaks as he writes! He says, “in the hope that somehow I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead.” The Greek could also be translated, “If only, somehow, I may arrive at (or “reach”) the resurrection of the dead.” But what does he mean? Isn’t it true that all mankind will rise from the dead on Judgment day? Certainly. Daniel says: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). So there will indeed be a resurrection to life. And the rest of Scripture does nothing else but affirm this again and again: Job 19:26; Isaiah 26:19; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Matthew 22:30-32; Mark 12:26-27; Luke 20:37-38; John 5:28-29, 11:24; 1 Corinthians 15:12-56; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; and Philippians 3:21. The resurrection of the godly will be glorious with a splendor that we cannot imagine: “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43). As for the resurrection of the godless, we know only that they will be raised to shame (Daniel 12:2), they will be loathsome (Isaiah 66:24), and they will suffer eternal pain and torment (Luke 16:23; Revelation 14:11).

So it it clear that Paul is talking about more than the general resurrection of all people, but that he earnestly and humbly desires to be included in the resurrection of the godly, not as though he desires or craves the glory that God promises, but simply to be with God, to see Christ again and be united with him forever, and to be permitted to praise him eternally. “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked” (Psalm 84:10). Paul’s point all along is that we do not deserve to attain to the resurrection of the godly, but we pray that for Jesus’ sake, God will forgive our sins and grant us everlasting life, joy, reunion, and every blessing. And let us speak as pastors or parents to dear humble Paul in this verse: “You have faith in Jesus, dear Paul. Your sins are forgiven. You are at peace with God. You will indeed, you certainly will, and without a doubt, rise to eternal life in Jesus, and you and we will know the joy and unending bliss of heaven.”

Don’t forget to speak to the people you love with the same words.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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