My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, 3:11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 3:12 Not that I have already attained this – that is, I have not already been perfected – but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. 3:13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, 3:14 with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 3:15 Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. 3:16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard that we have already attained.

I remember the first time I heard the phrase “life verse”. I was in middle school and the youth pastor at my church introduced us, his students, to the concept of claiming a verse in the Bible to follow as our goal. At first the idea sounded pompous to me, but the more I thought about it the more interested I became in the idea. I eventually landed on Ephesians 4.1, “As a prisoner for the Lord then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you received.” Not a bad choice, but there is a better one in today’s passage.

In Philippians chapter three, verses 10 and 11 Paul states his life goal, and honestly there isn’t a better one that I’ve ever read. Let’s break it down.

The first item on Paul’s list of life goals is to know God. I find it comforting that the last man to see Jesus on Earth didn’t stop there. Paul spent much of his life in the same world we live, the post-ascension world. While he had seen Jesus on the road to Tarsus, he had to live by faith thereafter. It was during this time that Paul performed healings, cast out demons and even raised one person from the dead. The only people to accomplish that last act were those who spent time in the presence of God. This confirms for us the vision he had was truly of Jesus. The next time you feel that your Bible study has gone stale and your prayers are left unanswered, that Paul had such moment too. He used the same tools we do today to grow in his relationship with the Savior.

The next item is to “experience the power of his resurrection.” This does not mean he was hoping to be resurrected, however, as that goal is stated later. So what does Paul mean here? Paul tells us in Colossians 3.1 that we have been “raised with Christ”, that is that the same power that gave new life to Jesus gives new life to us, enabling us to overcome and resistance, any temptation that comes our way. It is the spirit of power (rather than timidity) that we receive when we first come to faith in Christ.

The third may seem odd at first, “to share in the sufferings of Christ”. After all, who wants to suffer? That’s the wrong question to ask, however, for it is not a matter of choosing to suffer as much as it is a fact that we will suffer (Matthew 10.22). Suffering for Jesus comes with honor now, and rewards later, for those who endure. This may have special meaning for Paul, though, as his suffering was foretold by God to Ananias (Acts 9.10-16). Paul did not desire to suffer any less than his savior did, and that’s dedication and love.

Finally, Paul desired one of two outcomes for his life, either that he would die a sacrificial death or that he might be alive at the time of the Rapture. We’ve discussed previously the difference between being raised from the dead and resurrection, two different Greek words with very specific meanings. To be raised means that a person’s soul is returned to their temporary, unregenerate body while resurrection involves the transformation of the body. The word used here, however, is different from both of these and is used only here in all of the New Testament. This word, literally translated as “out-resurrection,” likely refers to the Rapture. Paul was not doubting that he would be saved, but hoping that the return of Jesus might happen in his lifetime.

Paul makes it clear in verse 13 that while these are his goals, he has not attained any of them yet. His enemies referred to him as self-righteous, and argued that Paul believed himself to be “perfect”. These accusations are still raised against those who go against the grain and confront sin. How many times has someone argued against you saying something like, “Oh, and I suppose you’re perfect?” Same thing. Paul states clearly that he is not perfect, not any more than the rest of them, and that he looks to a future where his sins are accounted for, he receives a new body to go with his new spirit, and he will be as righteous as God sees him today. This should be the goal of every believer.