Knowledge of Christ. Philippians 3:8. “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, When Paul compared what he received after personally coming to know Christ with what he had as a religious man before, he realized how worthless and detestable his own works were. He continued to view his personal privileges and achievements as worthless and repulsive next to the excellence and superiority, in every way, of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord. He was committed to the Lordship of Christ and knew he was still growing in the Lord.
That knowledge is much more than just knowing facts about the Bible and being able to explain their meaning. The knowledge Paul was referring to comes from experiencing God's power and presence in life. It is gained through facing difficulties like opposition, suffering, imprisonment, and rejection. To Paul, living as a Christian was transformative, far greater, and much more satisfying than all he had accomplished in his previous life.
When a person comes to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, our heart is won to Him, and we want to live the Christian life in a meaningful and useful way. If we take our eyes off Christ and start focusing on the things of the world around us, we will lose our freshness of spirit, our usefulness in the things of God, and our joy in the Lord. Even though many things around us seem legitimate and attractive, we need to remember that things seen are “temporal.” It is the unseen that are “eternal.”
The surpassing glory of our Lord will be revealed in our souls and spirits when our minds focus on Him. The things that attract the fleshly appetites of a believer can lead to living a defeated, dull, and discouraging life. It is the things of the kingdom of God that nourish our hearts, focus our minds, and give us motivation to act daily to please our Lord. To “win” or “gain” Christ is freedom, provides purpose in life, and offers the satisfaction in our hearts that the efforts we make for the glory of God are worth any cost we may have to pay.
I knew the facts about Christ; I had learned them in my youth. I knew the Lord Jesus Christ was the Way to heaven; He was the Truth and the Life. I knew He was God sent by the Father to become a man to save sinners. I knew He was the great Creator; I knew He was Deity. Like any child exposed to the Gospel and the teachings of the Bible, I can say these and many other facts were taught to me; I knew they all were true. I believed in Jesus’ cross-work, that He died for sinners like me, and in His burial and resurrection three days and nights later. But I didn’t know Him. I had gathered information, and even then, I knew that believing facts is not salvation.
All these facts were a great blessing to me because of my awareness of what I was missing. Faith in those facts revealed in God’s Word was impressed upon my mind, and then my conscience, moved by the Spirit of God, ultimately led me to put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and to confess Him as my Lord. I first knew Him as my Redeemer, and I truly thanked Him for dying for my sins and giving His life for me on the cross. As my Savior, He took my sins, buried them in the sea, and made sure they are as far as the East is from the West. As my Lord, He is a gracious and wonderful Master. As my Guide and Goal, He keeps me from falling. As my advocate, He continually pleads my cause. As High Priest, He makes every thought of praise, thanksgiving, and worship to the righteous and holy God acceptable.
A deep relationship has been established between Him and me. I am part of His family and a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. I am loved in the Beloved with bonds that eternally connect me to Him, who pleased His Father in every deed, way, and word. He has assured me of eternal life and that I will never perish or be cast out. I will be with Him forever, protected by His power, love, and grace. Every experience with Him is an act of faith.
Our position as believers is that we are "found in Him." Our purpose is that "we may know Him." Then we will know our progress is to "follow after" Him to our prize, "the mark." To do this, our practice should be to "walk by the same rule" and "mind the same thing as "followers together.'" Our prospect is "the Savior" who "shall change" us to be "like unto His glorious body." Our righteousness comes from our Lord, and we must make sacrifices to know Him. By His power, we can live moral, new, righteous lives and reckon our old nature dead to sin.