The Power Of the Resurrection

Philippians 3:

10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.


The phrase "that by any means possible" in verse 11 captures the committed desperation of the apostle Paul to attain resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15 provides the basis and support for Paul's view that the resurrection is true and essential to the Christian hope of eternal life. He views the resurrection as not only an event and as verifiable history (1 Corinthians 15:5-7) but also as a source of power (Philippians 3:10); a power that is available to us and that can be absorbed by us.

The presence of the Sun is a verifiable fact but some people have come to realise that it also has power; power that is available to us and that can be absorbed by us using machinery that includes solar panels. Even though the power of the Sun is available to everyone under the Sun, not everyone absorbs the power of Sun through solar power machinery. Analogously, the power of the resurrection is available to everyone but it takes the presence of faith to access, absorb and process the power. The apostle Paul is keen to do just that.

What is the power of the resurrection?

The power of the resurrection is certainly multi-faceted and varied but it at least means a couple of things:

• It is the power to give life after death:

Matthew 28 is one those passages that detail the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. But before Matthew 28 is chapter 27 that talks about the death of the Lord Jesus. The power of the resurrection is that death is not the last chapter. The sway of sin does not extend beyond the grave for a follower of the Lord Jesus. The power of the resurrection reaches to the depths of the grave, destroys it and bring life form death- both physically and spiritually. The Lord Jesus in Matthew 16:24-25 and the apostle Paul in Galatians 5:24 describe the duty of a follower of the Lord Jesus to die to sinful self daily so that the power of the resurrection can bring life in Christ (Galatians 2:20). It might be in this backdrop that Paul says "and may share (κοινωνίαν: share, participate, fellowship) his sufferings, becoming like him in his death".

• It is the power to achieve the impossible:

The herodians, pharisees and sadducees held the Lord Jesus on false charges and insisted on crucifying Him. The romans flogged him, paraded Him though the city and then nailed Him on a cross to bleed and die. The lifeless body of the Messiah lodged in a guarded tomb seemed like a completed work for everyone who killed Christ. It would have seemed impossible to them that the Lord Jesus would ever show up in flesh and breath. But indeed the power of the resurrection made it possible to achieve the impossible. It gives us power to defy limitations, elevate above constraints and reach for the incredible.