By Gregg S. Morrison
Requirement number two to become a naturalized citizen of the U.S. is a knowledge and understanding of history and government. In the heavenly naturalization process, a knowledge and understanding of Christ himself is required. Paul says this in verse 10: “that I may know him (Christ).” As J. I. Packer has reminded us, there is a vast difference between knowing and knowing about.7 Knowing about something or someone is simply to know facts: your wife’s birthday; your child’s favorite color; the make and model of your boss’s car. The accumulation of the right facts does not cause one to really know someone.
This came home to me several years ago when our son was about two years old and was attending preschool two mornings a week. I frequently had the assignment to take him to school on these days. During the first two or three weeks of school, I would have the hardest time getting him to actually enter his room at school. I tried everything to get him to go in. But he would remain fixed to my leg. Then one day (in a rare stroke of parental brilliance), I had an idea: maybe he does not like walking into a roomful of people. So, the next morning we arrived at his school much earlier than normal — before any other child had arrived. He went right in and hardly seemed to care when I said goodbye. As it turned out, he was intimidated by the gathered group. I had seen this unusual shyness once or twice, but I am sure glad the Spirit led me to the solution.
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I would never have been able to figure out our son’s “situational shyness” if I knew only his birth date or what his favorite toy was or whether he liked mustard or mayonnaise on his sandwich. I needed to know our son and what makes him tick, not just factual information about him. Of course, I speak of a relational knowledge that comes with spending time with a person and with spending emotional energy getting to know the essence of a person. What is true for our interpersonal relationships is also true for our heavenly relationship. It is that kind of relational knowledge with Jesus that Paul speaks of when he speaks of knowing “the power of his resurrection” and “the fellowship of his sufferings” (3:10).
The third requirement for Christian citizenship is not good moral character, but good cruciform character. We see this in verse 10 again — “becoming like him in his death.” What does Paul mean by this statement? A partial answer may be found in verses 18-19. Here, Paul bemoans the fact that many people live as enemies of the cross. To be an enemy of the cross means that one’s mind is on “earthly things” causing them to “glory in their shame.” The result of such a situation is eventual destruction. The opposite of being an enemy of the cross is to be its friend. Being a friend of the cross means that one’s mind is not set on earthly things, but on heavenly things — seeking to please the one who will one day have all things subjected to him. What I speak of is a cruciform spirituality — seeking to put to death everything related to self so that Christ might be exalted in our life (see Galatians 2:20; Romans 12:1-2). Paul’s own testimony confirms this type of cruciform character — “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (3:7).
