PHIL. iii. 10. “That I may know the power of His resurrection.”
THE power of His resurrection may signify the power
which effected it, or the power of the fact itself as a
Christian fact, or the power with which Jesus Christ was
endowed at His resurrection.
Paul found Christian life not very easy but very difficult.
So it was the object of his life to know the power of the
resurrection, and with him Christian objects were always
primary.
What did Paul mean by knowing as a matter of per-
sonal experience and as a point in spiritual life the power
of Christ’s resurrection?
1. The resurrection of Christ is an example of the mighty
power of God. To know the power of His resurrection is
to be conscious of the same power at work within ourselves.
2. To know the power of the resurrection is to feel
assured that the Son of Mary is the Christ of God.
3. It is to see the Gospel of Christ sealed, not by His
blood only but by His hand in the newness of His glorious
life.
4. The resurrection of Christ is adapted to strengthen
our trust in Him. How entirely we ought to trust our-
selves with one who died for us and rose again.
5. It is to become the subjects, by its influence, of new
and enlarged expectations and desires.
6. It is to feel our souls lifted thereby into newness of
life.
7. It is to feel strengthened in heart to endure all the
will of our God.
8. It is to have removed from us the fear of death. It
certifies to the believer that he has the life of God, and
that he will live in a yet newer and a yet higher life.
Samuel Martin
Although we must insist that, because of who we are and who God is, our prayers do not change God's mind, it is right for us to understand that God has ordained that prayer "changes things." The design of prayer is not that the immutable will of God be altered, but that His will may be accomplished in His own good time and way. Our prayers are not intended to change the purpose of God or to move him to create new purposes. God has not only decreed the end of all things, but He also has decreed the means to reach that end. Thus, it is improper for us to say that, because God is sovereign and is in control of all things, certain things will happen whether we pray or not. That must be absolutely rejected because God has ordained that prayer be the means to accomplish His purpose.
John Sale