Knowing Christ: Paul’s Radical Vision Beyond the Modern Personal Relationship

 Knowing Christ: Paul’s Radical Vision Beyond the Modern Personal Relationship

Today, it’s common to hear the phrase “a personal relationship with Jesus” used to define the heart of Christianity. But what if this idea would’ve sounded strange—even foreign—to the Apostle Paul? When Paul wrote about “knowing Christ,” he meant something far deeper and more transformational than our modern devotional language implies. It wasn’t about feelings, private prayer life, or even emotional closeness. It was about embodying a whole new way of being human under a New Covenant reality.

 What Did Paul Mean by “Knowing Christ”?

In Philippians 3:8–10, Paul famously writes:

“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”

This isn’t about "getting saved" in the modern sense or “inviting Jesus into your heart.” Paul is describing a deep participation in the death and resurrection pattern of the Messiah. Knowing Christ means sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in death, and living in the power of His resurrection. It’s about being re-formed as a new creation.

Dying to the Old, Living in the New

Paul had once taken pride in being a Hebrew of Hebrews, zealous under the Law, circumcised on the eighth day, and blameless under Torah (Phil. 3:4–6). But he saw that whole system as part of a world that was passing away. To “know Christ” was to abandon confidence in the flesh—not just flesh as in sinful nature, but “flesh” as in ethnic privilege, covenantal status under the Law, and old-world identity markers. To know Christ was to be crucified with Him (Gal. 2:20). It meant stepping into the eschatological now—the age-breaking-in through the resurrection of Christ and fully manifested in the judgment and transition of the old covenant world (70 AD).

Not a Private Spiritual Relationship

The modern evangelical slogan of a “personal relationship” tends to turn Christ into a private therapist or best friend. But Paul’s vision is cosmic, not individualistic. It's covenantal and communal. Knowing Christ means being joined to His body, the community of believers, and living under the Spirit, not the letter of the Law. It’s not about sentiment—it’s about living as a citizen of the new creation.

Living in the Resurrection Age

We now live in the fully unveiled reality of the new age. The temple system has fallen. The judgment has come. The old world has passed away. So to “know Christ” is to walk in the presence of God—not waiting for heaven, not waiting for glory, but living in the already-arrived kingdom reality. Paul wasn’t trying to have more emotional intimacy with Jesus. He was striving to be conformed to the image of the risen Lord—to share in His mission, His self-giving love, and His Spirit-filled life.

Conclusion

“Knowing Christ” is not about trying harder to feel close to Jesus. It’s about living as one who has passed through death into resurrection, leaving behind the systems of law, works, and guilt. It’s about seeing the world through the lens of a fulfilled covenant and walking in the Spirit, not the shadow. Let’s return to Paul’s vision—a faith not based on ritual or emotional highs, but on union with Christ in the resurrection power of a new age.