- Being Made Conformable Unto His Death - “… Being made conformable unto his death…” relates to the fact that the believer is to follow the pattern outlined in Rom 6:11, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. The elect are “… conformed to the image of his Son…” and “… fashioned like unto his glorious body…”. The first verse refers to believers' receiving the Spirit of Christ and the desire to obey God's commandments, patterned after the Lord Jesus Christ. The latter verse refers to believers’ receiving their glorified spiritual bodies on the Last Day, or Judgment Day, which will be the end of this sin-cursed universe and the end of time. The former verse describes the salvation that God has orchestrated, according to 2 Cor 4:3-4. To be thus “conformed” is to be wholly identified with Christ, Who has become our very life as Col 3:4 indicates. Let’s examine two successive verses: In this citation we are confronted with the marvelous reality of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, Who is eternal God – and Who took on a human nature, became sin, and suffered the equivalent of eternal damnation for His enemies, as Rom 5:10 highlights.
Php 3:10-11 "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
Rom 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Php 3:21 “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned [confirmed] like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
2 Cor 4:3-4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Col 3:4 “When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
Php 2:6-8 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross.”
Rom 5:10 “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
- Reckon Ye also Yourselves to be Dead Indeed unto Sin, but Alive unto God - Why is One Made “Conformable unto His Death”? - But why does Php 3:10 state, “… being made conformable unto his death”? After all, don’t we read this in John 5:24, that we "...passed from death unto life.”? While this is certainly true, I believe that Rom 6:3-11 provides the answer: Just as Christ died and rose again, someone who has become “born from above” experiences the same as what Rom 8:10 clarifies, dead to sin but alive unto God. This is the reason a child of God is instructed in Luke 9:23, "deny himself, and take up his cross daily".
John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Rom 6:3-11 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Rom 8:10 “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
Luke 9:23 “… If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [the instrument of death] daily, and follow me.”
Col 3:5-11 “Mortify [or put to death] therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”
- I might Attain unto the Resurrection of the Dead - Now we want to consider Php 3:11, “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” Nearing the end of his life, Paul, under divine inspiration, utters the words in 2 Tim 4:6-8, "... there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness...". It should be noted that a “crown of righteousness” is not an additional reward of some sort; but it is a reference to the precious gift of eternal life. It is God Himself, Who is both a believer’s hope and reward. The resurrection of the dead will occur on the Last Day, or Judgment Day, which coincides with the end of this world, the end of time, and the ushering in of eternity for both the saved and the unsaved,"... they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation...".
Php 3:10-11 "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
2 Tim 4:6-8 “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
1 Cor 15:20-24 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”
Rev 20:11-15 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
John 5:28-29 "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
1 The 4:13-18 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
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