THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS
There is a depth in the Christian life that cannot be entered through knowledge alone, nor attained by outward activity. It is found in fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. This is not a theme often sought after, nor readily embraced; yet it stands at the very heart of the New Testament revelation. For God’s purpose is not only that we should know Christ in His power, but that we should also share in the inner life by which He walked the path of the cross.
Paul speaks with striking clarity: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10). These words reveal a progression. The knowledge of Christ is not complete when we experience His power; it deepens as we are brought into His sufferings. For it is here that the self-life is most deeply touched, and the life of Christ gains its fullest expression within us.
Yet we must understand this rightly. The sufferings in view are not merely the common trials of life, nor the natural sorrows that come to all men. They are those experiences through which the Spirit conforms us to the spirit of Christ Himself—the Lamb who yielded, who trusted, who committed all into the Father’s hands.
Our Lord did not suffer merely outwardly; His deepest suffering was inward. He was misunderstood, rejected, opposed, and at times left alone. He poured out His soul without resistance. “When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). This is the spirit of His sufferings—and it is this spirit that the Holy Spirit seeks to form within us.
But everything in our natural being recoils from this path.
We are quick to defend ourselves. We feel the need to justify, to explain, to answer back. When wronged, something within rises up, demanding to be heard. Yet in these very moments, the Spirit gently brings before us the way of Christ—a way not of weakness, but of surrendered strength; not of passivity, but of deep trust in God.
Here is where the fellowship begins.
For when we choose, by grace, to yield rather than to strive; to trust rather than to retaliate; to remain quiet before God rather than to assert ourselves, we are entering, in some small measure, into the sufferings of Christ. And in that place, something of His life is formed within us that cannot be produced in any other way.
This is why God allows such experiences to touch our lives.
It is not that He delights in our pain, but that He is committed to our transformation. He is working to bring us beyond the natural reactions of the old man into the likeness of His Son. And this work requires more than instruction—it requires participation. We must walk the path, not merely understand it.
As this process unfolds, we begin to discover a deeper reality. The very things that once stirred unrest within us lose their power. There is a growing quietness of spirit, a gentleness that does not come from temperament, but from Christ Himself. The heart becomes less occupied with self, and more established in God.
Even love begins to take on a new character.
It is no longer dependent on how we are treated, nor limited by the response of others. It becomes a love that flows from Christ within—a love that endures, that forgives, that gives without demanding return. This is the fruit of the cross at work in the inner life.
The church stands in great need of this reality. Much of what passes for strength is but the energy of the natural man. Much of what appears as boldness lacks the fragrance of Christ. But where the fellowship of His sufferings has done its work, there is a depth, a humility, a quiet authority that speaks of another life altogether.
For the cross always leads to resurrection.
As we are conformed to His death, we come to know His life in a deeper way. The power of His resurrection is no longer a doctrine to be affirmed—it becomes a living reality within the soul. And that life carries with it a peace that cannot be shaken, and a strength that does not draw from self.
So the question comes again, searching and personal: Are we willing to know Christ in this way—not only in His blessings, but in His sufferings?
For it is here that the deepest union is found.
And it is here that Christ is most clearly seen.
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Lord Jesus, draw us into the fellowship of Your sufferings. Deliver us from the strength of self, and teach us the way of the cross. Form within us Your patience, Your humility, and Your love. May Your life be revealed in us, even through the things we endure. Amen.
BDD
