A Cruciform Life
As I said in last week’s Central Thoughts blog, we’re in the middle of a Sunday series on Paul’s letter to the Philippians – and we just don’t have enough time to talk about everything. Last Sunday, for instance, I ended the sermon by talking about Phil. 3:10 and how all Paul wants is to “know Christ and the power of his resurrection” – and explained how Christ’s story IS our true story, and when we know Christ, we become transformed by the power of his resurrection. It’s an amazing passage. But since we don’t have time to talk about everything, I didn’t have time to talk about the rest of verse 10. Here’s the complete sentence:
10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
I didn’t have time to talk about the “sharing of his sufferings…” part, so here’s some important thoughts on it.
Paul knew what it was to “share” in Christ’s sufferings: heck, he was in prison for the sake of Christ! It’s not that we ought to seek out any sufferings, but rather, we ought to seek out sharing in his (Christ’s) sufferings. And that is to say, suffering for his sake, suffering for the sake of the Gospel, suffering because we’re living more like Jesus.
This connects perfectly with having the same mind that was in Christ Jesus (2:5), whose mind was set on emptying himself, pouring himself out, lowering himself, humbling himself, and ultimately, giving himself over to death – even death on a cross (2:6-8).
This is what biblical scholars like Michael Gorman have dubbed a “cruciform” life. It’s a made-up word (I think Gorman made it up), but it’s a word that fits perfectly. It’s a word that’s worth remembering.
It is a life shaped and formed by the way of the cross.
It’s the way that Paul imitated.
It’s the way we are told to imitate (3:17).
It’s the way of Jesus.
It’s the way a community of Jesus followers will live in the world.
Look at how biblical scholar Gordon Fee puts it in his commentary on these verses (IVP NT Commentary):
Christian life is cruciform in character; God’s people, even as they live presently through the power of Christ’s resurrection, are as their Lord forever marked by the cross. The heavenly Lion, one must never forget, is a slain Lamb (Rev 5:5–6).
A cruciform life is one that doesn’t inflict suffering; it takes it on to itself. It doesn’t tear down; it builds up even at its own cost. It doesn’t use violence to get its own way; it uses its power to help others. It doesn’t stand above others; it humbles itself and serves others. It doesn’t have to win every argument; it’ll take the loss for the sake of love.
A cruciform life is a life where it’s ok to suffer and lose for Christ’s sake, because it knows full well “the power of his resurrection”; it knows that when we share in his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, in some deep and mysterious way, we “attain the resurrection from the dead” in the process.