Paul’s Statement of the Means
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Phil 3:10)
For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:11)
Our redemption begins with belief in the Gospel, repenting of our past manner of life, and receiving by faith the blood atonement made by the Lord Jesus.
Then we are baptized in water. Water baptism signifies we have died with the Lord Jesus and have been raised with Him to the right hand of the Father in Heaven.
Therefore 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. (Romans 6:4)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 2:6)
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
The remainder of our discipleship consists of working out in practice what we declared to be true in water baptism: our whole first nature, not just our sinful tendencies but our entire old nature has died with the Lord Jesus on the cross; our new born-again nature has ascended in Jesus to the right hand of the Father, there to await the Day of Resurrection.
We bear about in our physical body the dying of the Lord.
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:10)
A firstfruits of our personality, our born-again spiritual nature, already has entered the Kingdom of God. Now we are to interact with the Divine Life of Jesus until all of our inner personality has experienced the death of the cross and the resurrection Life of the Lord Jesus. It is a daily death and a daily resurrection. It is the forming of Christ in us.
In this manner we attain the first resurrection, the resurrection to righteousness, immortality, and glory. At the time of the Lord’s appearing we shall be given the white robe—the body of incorruptible life that is formed as our mortal body is sown to the death of the cross.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:44)
Then we will descend from Heaven with the Lord (or be changed if we are still alive on the earth) and clothe our mortal remains with the white robe of resurrection life that has been formed as we faithfully have sown our body to the death of the cross.
This is the first resurrection, the resurrection to righteousness, immortality, and glory. It is achieved by entering the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus on a daily basis. The Christian pilgrimage is full of challenges. Let us say someone has hurt us grievously. Now the battle is joined. We can place the hurt before God and seek the grace of forgiveness, or we can plan on avenging ourselves.
If we choose to avenge ourselves our inner nature remains unchanged. We have saved our life, so to speak, but we have lost the part of the first resurrection that could have been ours. We have not attained the first resurrection in this instance.
If we place the hurt before God, obtaining the Virtue of the body and blood of Christ, part of our natural man dies on the cross as he forgives his enemy. In his place comes the body and blood of the Lord, which is eternal life.
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)
The action of forgiving the person who hurt us has resulted in our attaining the first resurrection, in this measure. Part of us has died. Christ has been formed in part of us. The new creation, the Kingdom, has come into being. The new creation is neither Christ nor us. The new creation is a new person formed from the marriage, the union of our personality with Christ. It is eternal. It is "new wine" and God will put it in a new bottle in the Day of Resurrection. Paul continually was given the opportunity to die and live.
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:8-11)
Paul at any time could have chosen to save his life. Instead Paul chose to commit his way to the Lord. There was added to Paul a "thorn in the flesh" to further crucify his natural personality. God gave great fruitfulness to Paul because he was willing to permit the Lord to remove everything of which he could boast. Paul sought to know the resurrection Life of Jesus, and also to have fellowship with the suffering of Jesus, realizing that the power and wisdom of Jesus are developed in us when we are suffering tribulation.
that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Phil 3:10)
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Paul entered the death and resurrection of Christ until he could say:
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
In the Day of the Lord, Paul will descend from Heaven with the Lord Jesus. Paul will be clothed in a mountain of glory and splendor—a white robe of eternal, incorruptible resurrection life. This white robe was formed as Paul was brought down to death and raised again by the Life of Jesus.
Paul’s body, which he had kept under strict control, is still buried somewhere in the earth. The mammoth spirit that now is Paul will enter his mortal remains, clothing them with life. He together with all the Lord’s men of war will be caught up to meet the Commander in Chief in the air. Then Christ will divide the spoil with the strong.