th; if
by any means I may attain unto the resurrection
from the dead.'--PHIL. iii. 10-11 (R.V.).

We have seen how the Apostle was prepared to close his letter at the
beginning of this chapter, and how that intention was swept away by the
rush of new thoughts. His fervid faith caught fire when he turned to
think of what he had lost, and how infinitely more he had gained in
Christ. His wealth is so great that it cannot be crowded into the narrow
space of one brief sentence, and after all the glowing words which
precede our text, he feels that he has not yet adequately set forth
either his present possessions or his ultimate aims. So here he
continues the theme which might have seemed most fully dealt with in the
great thoughts that occupied us in the former sermon, but which still
wait to be completed here. They are most closely connected with the
former, and the unity of the sentence is but a parallel to the oneness
of the idea. The elements of our present text constitute a part of the
Apostle's aim in life, and may be dealt with as such.

I. Paul's life's aim was the knowledge of Christ.

That sounds an anti-climax after 'Gain' and 'Be in Him.' These phrases
seem to express a much more intimate relation than this, but we must
note that it is no mere theoretical or intellectual knowledge which is
intended. Such knowledge would need no surrender or suffering 'the loss
of all things.' We can only buy the knowledge of Christ at such a rate,
but we can buy knowledge about Him very much cheaper. Such knowledge
would not be worth the price; it lies on the surface of the soul, and
does nothing. Many a man amongst us has it, and it is of no use to him.
If Paul had undergone all that he had undergone and sacrificed all that
he had given up, and for his reward had only gained accurate knowledge
about Christ, he had certainly wasted his life and made a bad bargain.
But as always, so here, to know means knowledge based upon experience.
Did Christ mean that a correct creed was eternal life when He said,
'This is life eternal to know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ
whom Thou has sent?' Did Paul mean the dry light of the understanding
when he prayed that the Ephesians might know the love of Christ which
passeth knowledge, in order to be filled with all the fulness of God?
Clearly we have to go much deeper down than that superficial
interpretation in order to reach the reality of the New Testament
conc