What does it mean to become like Christ in his death?

Explanation:

What does it mean to become like Christ in his death? When Paul uses the verb in Philippians 3:10, it is in the present tense and the passive voice. That the verb is in the passive voice suggests that conforming to Christ’s death, or becoming like Christ in his death, is something that happens to Paul. So he is saying that he wants it to happen to him that he becomes like Christ in his death. So what does it mean for it to happen to Paul that he becomes like Christ in his death? The immediate context seems to shed light on what Paul means, for immediately preceding this phrase Paul says that he wants to know Christ by sharing in his suffering. Paul is saying that by sharing in Christ’s suffering, it happens to Paul that he becomes like Christ in his death.³ In other words, as Paul suffers, both physically and mentally, the way Christ suffered physically and mentally, it happens to Paul that he is conforming to Christ’s death.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that it fails to explain why Paul would distinguish Christ’s suffering from his death in Philippians 3:10. For this view has it that Paul wants to share in Christ’s suffering, which will make it happen that he conforms to Christ’s death. Unfortunately, this view leaves out an explanation of what it means to conform to Christ’s death, which is precisely what we are trying to understand. For Paul does not say that he wants to share in Christ’s suffering in order to conform to his suffering, but that he wants to share in Christ’s suffering in order to conform to his death. Does this mean that he wants to suffer to the point of death, as Christ did?⁴ Possibly. Unfortunately, the above interpretation is not able to get at the real question, which is what it means to conform to Christ’s death.

Response to counterargument:

This counterargument offers an alternative interpretation that this interpretation does not support. That is, this interpretation does not support the notion that by conforming to Christ’s death, Paul means that he endures the same death as Christ. Rather, this interpretation holds that by sharing in Christ’s suffering, Paul is continually being conformed to Christ’s death. The death of Christ is the ultimate act of service to others, and the culmination of Christ’s ministry. For Paul, Christ’s death is not only the achievement that brings salvation, but Christ’s death is the example to conform to. Paul is saying that by sharing in Christ’s suffering, he conforms to the example of Jesus’ sacrifice for others.

Explanation:

When Paul says that he wants to know Christ, share his sufferings, and be conformed to his death, we can deduce what Paul means by being conformed to Christ's death because he says something similar in his letter to the Corinthians.⁵ Specifically, in 2 Corinthians 4:7–12 he explains that the death of Jesus is something like the paradigmatic example of what it means to live as a Christian, and Paul carries that death wherever he goes. That is, Paul says that we have the treasure of the gospel in jars of clay, so as an apostle, Paul is afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, but never forsaken, crushed, or driven to despair (2 Corinthians 4:7–9). He follows this up by explaining he always carries the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in him. In other words, Jesus’ death on the cross is the paradigmatic example of love and sacrifice for the sake of God’s will. As disciples of Christ, we carry that example in whatever we do, suffering for the sake of the gospel with joy and contentment. As we learn to suffer in a Christ-like manner, we are conformed to Christ’s death, and we learn to carry it in everything we do.⁶

Counterargument:

The problem here is that Paul seems to have a different line of thought in mind in Philippians 3:10. That is, in Philippians 3:10 he has in mind being conformed to Christ’s death in the sense that being conformed to Christ’s death is something that happens to him. On the other hand, in 2 Corinthians 4:7–12 he says that he carries Christ’s death wherever he goes, not in a passive sense, but in the active sense that carrying Christ’s death is something he actively does. To be passively conformed to Christ’s death is not quite the same as actively carrying Christ’s death. To be passively conformed to Christ’s death suggests a process of development, while actively carrying Christ’s death suggests completed intent. That Paul might characterize how Christians relate to the death of Christ in various ways is displayed in other passages as well. For example, in Romans 6:5–6 he discusses being united to Christ’s death in the sense of being freed from the power of sin. Thus, the death of Christ applies to Christians in various ways, and the connection between Philippians 3:10 and 2 Corinthians 4:7–12 is not clear enough to deduce that the latter informs the former.

Response to counterargument:

2 Corinthians 4:7–12 is closely related to Philippians 3:10. In both passages, Paul discusses the persecutions and afflictions he faces as an apostle. In Philippians 3:10 he says that such suffering conforms him to the death of Christ, while in 2 Corinthians 4:10 he says the suffering makes it such that everywhere he goes, he carries the cross of Christ. Of course, the cross of Christ is the paradigmatic example of what it means to sacrifice oneself in love for God’s will and one’s neighbour. So in Philippians 3:10, Paul is saying that by suffering for the gospel, he is conformed to Christ’s perfect sacrificial death, and in 2 Corinthians 4:7–12 he says that as he suffers for the gospel, he carries Christ’s perfect example wherever he goes. Thus, both passages have a similar theme such that we can rightly use 2 Corinthians 4:7–12 to inform the meaning of Philippians 3:10. And when we do this, we see that Paul likely has in mind that conforming to Christ’s death is something like being conforming to the paradigmatic example of love and sacrifice.

The weakness of this view is that it is not obviously the case that being conformed to Christ’s death has to do with conforming to Christ’s paradigmatic example. Still, once we understand that the cross is the paradigmatic example of self-sacrifice, we can see what it means to be conformed to it.

Explanation:

When Paul says that he is being conformed to the death of Christ, he reaches back to Philippians 2:5–11.⁹ There he explains that Christ willingly took the form of a slave and became obedient even unto death. Likely, when Paul says that he is becoming like Christ in his death, he has in mind that Christ was obedient unto death. Thus, to become like Christ in his death is to commit one’s whole life to God, being obedient to God, even unto death.¹⁰

Counterargument:

The problem with this is that, aside from the fact that both Philippians 2:8 and Philippians 3:10 mention Christ’s death, there is no obvious connection between these verses. And of course, the mention of Christ’s death is not enough to establish a connection if the themes of each section are unrelated. So are the themes of each section unrelated? It seems so. For Philippians 2:5–11 is about Christ and his willingness to take on the form of a servant, even unto death, out of love for God and his neighbour, while Philippians 3:10 is about Paul becoming like Christ, even conforming to Christ’s death. To conform to Christ’s death is not quite the same as being obedient until death, for conforming to Christ’s death has to do with associating with his death in some important way. Relatedly, we know the verb to become like is in the passive voice, which implies that conforming to Christ’s death is something that happens to him as he shares in Christ’s suffering. On the other hand, obedience unto death implies actively doing something.

Explanation:

When Paul explains that Christ emptied himself even unto death, his main application is obedience. We can detect this because immediately following the hymn in Philippians 2:5–11, Paul reminds the Philippians to obey. And by obeying, they will shine like stars in a crooked generation. Paul also explains that their obedience will cause them to suffer for the gospel (Philippians 1:29), and that suffering will shape the church to be like Christ, who was obedient unto death.¹¹ Thus, to be conformed to Christ’s death is to be obedient as Christ was.

Counterargument:

There are potential problems with this argument. First, it is not clear that obedience is the main application of the hymn. Rather, it might just as well be serving one another as Christ served. Further, even if we assume that obedience is the main application of the Christ hymn, it is not clear how this fact lends to the notion that being conformed to Christ’s death has to do with being obedient. For this view seems to argue that because the hymn is about obedience, and Paul calls the Philippians to obedience so they can shine like stars, being conformed to Christ’s death is to be obedient. In other words, the view could be formalized as:

1. The main application of the Christ hymn is obedience.

2. Paul calls the Philippians to obedience.

3. Therefore, conforming to Christ’s death has to do with obedience.

Unfortunately, the conclusion does not follow from the premises. We want to know what it means to conform to Christ’s death, and it is no answer to say that the main theme of the Christ hymn is obedience.

The weakness of this view is that it depends on the notion that Paul connects Philippians 3:10 to Philippians 2:5–11, but there is no clear indication that Paul makes such a connection. And without this connection, the interpretation has no support.

Explanation:

When Paul says he wants to know Christ by sharing in his suffering and being conformed to his death, he wants us to take him literally. He wants to suffer as Christ did and then die a martyr’s death for Christ.¹² We can deduce that he has in mind literally dying as a martyr because he mentions dying in Philippians 1:23, where he says that he desires to depart and be with Christ. Likely he meant that he wants to conform to Christ's death by dying as a martyr. Thus, to conform to Christ’s death is to die as a martyr.

Counterargument:

While it might be that Paul desires to conform to Christ's death in the sense of literally dying, it is hard to see how Philippians 1:23 could be used as an argument to support this view. Philippians 1:23 has to do with Paul’s desire to be with the Lord, while Philippians 3:10 has to do with Paul’s desire to suffer as the Lord did. There is a difference between literally being with the Lord and literally suffering and dying as the Lord suffered and died. Thus, Philippians 1:23 does not establish that Christ has martyrdom in mind in Philippians 3:10.

This view offers the wrong argument. Whether there is a connection between Philippians 1:23 and Philippians 3:10 is neither clear nor relevant. Rather, one could simply argue that just as Paul desires to suffer as Christ did, so he desires to die as Christ did. Such an argument is simple and to the point and does not rely on what seems to be a weak connection to an earlier passage. Unfortunately, this view makes no such argument.