the things which He `suffered'; of being reproached, to have suffered

`without the gate' (Heb. 2:18; 5:8; 13:12).  Peter speaks of Christ suffering

for us, and thereby `leaving us an example', associating this suffering with

that endured by the believer who with a clear conscience takes unmerited evil

patiently, and actually telling him that in these things he can `follow His

steps'.  It will be found that this is the character which attaches to the

sufferings of Christ in the New Testament  In these sufferings the believer

can be a `partaker' (2 Cor. 1:5 -7; 1 Pet. 4:13).

The reader will expect a reference to the apostle's statement that he

filled up `that which was behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh'

(Col. 1:24).  It should be noted that here the word is not pathema, but

thlipsis often rendered `tribulation' (Eph. 3:13; Rev. 7:14), and in many

passages associated with future glory as a consequence.  The apostle desired

to have `fellowship' with these sufferings of Christ, and because of this, he

also desired a deeper acquaintance with the power of His resurrection;

without such power, fellowship with Christ's sufferings would be suicidal.

Resurrection is not only a blessed hope, it is inescapable.  The unjust

as well as the just, they that have done good, and they that have done evil,

those who form the Body of Christ, and those who stand before the Great White

Throne, each and every one of the seed of the woman, Jew or Gentile, must be

raised from the dead.  The fact that the apostle could preface his reference

to resurrection in Philippians 3:11 with an `if' after having expressed his

complete surrender to the grace of God in Christ, is of itself an indication

that he is not speaking of the fundamental doctrine of resurrection.

`If by any means I might attain unto'.  No ambiguity attaches to the

original here, the R.V. makes but one alteration, the exchange of `may' for

`might'.  The simple way of `putting the condition' is attained by using the

particle ei, as in Philippians 1:22.  In the passage before us ei is combined

with the adverb pos `how', and so means `if somehow'.  The word eipos occurs

but four times in the New Testament and in every case the contingency is very

real, the possibility of failure is stressed.  The passages are:

`If by

any means they might attain to Phenice' (Acts 27:12).

`If by

any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey' (Rom.

`If by

any means I may provoke to emulation' (Rom. 11:14).

`If by

any means I might attain unto the resurrection' (Phil. 3:11).

The grafting of the Gentile, as a wild olive, failed to provoke Israel

to emulation.  The attempt to reach Phenice, ended in shipwreck.  The

original of Philippians 3:11 reads eipos katanteso eis, the original of Acts

27:12 reads eipos dunainto katantesantes eis.  The differences are purely

grammatical, katanteso being singular, and katantesantes being plural, and

the added word dunainto being the addition of the word meaning `be able'.

The experiences of the apostle recorded in Acts 27 and 28 must have

left an indelible impression upon his mind, and as he penned the words, `if

by any means I might attain unto the resurrection', he knew, that there was

the possibility of failing to arrive, just as surely as the venture to attain

unto Phenice met with such disaster.  In the verse following, he emphasizes

the fact that he had not `already attained' but that he `followed after',

still further adding `brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended'.  Now