Philippians 3:11

This verse does not contain a purpose clause, as the NASB translation "in order that" implies. A better translation would be "if somehow" (NASB margin) or "and so, somehow" (NIV). It expresses expectation.

Superficially this verse seems to suggest that Paul had some doubt about the certainty of his resurrection. However elsewhere in his writings he was very confident that God would resurrect him and all believers (e.g., Romans 8:11; Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Corinthians 15:12-57; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Timothy 2:18). The Bible teaches that God will resurrect all people, believers and unbelievers, if they have died (e.g., Daniel 12:2; Matthew 22:29-32; Luke 20:37-38; John 6:39-40; John 6:44; John 6:54; John 11:25; Acts 4:2; Acts 17:18; Acts 23:6; Acts 24:15; Hebrews 6:2; Revelation 20:4-6; Revelation 20:13). Consequently we must look for another explanation of this verse.

"Now, if Paul believed in one general resurrection at the end in which all people, the saved and lost, would participate, it is difficult to understand his use of this language in relation to his personal participation. There would be no question of his being a part of such a resurrection." [Note: Saucy, p. 287.]

One possibility is that Paul was thinking of his spiritual co-resurrection with Christ. [Note: W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, 1:86.] In the context he had been speaking of suffering and dying with Him. Yet these were evidently physical experiences, not spiritual realities. Furthermore the resurrection he said he hoped to attain was still future whereas he had already experienced spiritual resurrection with Christ to newness of life (Romans 6:1-11; Galatians 2:20).

Another view is that Paul was hoping that he would persevere faithfully in his quest to know Christ until he died. The logical progression in Paul’s thought in Philippians 3:10-11 was from suffering to death to resurrection. Perhaps he meant he wanted to experience suffering for Christ’s sake and was even willing to die for Him to arrive at his resurrection in a manner that would enable him to face His master unashamed. [Note: E.g., Hawthorne, pp. 146-47.] The problem with this view is the unusual word used for the resurrection (Gr. exanastasin, lit. out-resurrection).

The words that Paul used seem to indicate that he was thinking of a resurrection from among those who were dead. The Greek phrase is ten exanastasin ten ek nekron. The use of the preposition ek twice in the phrase, the first usage being in exanastasin, suggests a resurrection out from a group not resurrected. The NASB translators captured this idea when they rendered this phrase "the resurrection from among the dead." The NIV translators simply translated it "the resurrection from the dead."

This is a good example, by the way, of the characteristic difference between these two translations. Generally the NASB is more literal, translating a Greek word with the same English word wherever the Greek word occurs. The NIV is more paraphrastic, translating a Greek word with any number of English synonyms to make the English translation more readable.

This understanding of exanastasin would point to the resurrection of believers that will result in Christians rising from among the unbelieving dead, those who are dead in their trespasses and sins.

Paul was probably speaking of the Rapture. [Note: See John F. Walvoord, Philippians, pp. 87-88; and S. Lewis Johnson Jr., "The Out-Resurrection from the Dead," Bibliotheca Sacra 110 (1953):139-46; and Lightner, "Philippians," p. 661.] When that event takes place God will snatch Christians out from among the spiritually dead (unbelievers). This explains the unusual word Paul employed that appears only here in the Greek New Testament. But the Rapture is not an event that Christians need to strive to attain. All Christians living and dead will be caught up when it occurs. [Note: See Gerald B. Stanton, Kept from the Hour, pp. 165-77, for refutation of the partial rapture view.] Probably Paul meant that he hoped he would live to experience the Rapture, the "out-resurrection from among the dead," before he died. The verb katavtao ("attain") means to come to, to arrive at, or to attain to something. Paul evidently expected that the Rapture could happen before he died (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Another, less likely, possibility is that Paul meant faithful Christians will experience a better resurrection than unfaithful believers.

"The out-resurrection is a special reward which only faithful believers will receive. While the exact nature of that reward is unclear here, it can generally be understood as a sort of abundance of life. All believers will be resurrected and have joy forever. Faithful believers only will obtain this out-resurrection and have abundance of joy forever. Hebrews 11:35 is instructive here. It speaks of believers who ’were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.’ All believers will be resurrected, but there is a better one for those who endure. Obviously this out-resurrection is something which is capable of many degrees depending on the measure of one’s faithfulness. Thus the degree to which we are faithful to use our talents, treasures, gifts, abilities, resources, and opportunities in life to please Him is the degree to which we will obtain this out-resurrection abundance of life." [Note: Bob Wilkin, "Philippians 3:11: Is Our Resurrection Certain?" Grace Evangelical Society Newsletter, November 1987, p. 2.]

There is no question that there will be differences of rewards at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). However there is no other Scripture that teaches a difference in the resurrection of faithful and unfaithful believers. It seems strange that if Paul wanted to distinguish between faithful and unfaithful believers here he would use the resurrection to do so. Other Scripture points to the judgment seat of Christ as the time when God will make this distinction, not the resurrection. Moreover the term "out-resurrection" seems to stress separation from others at the time of resurrection rather than separation from others following resurrection.

Robert Wilkin, the writer quoted above, later changed his view and adopted the "spiritual resurrection view."

"The spiritual resurrection view posits that the out-resurrection refers to the attainment of Christlike character in this life." [Note: Idem, "Raised to Run," Grace Evangelical Society News 6:8 (August 1991):2.]

However exanastasis seems to be a very unusual word to use to describe the attainment of Christ-like character.