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I. WHAT IT IMPLIES — a believing appreciation of them — evidenced by suffering in Christ's service, for His sake, with and for the benefit of His people.

II. WHY AN OBJECT OF AMBITION. It implies gratitude, honour, hope, union with Christ.

(J. Lyth, D. D.)These sufferings may be considered in two ways.

I. AS EXPIATORY OF OUR, SINS, BORNE BY JESUS CHRIST IN OUR STEAD IN HIS QUALITY OF SURETY. And of these we are partakers, inasmuch as, embracing them by faith, God imputes them to us, and communicates to us the fruit thereof, namely, Divine and perfect righteousness, by which, absolved from all our sins, we become acceptable to God as His dear children, and can never more be called to endure any meritorious or expiatory sufferings as were those of the Saviour.

II. AS MODELS, patterns which Jesus has left us to follow, showing us the path by which it is the good pleasure of the Father to conduct us to salvation. And thus we are partakers with Him, being called to suffer after His example. And this fellowship may also be considered —

1. As interior, the mortification of sin within us, the crucifixion of the old nature, transpiercing it with His thorns and nails, drinking of His vinegar, and thus putting it to death by degrees; in which the passion of the Saviour is represented within our hearts (Romans 6:5-6; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:24).

2. Exterior; the part we have in the afflictions and persecutions of the Church, for the confirmation of the truth of God, for the glory of Jesus, for the edification of men (Romans 8:29; 2 Timothy 3:12.)

(J. Daille.)

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KJV: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

WEB: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death;