knowing the power of christ's resurrection

I remember when working on my first commentary some 50 plus years ago how I puzzled on Paul’s statement about wanting “to know the power of [Christ’s] resurrection” (3:10). What exactly did he want to know, and what did he mean by “knowing?” The Greek ginosko has a wide range of meaning, running all the way from “to know about” to “to have sexual relations with.” Just a bit of checking showed that Paul’s use of “to know” in this passage meant that he wanted “to experience” the power of the resurrection. That he wanted the experience is clear, but what exactly was it that he wanted? From a practical point of view what does it mean to “know the power of Christ’s resurrection?”
       That the resurrection of Christ called for a power outside of anything we could imagine is perfectly clear. I believe the term refers to more than just coming out of the tomb; it includes everything from his decision in Gethsemane to yield to the reprehensible task, the humiliation and pain of the cross, and then on the third day the unheard of change from death to actual life. And Paul wanted to know, to genuinely experience this kind of unheard of spiritual power. And certainly it wasn’t that Paul wanted this experience for his own pleasure, but as the opportunity to use such power for his ministry of proclaiming the gospel.
       Some might suggest that the inquiry be left as it is, but I would like to “bring it down to earth,” if that is the correct way to say it. A starting point might be that “knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection” refers to something like having “adequate power to achieve the task at hand.” Jesus was to come back to life! People don’t do that. It would require some sort of miraculous power way beyond what any one has ever known. So, did Paul want to experience exactly what was going on during those three days of mysterious darkness? Or would “the power of the resurrection” refer not so much to some measurable amount, but to whatever would be necessary to overcome any difficulty we might face. That is what it referred to in Jesus’ case. He met an impossible task (the grip of death) and needed a power sufficient to overcome it and bring him back to life.
       In the same way, we are faced with difficulties that, given our weakness, cannot be overcome. The drug addict finds it impossible to simply decide to stop and watch it work out. Other difficulties may be less severe, but like last year’s New Year’s resolution, we blew it again. The answer is that help must come from without. Like the apostle, we must long to “know” the power that will bring our life into conformity with what our faith tells us it should be. It will be a power not dissimilar from the power that brought Jesus back to life from the tomb. It is our privilege to ask for “the power of the resurrection,” i.e., power sufficient to throw off our weakness and live like a believer who is genuinely “born again.”  This kind of power (resurrection power!) has been provided; all we have to do is to ask for it. Perhaps it is time for the church of Jesus Christ to lay hold of resurrection power and live a “recently come back from the dead” kind of life.