Can we start out like Paul?...
Can we start out like Paul? Are we confident in that we have been baptized, confirmed, and attend church and contribute? Paul would call all that a loss compared to knowing Christ.
There is a difference between knowing Christ and just knowing about him. We can study in a seminary and be full of knowledge about Christ, but do we know him? That can be something hard for us Lutherans with our wise learning. I'm not sure how we can know if someone really knows Christ except by the way he or she lives. Do we feel love emanating from them? Do we sense a genuine joy in them?