Paul’s desire the verses themselves are meaningless. Here is the great apostle to the Gentiles, through whom we have learned about Jesus, with all his great rabbinical and historical knowledge, writing of his desire to know him. If we do not understand his meaning, we might well ask, “What do you mean, ‘I want to know Christ’? We are believers in Jesus, but it is from you that we have learned much of what we know. You have written of his life, death, and resurrection. You have explained the meaning