Participating with Christ

The Gospel of John states that eternal life is to know God and to know Jesus, whom God has sent. But what does it mean to know God? Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, indicates that what he desires most is to know Jesus - a knowing so intimate that it involves "participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death". Are we truly willing to die to ourselves in order to participate in God's redemptive plan?

Passage: Philippians 3:7-14