Philippians 3
1 In conclusion, my Brothers, all joy be yours in your union with the Lord. To repeat what I have already written does not weary me, and is the safe course for you.
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
2 Beware of those ‘dogs’! Beware of those mischievous workers! Beware of the men who mutilate themselves!
Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!
3 For it is we who are the circumcised — we whose worship is prompted by the Spirit of God, who exult in Christ Jesus, and who do not rely upon external privileges;
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
4 though I, if any man, have cause to rely even upon them. If any one thinks he can rely upon external privileges, far more can I!
though I myself could have such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 I was circumcised when eight days old; I am an Israelite by race, and of the tribe of Benjamin; I am a Hebrew, and the child of Hebrews. As to the Law, I was a Pharisee;
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, I was a persecutor of the Church; as to such righteousness as is due to Law, I proved myself blameless.
as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
7 But all the things which I once held to be gains I have now, for the Christ’s sake, come to count as loss.
But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count everything as loss, for the sake of the exceeding value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. And for his sake I have lost everything, and count it as refuse, if I may but gain Christ and be found in union with him;
More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 any righteousness that I have being, not the righteousness that results from Law, but the righteousness which comes through faith in Christ — the righteousness which is derived from God and is founded on faith.
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
10 Then indeed I shall know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and all that it means to share his sufferings,
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,
11 in the hope that, if I become like him in death, I may possibly attain to the resurrection from the dead.
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already laid hold of it, or that I am already made perfect. But I press on, in the hope of actually laying hold of that for which indeed I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13 For I, Brothers, do not regard myself as having yet laid hold of it. But this one thing I do — forgetting what lies behind, and straining every nerve for that which lies in front,
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on to the goal, to gain the prize of that heavenward Call which God gave me through Christ Jesus.
I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
15 Let all of us, then, whose faith is mature, think thus. Then, if on any matter you think otherwise, God will make that also plain to you.
All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.
16 Only we are bound to order our lives by what we have already attained.
Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.
17 Brothers, unite in following my example, and fix your eyes on those who are living by the pattern which we have set you.
Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you.
18 For there are many — of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears — who are living in enmity to the cross of the Christ.
For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 The end of such men is Ruin; for their appetites are their God, and they glory in their shame; their minds are given up to earthly things.
Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.
20 But the State of which we are citizens is in Heaven; and it is from Heaven that we are eagerly looking for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,
But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who, by the exercise of his power to bring everything into subjection to himself, will make this body that we have in our humiliation like to that body which he has in his Glory.
who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
