Righteousness Through Faith in Christ

¹Finally, my brothers,1 krejoice in the Lord. lTo write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

²Look out for mthe dogs, look out for nthe evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. ³For owe are the circumcision, pwho worship qby the Spirit of God2 and rglory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴sthough I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵tcircumcised on the eighth day, uof the people of Israel, vof the tribe of Benjamin, ua Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, wa Pharisee; ⁶xas to zeal, ya persecutor of the church; zas to righteousness under the law,3 blameless. ⁷But awhatever gain I had, bI counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of cthe surpassing worth of dknowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I ehave suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having fa righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but gthat which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰hthat I may know him and ithe power of his resurrection, and jmay share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹that by any means possible I may kattain the resurrection from the dead.

Straining Toward the Goal

¹²Not that I have already lobtained this or mam already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: nforgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for othe prize of the upward pcall of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Let those of us who are qmature think this way, and if in anything ryou think otherwise, sGod will reveal that also to you. ¹⁶Only tlet us hold true to what we have attained.

¹⁷Brothers, ujoin in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk vaccording to the example you have in us. ¹⁸For wmany, of whom I have often told you and now tell you xeven with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹yTheir end is destruction, ztheir god is their belly, and athey glory in their shame, with bminds set on earthly things. ²⁰But cour citizenship is in heaven, and dfrom it we eawait a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who will transform four lowly body gto be like his glorious body, hby the power that enables him even ito subject all things to himself.