Know Him
1 Finally, my
brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is
not tedious, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs,
beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
3 For we are the
circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit,[a]
rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
4 though I also might
have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in
the flesh, I more so: 5
circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal,
persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law,
blameless.
7 But what things were
gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also
count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as
rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him,
not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which
is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him
and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death, 11
if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have
already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold
of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not
count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the
goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us,
as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise,
God will reveal even this to you.
16 Nevertheless, to
the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[b]
let us be of the same mind.
17 Brethren, join in
following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
18 For many walk, of
whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are
the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 whose end is
destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is
in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
20 For our citizenship
is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ, 21 who will
transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body,
according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to
Himself