8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value w of knowing Christ x Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ y 9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, z but one that is through faith in Christ a—the righteousness from God based on faith. b 10 My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, c being conformed to His death, d 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

Reaching Forward to God’s Goal

12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold e of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not f consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind g and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly h call in Christ Jesus. i