Philippians 3:1–8

Run Straight toward the Goal

¹Now then, brothers and sisters, be joyful in the Lord. It’s no trouble for me to write the same things to you, and it’s for your safety. ²Beware of dogs! Beware of those who do evil things. Beware of those who insist on circumcision. ³We are the ⸤true⸥ circumcised people ⸤of God⸥ because we serve God’s Spirit and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don’t place any confidence in physical things, ⁴although I could have confidence in my physical qualifications. If anyone else thinks that he can trust in something physical, I can claim even more. ⁵I was circumcised on the eighth day. I’m a descendant of Israel. I’m from the tribe of Benjamin. I’m a pure-blooded Hebrew. When it comes to following Jewish laws, I was a Pharisee. ⁶When it comes to being enthusiastic, I was a persecutor of the church. When it comes to winning God’s approval by obeying Jewish laws, I was perfect. 

⁷These things that I once considered valuable, I now consider worthless for Christ. ⁸It’s far more than that! I consider everything else worthless because I’m much better off knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. It’s because of him that I think of everything as worthless. I threw it all away in order to gain Christ