Knowing Christ

3 Finally, my * brothers, rejoice i in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a protection for you.

2 Watch out for “dogs,” j watch out for evil k workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, l the ones who serve by the Spirit m of God, boast in Christ Jesus, n and do not put confidence in the flesh— 4 although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; o of the nation of Israel, p of the tribe of Benjamin, q a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, r a * Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, s persecuting t the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, u blameless. v

7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 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 15 Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal j this also to you. 16 In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. 17 Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross k of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory l is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, 20 but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious m body, n by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.