Chapter 3

The Goal of Life

1 Finally, my brethren, arejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

2 Beware of the adogs, beware of the bevil workers, beware of the 1false circumcision;

3 for awe are the true 1circumcision, who bworship in the Spirit of God and cglory in dChrist Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,

4 although aI myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:

5 acircumcised the eighth day, of the bnation of Israel, of the ctribe of Benjamin, a bHebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, da Pharisee;

6 as to zeal, aa persecutor of the church; as to the brighteousness which is in the Law, found cblameless.

7 But awhatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

8 More than that, I count all things to be loss 1in view of the surpassing value of 2aknowing bChrist Jesus my Lord, 1for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

9 and may be found in Him, not having aa righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, bthe righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

10 that I may aknow Him and bthe power of His resurrection and 1cthe fellowship of His sufferings, being dconformed to His death;

11 1in order that I may aattain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already aobtained it or have already bbecome perfect, but I press on 1so that I may clay hold of that 2for which also I dwas laid hold of by eChrist Jesus.

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: aforgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

14 I apress on toward the goal for the prize of the bupward call of God in cChrist Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as are 1aperfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a bdifferent attitude, cGod will reveal that also to you;

16 however, let us keep 1aliving by that same standard to which we have attained.

17 Brethren, ajoin in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the bpattern you have in us.

18 For amany walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even bweeping, that they are enemies of cthe cross of Christ,

19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their 1aappetite, and whose bglory is in their shame, who cset their minds on earthly things.

20 For aour 1citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly bwait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

21 who will atransform 1the body of our humble state into bconformity with 2the cbody of His glory, dby the exertion of the power that He has even to esubject all things to Himself.