Philippians 3

The Goal of Life

1Finally, my brothers and sisters, 1rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble for me, and it is a safeguard for you.

2Beware of the 2dogs, beware of the 3evil workers, beware of the 4false circumcision; 3for 5we are the true 6circumcision, who 7worship in the Spirit of God and take 8pride in 9Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh, 4although 10I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason: 511circumcised the eighth day, of the 12nation of Israel, of the 13tribe of Benjamin, a 14Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, 15a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, 16a persecutor of the church; as to the 17righteousness which is in the Law, found 18blameless.

7But 19whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. 8More than that, I count all things to be loss 20in view of the surpassing value of 2122knowing 23Christ Jesus my Lord, 24for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, 9and may be found in Him, not having 25a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, 26the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10that I may 27know Him and 28the power of His resurrection and 2930the fellowship of His sufferings, being 31conformed to His death; 11if somehow I may 32attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12Not that I have already 3334grasped it all or have already 35become perfect, but I press on if I may also 36take hold of that 37for which I 38was even taken hold of by 39Christ Jesus. 13Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: 40forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I 41press on toward the goal for the prize of the 42upward call of God in 43Christ Jesus. 15Therefore, all who are 4445mature, let’s have this attitude; and if in anything you have a 46different attitude, 47God will reveal that to you as well; 16however, let’s keep 4849living by that same standard to which we have attained.

17Brothers and sisters, 50join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the 51pattern you have in us. 18For 52many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I 53weep, that they are the enemies of 54the cross of Christ, 19whose end is destruction, whose god is their 5556appetite, and whose 57glory is in their shame, who 58have their minds on earthly things. 20For 59our 60citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly 61wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21who will 62transform the body of our lowly condition into 63conformity with 64His 65glorious body, 66by the exertion of the power that He has even to 67subject all things to Himself.