Philippians 3
3
The Priceless Value of Knowing Christ
1Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters,#3:1 Greek brothers; also in 3:13, 17. rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.
2Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. 3For we who worship by the Spirit of God#3:3 Some manuscripts read worship God in spirit; one early manuscript reads worship in spirit. are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!
5I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
7I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.#3:9 Or through the faithfulness of Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
Pressing toward the Goal
12I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,#3:13 Some manuscripts read not yet achieved it. but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
15Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
17Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
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Philippians 3
3
All for Christ
1Finally, my brethren, #1 Thess. 5:16rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
2#Ps. 22:16, 20; Gal. 5:15; Rev. 22:15Beware of dogs, beware of #Ps. 119:115evil workers, #Rom. 2:28beware of the mutilation! 3For we are #Deut. 30:6; Rom. 2:28, 29; 9:6; (Gal. 6:15)the circumcision, #John 4:24; Rom. 7:6who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4though #2 Cor. 5:16; 11:18I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I #2 Cor. 11:22, 23more so: 5circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, #Rom. 11:1of the tribe of Benjamin, #2 Cor. 11:22a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, #Acts 23:6a Pharisee; 6concerning zeal, #Acts 8:3; 22:4, 5; 26:9–11persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7But #Matt. 13:44what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I also count all things loss #Is. 53:11; Jer. 9:23; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 2:2; (Eph. 4:13)for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having #Rom. 10:3my own righteousness, which is from the law, but #Rom. 1:17that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10that I may know Him and the #Eph. 1:19, 20power of His resurrection, and #(Rom. 6:3–5); 2 Cor. 1:5; 1 Pet. 4:13the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11if, by any means, I may #Acts 26:6–8; (1 Cor. 15:23; Rev. 20:5)attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Pressing Toward the Goal
12Not that I have already #1 Cor. 9:24; (1 Tim. 6:12, 19)attained, or am already #Heb. 12:23perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, #Luke 9:62forgetting those things which are behind and #Heb. 6:1reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14#2 Tim. 4:7I press toward the goal for the prize of #Heb. 3:1the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15Therefore let us, as many as are #Matt. 5:48; 1 Cor. 2:6mature, #Gal. 5:10have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, #Hos. 6:3; James 1:5God will reveal even this to you. 16Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, #Gal. 6:16let us walk #Rom. 12:16; 15:5by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Our Citizenship in Heaven
17Brethren, #(1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1); Phil. 4:9join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as #Titus 2:7, 8; 1 Pet. 5:3you have us for a pattern. 18For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are #Gal. 1:7the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19#2 Cor. 11:15whose end is destruction, #1 Tim. 6:5whose god is their belly, and #Hos. 4:7whose glory is in their shame—#Rom. 8:5; Col. 3:2who set their mind on earthly things. 20For #Eph. 2:6, 19; Phil. 1:27; (Col. 3:1; Heb. 12:22)our citizenship is in heaven, #Acts 1:11from which we also #1 Cor. 1:7eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21#(1 Cor. 15:43–53)who will transform our lowly body that it may be #1 John 3:2conformed to His glorious body, #Eph. 1:19according to the working by which He is able even to #(1 Cor. 15:28)subdue all things to Himself.
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