1 S o now, my Christian brothers, be happy because you belong to Christ. It is not hard for me to write the same things to you. It is good for you.

For the rest, my brethren, rejoice in Lord: to write the same things to you, to me not irksome, and for you safe.

2 W atch out for false teachers. Watch out for sinful men. They want you to depend on the religious act of becoming a Jew for your hope.

See to dogs, see to evil workmen, see to the concision.

3 T he act of becoming a Jew has nothing to do with us becoming Christians. We worship God through His Spirit and are proud of Jesus Christ. We have no faith in what we ourselves can do.

For we are the circumcision, who worship by Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in flesh.

4 I could have reason to trust in the flesh. If anyone could feel that the flesh could do something for him, I could.

Though I have trust even in flesh; if any other think to trust in flesh, I rather:

5 I went through the religious act of becoming a Jew when I was eight days old. I was born a Jew and came from the family group of Benjamin. I was a Jewish son of Jewish parents. I belonged to the group of the proud religious law-keepers.

as to circumcision, the eighth day; of race of Israel, of tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of Hebrews; as to law, a Pharisee;

6 I followed my religion with all my heart and did everything I could to make it hard for the church. No one could say anything against the way I obeyed the Law. Christ Must Be Lord of Our Lives

as to zeal, persecuting the assembly; as to righteousness which in law, found blameless;

7 B ut I gave up those things that were so important to me for Christ.

but what things were gain to me these I counted, on account of Christ, loss.

8 E ven more than that, I think of everything as worth nothing. It is so much better to know Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for Him. And I think of these things as worth nothing so that I can have Christ.

But surely I count also all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all, and count them to be filth, that I may gain Christ;

9 I want to be as one with Him. I could not be right with God by what the Law said I must do. I was made right with God by faith in Christ.

and that I may be found in him, not having my righteousness, which on the principle of law, but that which is by faith of Christ, the righteousness which of God through faith,

10 I want to know Him. I want to have the same power in my life that raised Jesus from the dead. I want to understand and have a share in His sufferings and be like Christ in His death.

to know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,

11 T hen I may be raised up from among the dead.

if any way I arrive at the resurrection from among dead.

12 I do not say that I have received this or have already become perfect. But I keep going on to make that life my own as Christ Jesus made me His own.

Not that I have already obtained, or am already perfected; but I pursue, if also I may get possession, seeing that also I have been taken possession of by Christ.

13 N o, Christian brothers, I do not have that life yet. But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me.

Brethren, I do not count to have got possession myself; but one thing—forgetting the things behind, and stretching out to the things before,

14 M y eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus.

I pursue, towards goal, for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus.

15 A ll of us who are full-grown Christians should think this way. If you do not think this way, God will show it to you.

As many therefore as perfect, let us be thus minded; and if ye are any otherwise minded, this also God shall reveal to you.

16 S o let us keep on obeying the same truth we have already been following.

But whereto we have attained, walk in the same steps.

17 C hristian brothers, live your lives as I have lived mine. Watch those who live as I have taught you to live.

Be imitators together of me, brethren, and fix your eyes on those walking thus as you have us for a model;

18 T here are many whose lives show they hate the cross of Christ. I have told you this before. Now I tell you again with tears in my eyes.

(for many walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19 T heir god is their stomach. They take pride in things they should be ashamed of. All they think about are the things of this world. In the end they will be destroyed.

whose end destruction, whose god the belly, and glory in their shame, who mind earthly things:)

20 B ut we are citizens of heaven. Christ, the One Who saves from the punishment of sin, will be coming down from heaven again. We are waiting for Him to return.

for our commonwealth has its existence in heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ Saviour,

21 H e will change these bodies of ours of the earth and make them new. He will make them like His body of shining-greatness. He has the power to do this because He can make all things obey Him.

who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory, according to the working of power which he has even to subdue all things to himself.