1 A s to the rest, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord; the same things to write to you to me indeed is not tiresome, and for you sure;

So 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.

2 l ook to the dogs, look to the evil-workers, look to the concision;

Watch 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.

3 f or we are the circumcision, who by the Spirit are serving God, and glorying in Christ Jesus, and in flesh having no trust,

The 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.

4 t hough I also have trust in flesh. If any other one doth think to have trust in flesh, I more;

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

5 c ircumcision on the eighth day! of the race of Israel! of the tribe of Benjamin! a Hebrew of Hebrews! according to law a Pharisee!

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.

6 a ccording to zeal persecuting the assembly! according to righteousness that is in law becoming blameless!

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

7 B ut what things were to me gains, these I have counted, because of the Christ, loss;

But I gave up those things that were so important to me for Christ.

8 y es, indeed, and I count all things to be loss, because of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, because of whom of the all things I suffered loss, and do count them to be refuse, that Christ I may gain, and be found in him,

Even 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.

9 n ot having my righteousness, which of law, but that which through faith of Christ -- the righteousness that is of God by the faith,

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.

10 t o know him, and the power of his rising again, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,

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.

11 i f anyhow I may attain to the rising again of the dead.

Then I may be raised up from among the dead.

12 N ot that I did already obtain, or have been already perfected; but I pursue, if also I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by the Christ Jesus;

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.

13 b rethren, I do not reckon myself to have laid hold; and one thing -- the things behind indeed forgetting, and to the things before stretching forth --

No, 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.

14 t o the mark I pursue for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

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

15 A s many, therefore, as perfect -- let us think this, and if anything ye think otherwise, this also shall God reveal to you,

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

16 b ut to what we have come -- by the same rule walk, the same thing think;

So let us keep on obeying the same truth we have already been following.

17 b ecome followers together of me, brethren, and observe those thus walking, according as ye have us -- a pattern;

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

18 f or many walk of whom many times I told you -- and now also weeping tell -- the enemies of the cross of the Christ!

There 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.

19 w hose end destruction, whose god the belly, and whose glory in their shame, who the things on earth are minding.

Their 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.

20 F or our citizenship is in the heavens, whence also a Saviour we await -- the Lord Jesus Christ --

But 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.

21 w ho shall transform the body of our humiliation to its becoming conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working of his power, even to subject to himself the all things.

He 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.