Philippians 3

Righteousness Through Faith in Christ

¹Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

²Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.³For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—⁴though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;⁶as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.⁷But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—¹⁰that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,¹¹that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Straining Toward the Goal

¹²Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.¹³Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.¹⁵Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.¹⁶Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

¹⁷Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.¹⁸For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.¹⁹Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,²¹who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.