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Knowing Christ

¹ In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice^(C1) in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you.

² Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil^(C1) workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. ³ For we are the circumcision,^(C1) the ones who worship by the Spirit^(C2) of God, boast in Christ Jesus,^(C3) and do not put confidence in the flesh— ⁴ although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day;^(C1) of the nation of Israel,^(C2) of the tribe of Benjamin,^(C3) a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law,^(C4) a Pharisee; ⁶ regarding zeal,^(C1) persecuting^(C2) the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law,^(C3) blameless.^(C4)

⁷ But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. ⁸ More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value^(C1) of knowing Christ^(C2) Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ^{(C3) 9} and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law,^(C1) but one that is through faith in Christ^(F1)—the righteousness from God based on faith.^{(C2) 10} My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings,^(C1) being conformed to his death,^{(C2) 11} assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

Reaching Forward to God’s Goal

¹² Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold^(C1) of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not^(F1) consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind^(C1) and reaching forward to what is ahead, ¹⁴ I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly^(F1) call in Christ Jesus.^{(C1) 15} Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal^(C1) this also to you. ¹⁶ In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. ¹⁷ Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us. ¹⁸ For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross^(C1) of Christ. ¹⁹ Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory^(C1) is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, ²⁰ but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹ He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious^(C1) body,^(C2) by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.