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The Goal of Life

¹ Finally, my brothers and sisters, ^(C1)rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble for me, and it is a safeguard for you.

² Beware of the ^(C1)dogs, beware of the ^(C2)evil workers, beware of the ^(F1)false circumcision;³ for ^(C1)we are the true ^(F1)circumcision, who ^(C2)worship in the Spirit of God and take ^(C3)pride in ^(C4)Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh,⁴ although ^(C1)I myself could boast as having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he is confident in the flesh, I have more reason:^5 (C1)circumcised the eighth day, of the ^(C2)nation of Israel, of the ^(C3)tribe of Benjamin, a ^(C2)Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, ^(C4)a Pharisee;⁶ as to zeal, ^(C1)a persecutor of the church; as to the ^(C2)righteousness which is in the Law, found ^(C3)blameless.

⁷ But ^(C1)whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ.⁸ More than that, I count all things to be loss ^(F1)in view of the surpassing value of ^(F2)(C1)knowing ^(C2)Christ Jesus my Lord, ^(F1)for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ,⁹ and may be found in Him, not having ^(C1)a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, ^(C2)the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,¹⁰ that I may ^(C1)know Him and ^(C2)the power of His resurrection and ^(F1)(C3)the fellowship of His sufferings, being ^(C4)conformed to His death;¹¹ if somehow I may ^(C1)attain to the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already ^(F1)(C1)grasped it all or have already ^(C2)become perfect, but I press on if I may also ^(C3)take hold of that ^(F2)for which I ^(C4)was even taken hold of by ^(C5)Christ Jesus.¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: ^(C1)forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,¹⁴ I ^(C1)press on toward the goal for the prize of the ^(C2)upward call of God in ^(C3)Christ Jesus.¹⁵ Therefore, all who are ^(F1)(C1)mature, let's have this attitude; and if in anything you have a ^(C2)different attitude, ^(C3)God will reveal that to you as well;¹⁶ however, let's keep ^(F1)(C1)living by that same standard to which we have attained.

¹⁷ Brothers and sisters, ^(C1)join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the ^(C2)pattern you have in us.¹⁸ For ^(C1)many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I ^(C2)weep, that they are the enemies of ^(C3)the cross of Christ,¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their ^(F1)(C1)appetite, and whose ^(C2)glory is in their shame, who ^(C3)have their minds on earthly things.²⁰ For ^(C1)our ^(F1)citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly ^(C2)wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;²¹ who will ^(C1)transform the body of our lowly condition into ^(C2)conformity with ^(F1)His ^(C3)glorious body, ^(C4)by the exertion of the power that He has even to ^(C5)subject all things to Himself.