Philippians

¹Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord! To me, writing the same things to you is not tiresome—it is safe! ²Beware of the dogs, beware of evil-workers, beware of the false circumcision! ³We are ‘circumcised’ if we offer divine service¹⁹⁸² in the Spirit of God, [if we] rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, ⁴although I myself could have confidence even in the flesh! If anyone thinks that he has {a reason to have} confidence in the flesh, I could even more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. As regards the law, I was a Pharisee; ⁶as far as zeal is concerned, I was persecuting the Church, and as for the righteousness which is based on the law, [I was] found blameless.

All things considered as a loss—Reaching forward

⁷However, these things which I thought were gain to me, I have counted as loss for Christ! ⁸Yes, without a doubt, I consider all things as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things. I consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own (from the law), but through faith in Christ (the righteousness which is from God by faith). ¹⁰Yes, may I know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the communion of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death, ¹¹if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. ¹²I am not saying that I have already obtained these things or that I am already made perfect; but I press on to take hold¹⁹⁸³ of [the prize] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

¹³Brethren, I do not regard myself as having obtained these things just yet, but I do this: forgetting the things which are now behind and reaching forward to the things which are before [me], ¹⁴I press on toward the goal; and the prize is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Let us who are mature, therefore, think this way, and if you think differently in some way, God will also reveal that to you. ¹⁶Nevertheless, to whatever [point] we have already reached, let us walk by the same <rule and let us be of the same mind.>¹⁹⁸⁴

¹⁷Brethren, be united in imitating me, and keep your eyes fixed on those who live this way, even as you have us as an example. ¹⁸But there are many who live as enemies of the cross of Christ, as I remind you often, as I do [even] now with tears. ¹⁹Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and their glory is in their shame as they think about earthly things. ²⁰As for us, our citizenship is in heaven, from which we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹He will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the energy¹⁹⁸⁵ by which he is able to subject all things to himself.¹⁹⁸⁶

Instructions—The peace of God

1982. Greek latreu,ontej
1983. Or “catch/choose” (in both instances in this verse)
1984. CT omits the end of this verse
1985. Greek evne,rgeian
1986. Compare Matthew 28:19-20