3Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.G3063G3450G80G5463G1722G2962G1125G846G5213G1698G3303G3756G3636G1161G5213G8042Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.G991G2965G991G2556G2040G991G26993For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,G1063G2249G2070G4061G3588G3000G2316G4151G2532G2744G1722G5547G2424G2532G3982G3756G3982G1722G45614though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!G2539G1473G2192G2532G2192G4006G1722G4561G1536G243G1380G3982G1722G4561G1473G31235I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.G4061G3637G1537G1085G2474G5443G958G1445G1537G1445G2596G3551G53306I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.G2596G2205G1377G1577G2596G1343G3588G1722G3551G1096G2737I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.G235G3748G2258G2771G3427G5023G2233G2209G1223G55478Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain ChristG235G3304G2532G2233G3956G2209G1511G1223G5242G1108G5547G2424G3450G2962G1223G3739G2210G3956G2532G2233G1511G4657G2443G2770G55479and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith.G2532G2147G1722G846G3361G2192G1699G1343G3588G1537G3551G235G3588G1223G4102G5547G1343G3588G1537G2316G1909G410210I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,G1097G846G2532G1411G846G386G2532G2842G846G3804G4833G846G228811so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!G1513G2658G1519G1815G3498
Pressing toward the Goal
12I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.G3756G3754G2235G2983G2228G2235G5048G1161G1377G1499G2638G1909G3739G2532G2638G5259G5547G242413No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,G80G1473G3049G3756G1683G2638G1161G1520G1950G3303G3694G1161G1901G171514I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.G1377G2596G4649G1909G1017G507G2821G2316G1722G5547G242415Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.G5426G3767G3745G5046G5426G5124G5426G2532G1536G5426G2088G5426G2316G601G2532G5124G521316But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.G4133G1519G3739G5348G4748G846G2583G5426G84617Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.G80G1096G4831G3450G2532G4648G4043G3779G2531G2192G2248G517918For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.G1063G4183G4043G3739G3004G5213G4178G1161G3568G3004G2532G2799G2190G4716G554719They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.G3739G5056G684G3739G2316G2836G2532G1391G1722G846G152G3588G5426G191920But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.G1063G2257G4175G5225G1722G3772G1537G3739G2532G553G4990G2962G2424G554721He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.G3739G3345G2257G5014G4983G1519G846G1096G4832G846G1391G4983G2596G1753G846G1410G2532G5293G3956G1438
Dublin, OH
, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.G3063
