认识基督最宝贵

弟兄姊妹,你们要靠主喜乐!我再把这些事写给你们,对我来说并不麻烦,对你们却有好处。 你们要提防那些犬类,那些作恶的人,那些鼓吹必须受割礼[a]才能得救的人。 因为真正受割礼的人是我们这些靠着上帝的灵敬拜、以基督耶稣为荣、不倚靠自身条件的人。 其实我也可以靠自身的条件。如果别人觉得可以靠自身的条件,我更可以。 我出生后第八天就受了割礼,我是以色列人,属于便雅悯支派,是地地道道的希伯来人。论守律法,我是法利赛人; 论热心,我曾经迫害教会;论律法要求的义,我是无可指责的。 但是为了基督,我从前以为有价值的,现在认为毫无价值。 不但如此,我看万事都毫无价值,因为认识我主基督耶稣最宝贵。我为祂失去了一切,我把失去的一切视为垃圾,好得到基督, 与祂联合。我成为义人不是因为遵行律法,而是因为信靠基督。这义从上帝而来,以信为基础。 10 我渴望认识基督和祂复活的大能,与祂一同受苦,甚至到死的地步[b] 11 这样我无论如何都可以从死里复活。

直奔标竿

12 这并不是说我已经得到了或者纯全了,我还要竭力追求,或者可以达到基督耶稣要我达到的目标。 13 弟兄姊妹,我并非以为自己已经得到了,我只专注一件事,就是忘记背后,努力向前, 14 直奔目标,要赢得上帝借着基督耶稣从天上呼召我去得的奖赏。 15 我们中间成熟的基督徒都应该有这样的看法。即使你们在什么事上看法不同,上帝也必让你们明白。 16 然而,我们长进到什么程度,就照着什么程度去行。

17 弟兄姊妹,你们要一同效法我,也要向那些以我们为榜样的人学习。 18 我已经多次告诉你们,现在又流着泪提醒你们:有许多人行事为人与基督的十字架为敌。 19 他们的神就是自己的肚腹,他们以自己的羞耻为荣,只想着地上的事,他们的结局是灭亡。 20 我们却是天上的国民,殷切等候从天降临的救主,就是主耶稣基督。 21 那时,祂要以降服万物的大能将我们这卑贱的躯体改变成像祂那样荣耀的身体。

Footnotes

  1. 3:2 割礼”参见创世记17章;希腊文用夸张的字眼描述割礼,有讽刺之意。
  2. 3:10 甚至到死的地步”或译“效法祂的死”。

認識基督最寶貴

弟兄姊妹,你們要靠主喜樂!我再把這些事寫給你們,對我來說並不麻煩,對你們卻有好處。 你們要提防那些犬類,那些作惡的人,那些鼓吹必須受割禮[a]才能得救的人。 因為真正受割禮的人是我們這些靠著上帝的靈敬拜、以基督耶穌為榮、不倚靠自身條件的人。 其實我也可以靠自身的條件。如果別人覺得可以靠自身的條件,我更可以。 我出生後第八天就受了割禮,我是以色列人,屬於便雅憫支派,是道道地地的希伯來人。論守律法,我是法利賽人; 論熱心,我曾經迫害教會;論律法要求的義,我是無可指責的。 但是為了基督,我從前以為有價值的,現在認為毫無價值。 不但如此,我看萬事都毫無價值,因為認識我主基督耶穌最寶貴。我為祂失去了一切,我把失去的一切視為垃圾,好得到基督, 與祂聯合。我成為義人不是因為遵行律法,而是因為信靠基督。這義從上帝而來,以信為基礎。 10 我渴望認識基督和祂復活的大能,與祂一同受苦,甚至到死的地步[b] 11 這樣我無論如何都可以從死裡復活。

直奔標竿

12 這並不是說我已經得到了或者純全了,我還要竭力追求,或者可以達到基督耶穌要我達到的目標。 13 弟兄姊妹,我並非以為自己已經得到了,我只專注一件事,就是忘記背後,努力向前, 14 直奔目標,要贏得上帝藉著基督耶穌從天上呼召我去得的獎賞。 15 我們中間成熟的基督徒都應該有這樣的看法。即使你們在什麼事上看法不同,上帝也必讓你們明白。 16 然而,我們長進到什麼程度,就照著什麼程度去行。

17 弟兄姊妹,你們要一同效法我,也要向那些以我們為榜樣的人學習。 18 我已經多次告訴你們,現在又流著淚提醒你們:有許多人行事為人與基督的十字架為敵。 19 他們的神就是自己的肚腹,他們以自己的羞恥為榮,只想著地上的事,他們的結局是滅亡。 20 我們卻是天上的國民,殷切等候從天降臨的救主,就是主耶穌基督。 21 那時,祂要以降服萬物的大能將我們這卑賤的軀體改變成像祂那樣榮耀的身體。

Footnotes

  1. 3·2 割禮」參見創世記17章;希臘文用誇張的字眼描述割禮,有諷刺之意。
  2. 3·10 甚至到死的地步」或譯「效法祂的死」。

Now, my brothers, I say be glad for what the Lord has done for you. It is not hard for me to write the same things to you over and over. And it is good for you.

Watch out for those teachers who are like dogs. Watch out for those teachers who do wrong things. And watch out for those teachers who want you to have the mark of a Jew cut in your bodies.

We have God's Spirit and we worship God in the Spirit. So we are the people who have the mark of God. Christ Jesus is our reason for being joyful. We do not trust in having a mark cut in our bodies.

And yet I could trust in things about myself if I wanted to. If any other man thinks that he has something about himself to trust in, I have more things.

I had the mark of a Jew cut in my body when I was eight days old. I was born of the people of Israel. I belong to the family of Benjamin, so I was born a true Jew. I was a Pharisee, so I obeyed the Jewish law very carefully.

I was so full of my own ideas that I sent Christians to prison. But I was a good man in the way the Jewish law calls a man good.

But all these things that might have helped me, I call them all nothing, because of Christ.

Yes, I call them all nothing, because to know Christ Jesus my Lord is much better. It is for his sake that I have given them all up and call them just dirt. I have lost them but gained Christ.

I do it so that I will belong to him. I do not want to be called good because of the Jewish law. But I want to be made good by believing in Christ. I want to be put right with God through faith alone.

10 I want to know Christ. I want to know the power that raised him from death. I want to have a part in his trouble. I want to be like him in his death.

11 Then I hope to be raised from death.

12 I do not mean to say that I have got there yet, or that I am perfect yet. But I am trying hard to get there, because that is why Christ saved me.

13 My brothers, I do not yet think that I have got all the things of Christ. But there is one thing that I am doing. I forget what is behind me and reach out to what is ahead of me.

14 Like a man running a race, I try hard to reach the line so that I will receive the prize. Because we belong to Christ Jesus, God is calling us to receive this prize that he has for us in heaven.

15 All of us who are grown-up Christians should feel this way. And if you do not think this way, God will show you the right way.

16 But no matter how far we have gone, we must keep on going that way. And let us do it together, having the same things in mind.

17 My brothers, do as I do, all of you. Look at the people who live the way we have lived.

18 Many people live as if they hated the cross of Christ. I have often told you about them, and I tell you now with tears.

19 They will be lost for ever. Their belly is the god they worship. They boast about things they should be ashamed of. They think only about things of this world.

20 But we belong to heaven. And we are waiting for the Saviour to come from heaven. He is the Lord Jesus Christ.

21 He will change our body which was made for this world. He will make it like his own wonderful body. He will do this by his power to make all things obey him.