Philippians 3 - Colossians 2

New King James Version

All for Christ

3 Finally, my brethren, ^(A)rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

^2 (B)Beware of dogs, beware of ^(C)evil workers, ^(D)beware of the mutilation! ³ For we are ^(E)the circumcision, ^(F)who worship ^[a]God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, ⁴ though ^(G)I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I ^(H)more so: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, ^(I)of the tribe of Benjamin, ^(J)a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, ^(K)a Pharisee; ⁶ concerning zeal, ^(L)persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

⁷ But ^(M)what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss ^(N)for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having ^(O)my own righteousness, which is from the law, but ^(P)that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the ^(Q)power of His resurrection, and ^(R)the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may ^(S)attain^[b] to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing Toward the Goal

¹² Not that I have already ^(T)attained,^[c] or am already ^(U)perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have ^[d]apprehended; but one thing I do, ^(V)forgetting those things which are behind and ^(W)reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ^14 (X)I press toward the goal for the prize of ^(Y)the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are ^(Z)mature, ^(AA)have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, ^(AB)God will reveal even this to you. ¹⁶ Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already ^[e]attained, ^(AC)let us walk ^(AD)by the same ^[f]rule, let us be of the same mind.

Our Citizenship in Heaven

¹⁷ Brethren, ^(AE)join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as ^(AF)you have us for a pattern. ¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are ^(AG)the enemies of the cross of Christ: ^19 (AH)whose end is destruction, ^(AI)whose god is their belly, and ^(AJ)whose glory is in their shame—^(AK)who set their mind on earthly things. ²⁰ For ^(AL)our citizenship is in heaven, ^(AM)from which we also ^(AN)eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ^21 (AO)who will transform our lowly body that it may be ^(AP)conformed to His glorious body, ^(AQ)according to the working by which He is able even to ^(AR)subdue all things to Himself.

Be Anxious for Nothing; Think These Thoughts

4 Therefore, my beloved and ^(AS)longed-for brethren, ^(AT)my joy and crown, so ^(AU)stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

Be United, Joyful, and in Prayer

² I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche ^(AV)to be of the same mind in the Lord. ^3 [g]And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who ^(AW)labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in ^(AX)the Book of Life.

^4 (AY)Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

⁵ Let your ^[h]gentleness be known to all men. ^(AZ)The Lord is at hand.

^6 (BA)Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with ^(BB)thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and ^(BC)the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are ^(BD)true, whatever things are ^(BE)noble, whatever things are ^(BF)just, ^(BG)whatever things are pure, whatever things are ^(BH)lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and ^(BI)the God of peace will be with you.

Philippian Generosity

¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last ^(BJ)your^[i] care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, ^(BK)to be content: ^12 (BL)I know how to ^[j]be abased, and I know how to ^[k]abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things ^(BM)through ^[l]Christ who strengthens me.

¹⁴ Nevertheless you have done well that ^(BN)you shared in my distress. ¹⁵ Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, ^(BO)no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. ¹⁶ For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek ^(BP)the fruit that abounds to your account. ¹⁸ Indeed I ^[m]have all and abound. I am full, having received from ^(BQ)Epaphroditus the things sent from you, ^(BR)a sweet-smelling aroma, ^(BS)an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God ^(BT)shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ^20 (BU)Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Greeting and Blessing

²¹ Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren ^(BV)who are with me greet you. ²² All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household.

²³ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with ^[n]you all. Amen.

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(BW)an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

² To the saints ^(BX)and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:

^(BY)Grace to you and peace from God our Father ^[o]and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Their Faith in Christ

^3 (BZ)We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ^4 (CA)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of ^(CB)your love for all the saints; ⁵ because of the hope ^(CC)which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, ^(CD)as it has also in all the world, and ^(CE)is bringing forth ^[p]fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew ^(CF)the grace of God in truth; ⁷ as you also learned from ^(CG)Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is ^(CH)a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸ who also declared to us your ^(CI)love in the Spirit.

Preeminence of Christ

^9 (CJ)For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask ^(CK)that you may be filled with ^(CL)the knowledge of His will ^(CM)in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ^10 (CN)that you may walk worthy of the Lord, ^(CO)fully pleasing Him, ^(CP)being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the ^(CQ)knowledge of God; ^11 (CR)strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, ^(CS)for all patience and longsuffering ^(CT)with joy; ^12 (CU)giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of ^(CV)the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from ^(CW)the power of darkness ^(CX)and ^[q]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ^14 (CY)in whom we have redemption ^[r]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is ^(CZ)the image of the invisible God, ^(DA)the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For ^(DB)by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or ^(DC)dominions or ^[s]principalities or ^[t]powers. All things were created ^(DD)through Him and for Him. ^17 (DE)And He is before all things, and in Him ^(DF)all things consist. ¹⁸ And ^(DG)He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, ^(DH)the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Reconciled in Christ

¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that ^(DI)in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and ^(DJ)by Him to reconcile ^(DK)all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, ^(DL)having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹ And you, ^(DM)who once were alienated and enemies in your mind ^(DN)by wicked works, yet now He has ^(DO)reconciled ^22 (DP)in the body of His flesh through death, ^(DQ)to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— ²³ if indeed you continue ^(DR)in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are ^(DS)not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, ^(DT)which was preached to every creature under heaven, ^(DU)of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Sacrificial Service for Christ

^24 (DV)I now rejoice in my sufferings ^(DW)for you, and fill up in my flesh ^(DX)what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for ^(DY)the sake of His body, which is the church, ²⁵ of which I became a minister according to ^(DZ)the ^[u]stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, ^26 (EA)the ^[v]mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, ^(EB)but now has been revealed to His saints. ^27 (EC)To them God willed to make known what are ^(ED)the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: ^[w]which is ^(EE)Christ in you, ^(EF)the hope of glory. ²⁸ Him we preach, ^(EG)warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, ^(EH)that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me ^(EI)mightily.

Not Philosophy but Christ

2 For I want you to know what a great ^(EJ)conflict^[x] I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, ² that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, ^[y]both of the Father and of Christ, ^3 (EK)in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴ Now this I say ^(EL)lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. ⁵ For ^(EM)though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing ^[z]to see ^(EN)your good order and the ^(EO)steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

^6 (EP)As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ^7 (EQ)rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding ^[aa]in it with thanksgiving.

⁸ Beware lest anyone ^[ab]cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to ^(ER)the tradition of men, according to the ^(ES)basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For ^(ET)in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead ^[ac]bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the ^(EU)head of all ^[ad]principality and power.

Not Legalism but Christ

¹¹ In Him you were also ^(EV)circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by ^(EW)putting off the body ^[ae]of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ^12 (EX)buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through ^(EY)faith in the working of God, ^(EZ)who raised Him from the dead. ¹³ And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ^14 (FA)having wiped out the ^[af]handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ^15 (FB)Having disarmed ^(FC)principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

¹⁶ So let no one ^(FD)judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a ^[ag]festival or a new moon or sabbaths, ^17 (FE)which are a shadow of things to come, but the ^[ah]substance is of Christ. ¹⁸ Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has ^[ai]not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to ^(FF)the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, ^(FG)grows with the increase that is from God.

^20 [aj]Therefore, if you ^(FH)died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, ^(FI)why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— ^21 (FJ)“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” ²² which all concern things which perish with the using—^(FK)according to the commandments and doctrines of men? ^23 (FL)These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and ^[ak]neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.