Philippians 3
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Knowing Christ
3 In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice(A) in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you.
2 Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil(B) workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision,(C) the ones who worship by the Spirit(D) of God, boast in Christ Jesus,(E) and do not put confidence in the flesh – 4 although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day;(F) of the nation of Israel,(G) of the tribe of Benjamin,(H) a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law,(I) a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal,(J) persecuting(K) the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law,(L) blameless.(M)
7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value(N) of knowing Christ(O) Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ(P) 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law,(Q) but one that is through faith in Christ[a] – the righteousness from God based on faith.(R) 10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings,(S) being conformed to his death,(T) 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.
Reaching Forward to God’s Goal
12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold(U) of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not[b] consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind(V) and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly[c] call in Christ Jesus.(W) 15 Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal(X) this also to you. 16 In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. 17 Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross(Y) of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory(Z) is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things. 20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious(AA) body,(AB) by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
Philippians 3
New Life Version
It Is Christ Only—Not the Things You Do
3 So now, my Christian brothers, be happy because you belong to Christ. It is not hard for me to write the same things to you. It is good for you. 2 Watch out for false teachers. Watch out for sinful men. They want you to depend on the religious act of becoming a Jew for your hope. 3 The act of becoming a Jew has nothing to do with us becoming Christians. We worship God through His Spirit and are proud of Jesus Christ. We have no faith in what we ourselves can do. 4 I could have reason to trust in the flesh. If anyone could feel that the flesh could do something for him, I could. 5 I went through the religious act of becoming a Jew when I was eight days old. I was born a Jew and came from the family group of Benjamin. I was a Jewish son of Jewish parents. I belonged to the group of the proud religious law-keepers. 6 I followed my religion with all my heart and did everything I could to make it hard for the church. No one could say anything against the way I obeyed the Law.
Christ Must Be Lord of Our Lives
7 But I gave up those things that were so important to me for Christ. 8 Even more than that, I think of everything as worth nothing. It is so much better to know Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for Him. And I think of these things as worth nothing so that I can have Christ. 9 I want to be as one with Him. I could not be right with God by what the Law said I must do. I was made right with God by faith in Christ. 10 I want to know Him. I want to have the same power in my life that raised Jesus from the dead. I want to understand and have a share in His sufferings and be like Christ in His death. 11 Then I may be raised up from among the dead.
12 I do not say that I have received this or have already become perfect. But I keep going on to make that life my own as Christ Jesus made me His own. 13 No, Christian brothers, I do not have that life yet. But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me. 14 My eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are full-grown Christians should think this way. If you do not think this way, God will show it to you. 16 So let us keep on obeying the same truth we have already been following.
17 Christian brothers, live your lives as I have lived mine. Watch those who live as I have taught you to live. 18 There are many whose lives show they hate the cross of Christ. I have told you this before. Now I tell you again with tears in my eyes. 19 Their god is their stomach. They take pride in things they should be ashamed of. All they think about are the things of this world. In the end they will be destroyed. 20 But we are citizens of heaven. Christ, the One Who saves from the punishment of sin, will be coming down from heaven again. We are waiting for Him to return. 21 He will change these bodies of ours of the earth and make them new. He will make them like His body of shining-greatness. He has the power to do this because He can make all things obey Him.
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