Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

² Beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware of dissension.

³ For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and trust in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh – ⁴ though I have whereof I might be confident in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has reason to trust in the flesh, I have much more: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the kindred of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of the Hebrews; as concerning the law, a Pharisee, ⁶ and as concerning zeal, I persecuted the congregation. And as for the righteousness that is in the law, I was unrebukable.

⁷ But the things that were of advantage to me, I counted worthless for Christ’s sake. ⁸ Yea, I think all things worthless for the sake of the supreme and precious knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. For him I have counted all things a waste, and do judge them but dung, so that I may win Christ, ⁹ and may be found in him – not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is of the faith that is in Christ. I mean the righteousness which comes from God through faith, ¹⁰ in knowing him, and the power of the resurrection, and the fellowship of his passions, so that I may be conformable to his death, ¹¹ if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead.

¹² It is not as if I had already attained to it, or were already perfect. But I press on, if so be that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me.