1 Finally my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not a bother, but for you it is a safeguard.

2 Beware of the dogs impure menfalse teachers! Beware of the evil workers! Beware of the mutilation of the body.

3 We are those with true circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God. We glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh.

4 I might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks to have confidence in the flesh, I have more!

5 I was circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 as touching zeal, persecuting the church; as touching the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.

7 Things that offered gain to me I count a loss for Christ.

8 I count all things to be loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. I suffered the loss of all things. Yet I count them as refuse garbagedung that I may gain Christ.

9 I want to be united with him. I no longer want a righteousness of my own that is gained by obeying the law. The righteousness from God is by faith in Christ.

10 I want to know him and the power of his resurrection. I want to know the fellowship of his sufferings and become conformed to his death.

11 I wish to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect. But I press on, that I may obtain that for which Christ Jesus also obtained.

13 Brothers, I could not yet have obtained it. But one thing I do, I forget the things that are behind, and stretch forward to the things that are ahead.

14 I press on toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let those of us who are mature have this attitude. If you have a different attitude God will show you how to think.

16 However, we should be guided by what we have learned so far.

17 Brothers, be imitators of me. Pay attention to those who live by the example we have given you.

18 Many live as enemies of the stake of Christ. I often wept as I told you about them.

19 Their end is destruction. Their god is their belly. Their glory is in their shame. They set their mind on earthly things.

20 However, our citizenship is in heaven. We also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

21 Christ will, through his power, bring everything under his authority. He will change our humble bodies and make them like his glorified glorious body literally and figuratively: body of his glory. He is able to subject all things to himself.