1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is indeed not grievous to me, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision party. 3 For we are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh; 4 though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other thinks that he has reason to trust in the flesh, I more. 5 I was circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. As regards the Law, I was a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness in the Law, blameless.
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 But no, rather, I also count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them to be dung, so that I may win Christ 9 and be found in Him; not having my own righteousness, which is of the Law, but through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death; 11 if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I am pressing on, if I may lay hold of that for which I also was taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 My brothers, I do not count myself to have taken possession, but one thing I do, forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be of this mind. And if in anything you are otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you. 16 Yet, as to what we have already attained, let us walk in the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17 Brothers, be imitators together of me, and mark those who walk this way, for you have us for a pattern. 18 (For many are walking, of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ; 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, those who mind earthly things.) 20 For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we are looking for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who shall change our body of humiliation so that it may be fashioned like His glorious body, according to the working of His power, even to subdue all things to Himself.