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¹ Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write these same things to you is not a problem, and they will keep you safe. ² Watch out for the dogs. Watch out for the evil workers. Watch out for the mutilators. ³ For we are the true circumcision, we who worship in the Spirit of God, glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. ⁴ Even so, I myself could have confidence in the flesh. If anyone thinks he has confidence in the flesh, I could have even more. ⁵ I was circumcised on the eighth day, born of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in respect to the Law, a Pharisee. ⁶ I zealously persecuted the church and was blameless in respect to the righteousness of the law. ⁷ But whatever things seemed to count to my credit, I have counted them as worthless because of Christ. ⁸ In fact, now I count all things to be loss because of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have discarded all things; I consider them garbage so that I may gain Christ. ⁹ And now I am found in him; I do not have a righteousness of my own from the law. Instead, I have the righteousness from God that is through faith in Christ. ¹⁰ It is a righteousness of knowing him, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings�and I am transformed by Christ into the likeness of his death, ¹¹ so somehow I may experience the resurrection from the dead. ¹² I have not yet received these things, so I am not yet complete. But I continue pressing on, in order that I may grasp that for which I was grasped by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brothers, I do not think that I myself have taken possession of it. But one thing I do is this: I forget what is behind and strive for what is ahead. ¹⁴ I continue pressing on toward the goal to win the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Let us therefore, as many as are mature, think like that. And if you think differently about anything, God will also reveal that to you. ¹⁶ Whatever the case, if we have reached this point, we must walk in an orderly fashion according to it.

¹⁷ Brothers, join me and imitate me, and watch closely those who are walking by our example. ¹⁸ I have often told you, and tell you now with tears, that many are living as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their destiny is destruction because their god is their belly and their glory is in their shame. They are thinking about earthly things. ²⁰ Because as for us, our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹ He will transform our lowly bodies into bodies formed like his glorious body, formed by his power to control all things.