A Call to Rejoice and a Warning

¹My beloved ones, don’t ever limit your joy or fail to rejoice in the wonderful experience of knowing our Lord Jesus!

I don’t mind repeating what I’ve already written you because it protects you—

²beware of those religious hypocrites who teach that you should be circumcised to please God.[#3:2 Literally “dogs,” which is a figure of speech for religious hypocrites.]

³For we have already experienced “heart-circumcision,” and we worship God in the power and freedom of the Holy Spirit, not in laws and religious duties . We are those who boast in what Jesus Christ has done, and not in what we can accomplish in our own strength.

⁴It’s true that I once relied on all that I had become . I had a reason to boast and impress people with my accomplishments—more than others—for my pedigree was impeccable.

The Example of Paul

⁵I was born a true Hebrew of the heritage of Israel as the son of a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin. I was circumcised eight days after my birth and was raised in the strict tradition of Orthodox Judaism , living a separated and devout life as a Pharisee.[#3:5 This meant that he could trace his family line all the way back to Abraham. There is also an inference that Paul spoke Hebrew-Aramaic as his native tongue and did not adopt Greek customs.; #3:5 The tribe of Benjamin was honored as the tribe most loyal to the house of David. Benjamin means “son of my right hand.”; #3:5 A Pharisee was known as a “separated one,” who religiously followed all the laws of Judaism.]

⁶And concerning the righteousness of the Torah, no one surpassed me; I was without a peer. Furthermore, as a fiery defender of the truth, I persecuted the messianic believers with religious zeal.[#3:6 Or “the written law.”]

⁷Yet all of the accomplishments that I once took credit for, I’ve now forsaken them and I regard it all as nothing compared to the delight of experiencing Jesus Christ as my Lord!

⁸To truly know him meant letting go of everything from my past and throwing all my boasting on the garbage heap. It’s all like a pile of manure to me now, so that I may be enriched in the reality of knowing Jesus Christ and embrace him as Lord in all of his greatness.

⁹My passion is to be consumed with him and not cling to my own “righteousness” based in keeping the written Law. My only “righteousness” will be his, based on the faithfulness of Jesus Christ—the very righteousness that comes from God.

¹⁰And I continually long to know the wonders of Jesus and to experience the overflowing power of his resurrection working in me. I will be one with him in his sufferings and become like him in his death.

¹¹Only then will I be able to experience complete oneness with him in his resurrection from the realm of death.

¹²I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me to make me his own.

¹³I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.[#3:13 This phrase is translated from the Aramaic. The Greek text states “I, myself, have not taken possession of it.”]

¹⁴I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.

¹⁵So let all who are fully mature have this same passion, and if anyone is not yet gripped by these desires, God will reveal it to them.[#3:15 The Aramaic can be translated “those who don’t run this way, God will reveal it to them.”]

¹⁶And let us all advance together to reach this victory-prize, following one path with one passion.

¹⁷My beloved friends, imitate my walk with God and follow all those who walk according to the way of life we modeled before you.

¹⁸For there are many who live by different standards. As I’ve warned you many times (I weep as I write these words), they are enemies of the cross of the Anointed One and

¹⁹doom awaits them. Their god has possessed them and made them mute. Their boast is in their shameful lifestyles and their minds are in the dirt.[#3:19 Translated from the Aramaic. The Greek states “their god is their belly,” which is meaningless to the average English speaker.; #3:19 Translated from the Aramaic. It literally means “their conscience is in the ground.”]

²⁰But we are a colony of heaven on earth as we cling tightly to our life-giver, the Lord Jesus Christ,[#3:20 Or “citizenship,” or “commonwealth.”]

²¹who will transform our humble bodies and transfigure us into the identical likeness of his glorified body. And using his matchless power, he continually subdues everything to himself.[#3:21 Or “the body of our humility.”; #3:21 Or “the body of his glory.”; #3:21 The Aramaic can be translated “everyone is in submission to him.”]