1Finally, my brethren, 1rejoice in the Lord. To write the samethings again is notrouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
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Beware of the 2dogs, beware of the 3evilworkers, beware of the falsecircumcision;
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for 4we are the true circumcision, who 5worship in the Spirit of God and 6glory in 7ChristJesus and putnoconfidence in the flesh,
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although8I myself might haveconfidenceeven in the flesh. Ifanyoneelsehas a mind to putconfidence in the flesh, I far more:
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9circumcised the eighthday, of the 10nation of Israel, of the 11tribe of Benjamin, a 12Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, 13a Pharisee;
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as to zeal, 14a persecutor of the church; as to the 15righteousness which is in the Law, found16blameless.
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But 17whateverthings were gain to me, thosethings I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
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Morethan that, I countallthings to be loss in view of the surpassingvalue of 18knowing19ChristJesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of allthings, and count them but rubbishso that I may gainChrist,
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and may be found in Him, not having20a righteousness of my ownderived from the Law, but that which is throughfaith in Christ, 21the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
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that I may 22know Him and 23the power of His resurrection and 24the fellowship of His sufferings, being 25conformed to His death;
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in order that I may 26attain to the resurrection from the dead.
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Not that I have already27obtained it or have already28become perfect, but I press on so that I may 29layhold of that for which also I 30was laidhold of by 31ChristJesus.
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Brethren, I do not regardmyself as having laidhold of it yet; but onething I do: 32forgetting what lies behind and reachingforward to what lies ahead,
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I 33press on toward the goal for the prize of the 34upwardcall of God in 35ChristJesus.
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Let us therefore, as many as are 36perfect, havethisattitude; and if in anything you have a 37differentattitude, 38God will reveal that also to you;
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however, let us keep 39living by that same standard to which we have attained.
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Brethren, 40join* in following my example, and observethose who walkaccording to the 41pattern you have in us.
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For 42manywalk, of whom I oftentold you, and nowtell you even43weeping, that they are enemies of 44the cross of Christ,
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whoseend is destruction, whosegod is their 45appetite, and whose 46glory is in their shame, who 47set their minds on earthlythings.
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For 48our citizenship is in heaven, from whichalso we eagerly49wait for a Savior, the LordJesusChrist;
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who will 50transform the body of our humblestate into 51conformity with the 52body of His glory, 53by the exertion of the power that He haseven to 54subjectallthings to Himself.