Righteousness through faith in Christ1My brothers, rejoice in the Lord! I do not consider it a burden to remind you of this again and again for your own good. Keep rejoicing in the Lord!2-3Be on your guard for those who want to draw you away from the truth. They are no better than dogs. All they want to do is mutilate the flesh, whereas we are those who are truly circumcised by the Spirit working in our hearts. It is by the Spirit that we worship and our glory is in Christ Jesus, not in what is done to the flesh. We put absolutely no confidence in the flesh.4If it would be justifiable for anyone to put confidence in these outward physical things, I would certainly be the first to qualify!5-6Yes, as a Jew I was circumcised on the eighth day; I certainly belong to the people of Israel. I belong to the tribe of Benjamin, a true Hebrew of the Hebrews. I kept the law like a good Pharisee and was full of zeal in the way I persecuted the church. And I was perfect in my legalistic righteousness!7I used to think all these things were to my credit, and yet now I have Christ I realise I gained nothing from them.8-9So I now regard those things as worthless compared to the greatest privilege of all, of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For His sake I left everything of the past behind and considered those things rubbish, so that I could have Christ and live in Him. Seeking my own righteousness through obeying the law was futile when compared to the righteousness I have now through faith in Christ. This is the true righteousness that comes as a gift from God and can only be received through faith in Christ.10-11I want to know Christ and His resurrection power. I am prepared to be at one with Him by sharing in His sufferings. Like Him, I am ready to die for the truth and then somehow by His power be raised from the dead.Aim for the prize12I do not claim to have received all that God has for me, neither have I yet been made perfect. But I am always moving forward to take hold of everything that Christ Jesus had planned to give me when He laid hold of my life.13My brothers, I know I have not yet appropriated everything; but I maintain my focus. So I forget what lies behind me in the past and I reach out with longing for what lies ahead.14Yes, I press on towards my goal, which is to gain the prize that God has for me when He calls me home to heaven in unity with Christ Jesus.
Scripture quoted by permission. The passage above is taken from THE TRUTH VERSION. Copyright © 2009 by Colin Urquhart. All rights reserved worldwide. (The Truth New Testament)