Jesus as the goal (Phil 3:5-14)

Gateway Fellowship

5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now after carefully weighing the facts, I see them as worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For Jesus’ sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as dung, as filth, as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him.

I no longer depend on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through trust in Christ. God’s righteousness is by faith.

10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached the goal. But I press on to firmly lay hold of that end goal for which Christ Jesus first firmly took hold of me.

13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

14 I press on to reach the finish line of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God is calling us, through Christ Jesus.

(Phil 3:5-14 Tim’s translation)