Paul's perspective on life

This is the apostle, Paul, writing to the believers in Philippi...



Philippians 3

1a Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.


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 I consider them 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 his sake I have discarded everything else,

     counting it all as garbage,

     so that I could gain Christ

     9 and become one with him.

I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law;

     rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.

For God's way of making us right with himself depends on 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!


13b I focus on this one thing:

        Forgetting the past

        and looking forward to what lies ahead,

        14 I press on to reach the end of the race

        and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.