Kò sí ìgbẹ́kẹ̀lé ẹlẹ́ran ara
1Ní àkótán ará, ẹ máa yọ̀ nínú Olúwa wa. Kì í ṣe ìnira fún mi láti kọ̀wé ohun kan náà sí yín, ṣùgbọ́n fún yín ó jẹ́ ohun ààbò. 2Ẹ kíyèsára lọ́dọ̀ àwọn ajá, ẹ kíyèsára lọ́dọ̀ àwọn oníṣẹ́ búburú, ẹ sì kíyèsára lọ́dọ̀ àwọn onílà. 33.3: Ro 2.28-29; Ga 6.14-15.Nítorí àwa ni onílà, tí ń sin Ọlọ́run nípa ti Ẹ̀mí, àwa sì ń ṣògo nínú Kristi Jesu, àwa kò sí ní ìgbẹ́kẹ̀lé nínú ẹran-ara. 43.4-7: Ap 8.3; 22.3-21; 23.6; 26.4-23; Ro 11.1; 2Kọ 11.18-31.Bí èmi tìkára mi pẹ̀lú ti ní ìgbẹ́kẹ̀lé nínú ara.
Bí ẹnikẹ́ni bá rò pé òun ni ìgbẹ́kẹ̀lé nínú ara, tèmi tilẹ̀ pọ̀: 5Ẹni tí a kọ nílà ní ọjọ́ kẹjọ, láti inú kùkùté Israẹli wá, láti inú ẹ̀yà Benjamini, Heberu láti inú Heberu wá; nítorí, ní ti òfin Farisi ni èmi; 6Ní ti ìtara, èmi ń ṣe inúnibíni sí ìjọ; ní ti òdodo tí ó wà nínú òfin, mo jẹ́ aláìlẹ́gàn.
7Ṣùgbọ́n ohunkóhun tí ó ti jásí èrè fún mi, àwọn ni mo ti kà sí òfo nítorí Kristi. 8Nítòótọ́ láìṣe àní àní mo sì ka ohun gbogbo sí òfo nítorí ìtayọ ìmọ̀ Kristi Jesu Olúwa mi; nítorí ẹni ti mo ti ṣòfò ohun gbogbo, mo si kà wọn sí ohun tí kò ní èrè, kí èmi lè jèrè Kristi, 9Kí a sì lè bá mi nínú rẹ̀, láìní òdodo tí èmi tìkára mi, tí ó ti inú òfin wá, ṣùgbọ́n èyí tí ó ti inú ìgbàgbọ́ wá nínú Kristi, òdodo láti ọ̀dọ̀ Ọlọ́run nípasẹ̀ ìgbàgbọ́; 10Èmi mọ̀ ọ́n, àti agbára àjíǹde rẹ̀, àti láti jẹ́ alábápín nínú ìyà rẹ̀ nígbà tí mo bá fi ara mọ́ ọn nínú ikú rẹ̀; 11nípasẹ̀ bẹ́ẹ̀ kí èmi lè ní àjíǹde kúrò nínú òkú.
12Kì í ṣe pé ọwọ́ mi ti tẹ̀ ẹ́ ná, tàbí mo ti di pípé: ṣùgbọ́n èmi ń lépa sí i, bí ọwọ́ mi yóò lè tẹ èrè náà nítorí èyí tí a ti dì mímú pẹ̀lú, láti ọ̀dọ̀ Kristi Jesu wá. 13Ará, èmi kò kara mi sí ẹni ti ọwọ́ rẹ̀ ti tẹ̀ ẹ́ ná: Ṣùgbọ́n ohun kan yìí ni èmi ń ṣe, èmi ń gbàgbé àwọn nǹkan tí ó ti kọjá. Lẹ́yìn náà mo ń nàgà wo àwọn nǹkan tí ó wà níwájú. 14Èmi ń lépa láti dé òpin eré ìje náà fún èrè ìpè gíga Ọlọ́run nínú Kristi Jesu.
15Nítorí náà, ẹ jẹ́ kí àwa tí a dàgbà nípa ti ẹ̀mí ni èrò yìí; bí ẹ̀yin bá sì ní èrò mìíràn nínú ohunkóhun, èyí náà pẹ̀lú ni Ọlọ́run yóò fihàn yín. 16Kìkì pé, ki a ma gbe ìgbé ayé gẹ́gẹ́ bi èyí ti a ri gba.
173.17: 1Kọ 4.15-17.Ará, ẹ jùmọ̀ ṣe àfarawé mi, ẹ ṣe àkíyèsí àwọn tí ń rìn bẹ́ẹ̀, àní bí ẹ ti ní wa fún àpẹẹrẹ. 18Nítorí ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ ní ń rìn, nípasẹ̀ àwọn ẹni tí mo ti ń wí fún yín nígbàkúgbà, àní, tí mo sì ń sọkún bí mo ti ń wí fún yín nísinsin yìí, pé, ọ̀tá àgbélébùú Kristi ni wọ́n: 19Ìgbẹ̀yìn wọn ni ìparun, ikùn wọn sì ni Ọlọ́run wọn, wọ́n sì ń ṣògo nínú ìtìjú wọn, àwọn ẹni tí ń tọ́jú ohun ti ayé. 20Nítorí ìlú ìbílẹ̀ wá ń bẹ̀ ní ọ̀run: láti ibi ti àwa pẹ̀lú gbé ń fojúsọ́nà fún Olùgbàlà, Jesu Kristi Olúwa. 213.21: 1Kọ 15.35-58; Kl 3.4.Ẹni tí yóò sọ ara ìrẹ̀lẹ̀ wa di ọ̀tún kí ó lè bá ara ògo rẹ̀ mu, nípa agbára tí ó mú kí ó ṣe é ṣe fún un láti tẹ orí ohun gbogbo bá fún ara rẹ̀.
Do Not Trust in Who You Are or What You Can Do
1Further, my brothers and sisters, be joyful because you belong to the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write about some important matters to you again. If you know about them, you will have a safe path to follow. 2Watch out for those dogs. They are people who do evil things. When they circumcise, it is nothing more than a useless cutting of the body. 3But we have been truly circumcised. We serve God by the power of his Spirit. We boast about what Christ Jesus has done. We don’t put our trust in who we are or what we can do. 4I have many reasons to trust in who I am and what I have done. Someone else may think they have reasons to trust in these things. But I have even more.
5I was circumcised on the eighth day. I am part of the people of Israel. I am from the tribe of Benjamin. I am a pure Hebrew. As far as the law is concerned, I am a Pharisee. 6As far as being committed is concerned, I opposed and attacked the church. As far as keeping the law is concerned, I kept it perfectly.
7I thought things like that were really something great. But now I consider them to be nothing because of Christ. 8Even more, I consider everything to be nothing compared to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. To know him is worth much more than anything else. Because of him I have lost everything. But I consider all of it to be garbage so I can know Christ better. 9I want to be joined to him. Being right with God does not come from my obeying the law. It comes because I believe in Christ. It comes from God because of faith. 10I want to know Christ better. Yes, I want to know the power that raised him from the dead. I want to join him in his sufferings. I want to become like him by sharing in his death. 11Then by God’s grace I will rise from the dead.
12I have not yet received all these things. I have not yet reached my goal. Christ Jesus took hold of me so that I could reach that goal. So I keep pushing myself forward to reach it. 13Brothers and sisters, I don’t consider that I have taken hold of it yet. But here is the one thing I do. I forget what is behind me. I push hard toward what is ahead of me. 14I push myself forward toward the goal to win the prize. God has appointed me to win it. The heavenly prize is Christ Jesus himself.
Following Paul’s Example
15So all of us who are grown up in the faith should see things this way. Maybe you think differently about something. But God will make it clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already reached.
17Brothers and sisters, join together in following my example. You have us as a model. So pay close attention to those who live as we do. 18I have told you these things many times before. Now I tell you again with tears in my eyes. Many people live like enemies of the cross of Christ. 19The only thing they have coming to them is death. Their stomach is their god. They brag about what they should be ashamed of. They think only about earthly things. 20But we are citizens of heaven. And we can hardly wait for a Savior from there. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. 21He has the power to bring everything under his control. By his power he will change our earthly bodies. They will become like his glorious body.
