Letters to the Churches

that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world,

holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain.

Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all:

and in the same manner do ye also joy, and rejoice with me.

But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

For I have no man likeminded, who will care truly for your state.

For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.

But ye know the proof of him, that, as a child serveth a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the gospel.

Him therefore I hope to send forthwith, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me:

but I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall come shortly.

But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need;

since he longed after you all, and was sore troubled, because ye had heard that he was sick:

for indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.

I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy; and hold such in honor:

because for the work of Christ he came nigh unto death, hazarding his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not irksome, but for you it is safe.

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision:

for we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh:

though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh: if any other man thinketh to have confidence in the flesh, I yet more:

circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

as touching zeal, persecuting the church; as touching the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.

Howbeit what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ.

Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ,

and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith: