Philippians 3:6

The Passion Translation

And concerning the righteousness of the Torah, no one surpassed me; I was without a peer. Furthermore, as a fiery defender of the truth, I persecuted the messianic believers with religious zeal.

Cross References

Matthew 23:25

“Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees—frauds and imposters! You are like one who will only wipe clean the outside of a cup or bowl, leaving the inside filthy. You are foolish to ignore the greed and self-indulgence that live like germs within you.

Matthew 5:20

For I tell you, unless your lives are more pure and full of integrity than the religious scholars and the Pharisees, you will never enter heaven’s kingdom.”

Luke 1:6

They were both righteous before God, living virtuously and following the commandments of the Lord blamelessly.

Acts 21:20

When they heard Paul’s report, they praised God. And they said to him, “You should know, brother, that there are many tens of thousands of Jews who have also embraced the faith and are passionately keeping the law of Moses.

Acts 22:5

All of this can be verified by the high priest and the Supreme Council of Elders. For they even wrote letters to our fellow Jews of Damascus, authorizing me to arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.

Acts 26:5

If my accusers are willing to testify, they must admit that they’ve known me all along as a Pharisee, a member of the most strict and orthodox sect within Judaism.

Acts 8:3

Then Saul mercilessly persecuted the church of God, going from house to house into the homes of believers to arrest both men and women and drag them off to prison.

Romans 7:9

I once lived without a clear understanding of the law, but when I heard God’s commandments, sin sprang to life and brought with it a death sentence. The commandment that was intended to bring life brought me death instead.

1 Corinthians 10:32

And make sure you’re not offending Jews or Greeks or any part of God’s assembly over your personal preferences.

1 Corinthians 15:9

Yes, I am the most insignificant of all the apostles, unworthy even to be called an apostle, because I hunted down believers and persecuted God’s church.

Philippians 2:15

For then you will be seen as innocent, faultless, and pure children of God, even though you live in the midst of a brutal and perverse culture. For you will appear among them as shining lights in the universe,

Philippians 3:9

My passion is to be consumed with him and not cling to my own “righteousness” based in keeping the written Law. My only “righteousness” will be his, based on the faithfulness of Jesus Christ—the very righteousness that comes from God.

1 Timothy 1:13

Mercy kissed me, even though I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor of believers, and a scorner of what turned out to be true. I was ignorant and didn’t know what I was doing.

Judges 6:30

Enraged, they demanded of Joash, “Bring your son out here and we will kill him! He tore down the altar to Baal and chopped down the Asherah tree beside it.”