Galatians 3:3-4

3:3 Are you so foolish? Although you began ¹  with ²  the Spirit, are you now trying to finish ³  by human effort? ⁴  3:4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing? – if indeed it was for nothing.

Philippians 3:16

3:16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard ⁵  that we have already attained. ⁶ 

Philippians 3:2

3:2 Beware of the dogs, ⁷  beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! ⁸ 

Philippians 1:8

1:8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Revelation 2:5

2:5 Therefore, remember from what high state ⁹  you have fallen and repent! Do ¹⁰  the deeds you did at the first; ¹¹  if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place – that is, if you do not repent. ¹² 

Revelation 3:3

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, ¹³  and obey it, ¹⁴  and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never ¹⁵  know at what hour I will come against ¹⁶  you.

¹ tn Grk “Having begun”; the participle ἐναρξάμενοι (enarxamenoi) has been translated concessively.

² tn Or “by the Spirit.”

³ tn The verb ἐπιτελεῖσθε (epiteleisqe) has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534). This is something the Galatians were attempting to do, but could not accomplish successfully.

⁴ tn Grk “in/by [the] flesh.”

⁵ tc Although κανόνι (kanoni, “standard, rule”) is found in most witnesses, though in various locations in this verse (א² D² Ψ 075 Ï), it is almost surely a motivated reading, for it clarifies the cryptic τῷ αὐτῷ (tw autw, “the same”). Both the fact that the word floats, and that there are other variants which accomplish greater clarity by other means, strongly suggests the secondary nature of any of the longer readings here. Further, the shortest text has excellent and early support in Ì^16,46 א* A B I^vid 6 33 1739 co, rendering it decidedly the preferred reading. The translation adds “standard” because of English requirements, not because of textual basis.

⁶ tn Grk “Nevertheless, to what we have attained, to the same hold fast.”

⁷ sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.

⁸ tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”

⁹ tn Grk “from where,” but status is in view rather than physical position. On this term BDAG 838 s.v. πόθεν 1 states, “from what place? from where?…In imagery μνημόνευε πόθεν πέπτωκες remember from what (state) you have fallen Rv 2:5.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “and do” (a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text). For stylistic reasons in English a new sentence was started here in the translation. The repeated mention of repenting at the end of the verse suggests that the intervening material (“do the deeds you did at first”) specifies how the repentance is to be demonstrated.

¹¹ tn Or “you did formerly.”

¹² tn Although the final clause is somewhat awkward, it is typical of the style of Revelation.

¹³ tn The expression πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας (pw" eilhfa" kai hkousa") probably refers to the initial instruction in the Christian life they had received and been taught; this included doctrine and ethical teaching.

¹⁴ tn Grk “keep it,” in the sense of obeying what they had initially been taught.

¹⁵ tn The negation here is with οὐ μή (ou mh, the strongest possible form of negation in Koine Greek).

¹⁶ tn Or “come on.”