Philippians 3:4
Philippians 3:44though I myself could have such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
sets up Paul's catalogue of his religious credentials. The Watchtower acknowledges Paul's pre-Christian zeal but rarely engages this verse directly. The implication — that even Paul's blameless law-keeping was insufficient and later renounced — sits uncomfortably with the JW emphasis on ongoing organisational obedience as the path to life.
Paul's setup verse begins one of the most direct New Testament challenges to works-based righteousness. He had grounds for confidence in the flesh more than anyone — and he is about to recite them in vv. 5-6 (circumcised, tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee, zealous, blameless under the law) before discarding them in vv. 7-9 as worthless compared to knowing Christ. Pair with ("they are ignorant of God's righteousness and seek to establish their own righteousness") to see Paul making the same point twice. Religious credentials, organisational loyalty, and rigorous obedience are not the path to standing before God — they are the things Paul renounced as worthless once he encountered the imputed righteousness of Christ.