More about St. Paul and his concern about preaching to others and then missing his own race..

Yeah, I understand.  St. Paul lived by his Romans chapter 4 sermon of counting not his own body, but only that which God has promised and the specific promise he seemed to be walking out was the conversion and discipleship of the nations, so while preaching against being bound by the works of the law related to animal sacrifices, the Aaronic priesthood, etc., he still circumcised Timothy which seemed to express his own mentality though many view it as weakness in faith, confusion in the matter, bowing to the pressures of Judaism, or whatever.  But for him, the works of the law we weren't to be justified by is explained for us in Hebrews related to animal sacrifices and observances related to the priesthood of Aaron, that if you slip into that, then there remains no more sacrifice for sins. But he seems to have never shaken circumcision, or pruning away the flesh, if by any means he might save some.

Nothing related to keeping the Word or severity against the physical body appears to be related to St. Paul's definition of trying to be justified by the works of the law, but appears to be his understanding of miracles by the hearing of faith in Galatians 3, since according to the book of James, what profits you is being a doer of the Word that you hear.  He'd run like a crazed maniac right into what he knew was going to be a beating, a stoning, an arrest, etc.  Colossians 2 will say not to expect justification by asceticism, so besides the gnosticism he was combating, he was obviously keeping his own thinking firmly rooted in the finished work of Christ rather than allowing himself a name on the foundation of New Jerusalem based upon his degree of severity with himself.  But he did want to see the nations discipled.  That's the biggy.  That's what he didn't want to fall short of.  People get weird about him not wanting to lose his crown, but the point of the crown was the acheiving of the objectives and not a falling out with God, as though that were ever remotely possible after all Christ Jesus did on the Cross