4保罗悔改信主之前，不是喜爱物质事物的人。相反的，他完全沉缅于犹太宗教、哲学和文化里。他全人都是为著犹太教和其中所包括的一切事物。犹太人表面上关心他们的宗教；实际上，他们更关心文化和哲学。当然，每个种族、文化和国籍的人都是这样。例如，回教徒已完全被他们自己那一套的思想、逻辑、哲学和文化所充满。5我们再复习一下保罗在五至六节所题到的各项。他说，他第八天受割礼；他是出于以色列族便雅悯支派，是希伯来人所生的希伯来人；按律法说，他是法利赛人；按热心说，他是逼迫召会的；按律法上的义说，他是无可指摘的。这些项目都与宗教、哲学和文化有关。这有力的指明，当保罗写这两节的时候，他所想的不是物质的事物，而是宗教、哲学以及文化的事物。保罗写腓立比书的时候，罗马帝国的人多半热中于宗教、哲学或政治。事实上，西方文化的三个主要元素，乃是犹太的宗教、希腊的哲学和罗马的政治，今昔皆然。
4Before Paul was converted, he was not one who loved material things. On the contrary, he was a person fully given to Jewish religion, philosophy, and culture. His whole being was for Judaism and everything included in it. Apparently Jews care for their religion. Actually they care much more for their culture and philosophy than for religion. The same is true, of course, for people of every race, culture, and nationality. Moslems, for example, are fully occupied with their own type of thought, logic, philosophy, and culture. Let us review the items covered by Paul in verses and 6. He says that he was circumcised the eighth day, that he was of the race of Israel, that he was of the tribe of Benjamin, that he was a Hebrew of Hebrews, that concerning the law he was a Pharisee, that concerning zeal he persecuted the church, and that concerning righteousness which is in the law, he was blameless. These items are related to religion, philosophy, and culture. This is a strong indication that as Paul was writing these verses he was conscious not of material things, but rather of religious, philosophical, and cultural things. At the time the book of Philippians was written, most of the people in the Roman Empire were for religion, philosophy, or politics. In fact, the three main elements of Western culture, then as well as now, were Jewish religion, Greek philosophy, and Roman politics.