How Does Religion, Philosophy & Culture Relate to Philippians 3:5-6?

    Religion, philosophy, and culture.  Can you see them in Philippians 3:5-6? Witness Lee says in chapter 18 of the Life- Study of Philippians that  these are the things Satan uses to frustrate people from knowing and experiencing Christ.   He then goes on to say religion, philosophy, and culture are not just things outside of us, but they are also deeply rooted within us.  We grow up in a culture that permeates us, and everything of that culture is based on different philosophies. I appreciated his insights on page 148:

"However, Paul realized that the things which truly frustrate people from experiencing Christ are mainly the things of religion, philosophy, and culture.  For the most part, the thoughtful, philosophical peoples are not preoccupied by material things...Before 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....The same is true, of course, for every people of every race, culture, and nationality….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" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Philippians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1980, Print). 

    Two sentences on page 147 in Chapter 18 made me stop and go wait a minute--“When we come to these verses, we come to the heart of this book. Here we are initiated into the experience of Christ.”  Then in verse 7-8 Paul goes on to say that  he counts all of these things loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.  

    The Life-Study says that Paul's just counting his worldly possessions loss is to make these verses too superficial. He underscores that it's these three things that really hinder the building up of the Body of Christ. Because in Philippians Paul's burdened to show us  the experience of Christ is FOR the building up of the church.

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Philippians given in 1980 on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. The commentary is excellent.

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Philippians:

What is the Bountiful Supply of the Spirit in Philippians 1:19?
What Does It Mean to Magnify Christ in Philippians 1:20-23?
How Does Religion, Philosophy & Culture Relate to Philippians 3:5-6?
Have You Ever Wondered What Gaining Christ is in Philippians 3:8?
Why Does Paul Put Anxiety and Prayer Together in Philippians 4:6?
What's Paul's Secret in Philippians 4:12?
What Does It Mean to Live Christ in Philippians 1:19-21?
From the Life-Study of Philippians: What's the Theme of the Bible?
What is the Sacrifice of Faith in Philippians 2:17?