The believers in Philippi had been saved and
The believers in Philippi had been saved and regenerated in spirit, but there was still the need for them to care for their soul and body in a proper way. As Paul was writing chapter three, deep within him was the intention to give cer tain instructions to the Philippian believers con cerning how to deal with the soul and the body. Therefore, he first spoke of the Judaizers in order to edify the Philippians in dealing with the soul. Then he referred to the Epicureans in order to instruct the believers in dealing with the body.
TRANSFORMATION AND THE RENEWING OF THE MIND
If we would deal with the soul, we need to count as refuse all religious matters, philosoph ical things, and cultural elements, and we need to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. According to Romans 12:2, the renewing of the mind is a basic aspect of transformation. The transformation of our soul depends to a great extent on the renewing of our mind. If our mind is not renewed, our soul will remain unchanged.
To say that our mind is renewed means that a change has taken place in our way of thinking. The thoughts of many believers are still occu pied with religious, philosophical, and cultural