What did Paul call his background in Philippians and why?
In Philippians, Paul called his religious background—his education, rabbinic training, and Pharisaic credentials—'so much dung,' counting it worthless. He cast it aside so he might become the very workmanship of Christ Himself, never losing sight of that, and so his sufficiency would be of God rather than his background.
Les explains that Saul of Tarsus was highly educated—the most educated Jew of his day—having sat at the feet of the greatest rabbi of that time. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees and could have said he was qualified by his training, but he never once did. In Philippians he called all of that just so much dung and cast it aside as worthless, that he might become the very workmanship of Christ Himself and never lose sight of that. Les stresses that all of Paul's sufficiency was never because of his background—not because he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews or a Pharisee of the Pharisees—but because he was a humble servant of the Creator God. This is another example of the difference between law and grace.