“Or do you not know that your bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”
- 1 Corinthians 6:19
When I approach the topic of physical fitness, I approach it from a Christian viewpoint first, and a preparedness viewpoint second. The Bible is very clear on the way we should live as Christians, and I believe that these teachings and doctrines directly apply to our overall health and wellness, in addition to our ability to be prepared individuals with strong minds.
“The joy of youths is their strength. And the dignity of old men is their grey hairs.”
- Proverbs 20:29
If the joy of a youth is his strength, then it stands to reason that a young person should be strong. And this aligns logically from a biological standpoint, when we see that in our young age, we develop strength faster, our bodies are more capable of adaptation to heavy loads, building muscle and endurance.
This sets a foundation for a person later in their lives to be more capable than they otherwise might have been.
Physical strength isn’t just about wanting to have joy, it’s about our capability to spread joy, and help others. The Bible calls us to help other people. Whether that’s going the extra mile to help someone or providing emergency treatment in the field, fitness enables us to do more, better, with a happier attitude (after all, if helping someone is easy, it’s a lot easier to be happy doing it, even if it inconveniences you).
So now that we’ve talked about why strength should matter to Christians, let’s talk about one of the great American sins.
Gluttony and Me
At an approximation of 40% of America meeting the classification of obese, it’s easy to say that America has a gluttony problem, among a number of other serious conditions causing poor health and weight gain.
And while I think that problem needs to be addressed as a culture, this post is for my brothers and sisters in Christ, who know that gluttony is a sin, and that our body is a temple. Taking care of both our soul and our body means controlling the sinful urges that lead us into doing things the Bible calls us not to.
That temptation is incredible strong, and no one should feel shame for falling to it. After all, all of us have sinned, and each of us struggles differently. But all of us were made for more than our sin, and as servants of God, we need to do our best to repent of those sins, to flee from that temptation.
The bodies were have been given are beautiful gifts from God, and it’s important to take care of them. Choosing to resist the urge to over indulge is an essential part of caring for your body, and building a strong temple for God.
To be very clear: This is not to shame you. Any shame you feel comes straight from the devil, and is there to drag you further down, not to build you up. Instead, take courage! You were fearfully and wonderfully made, and the sin you struggle with is not your identity.
Regardless of your weight, your appearance, and what society tells you, you are the beloved child of God. The only thing that you should take from this is the call to love God in return. It is not easy, but conquering sin never is.
Pride and Humility
In keeping with my previous point, the current culture in fitness is also, full of sin. Pride, arrogance, deceit and idolatry are all on full display in the culture today, and this is counter to the Word of God as well.
For example, many people spend so much time ingesting materiel to get stronger or more physically attractive, that they neglect to use their strength to glorify God. They start to spend more time in the gym than they do in the Scripture, in church, and in their community.
They resort to unhealthy habits, injecting themselves with drugs, and falling into body dysmorphia because they are putting their own pride ahead of their responsibilities as a Christian.
The Bible, however calls us to be humble. It also warns us:
“For the exercise of the body is somewhat useful. But piety is useful in all things, holding the promise of life, in the present and in the future.”
– 1 Timothy 4:8
Treating your body as a temple isn’t about you, it’s about your relationship with God, serving Him, and responsibly caring for and enjoying the gifts He gave to you. If your journey into fitness has become an idol that harms your long term health or your relationship with God, then it may be time to reevaluate the goals you’ve set.
With all this being said, I can only close out by saying, do with this what you will. I have no authority to command anyone, to do anything. Instead, I can only offer my advice, based on my understanding of the scriptures, the culture we live in, and my own personal perspective. I love all of you who are reading deeply, and I hope to see you all thrive. God bless you and keep you, and I’ll see you in the next post!
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