Pressing Toward The Goal: A Biblical Approach To Fitness
Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
-1 Timothy 4:7-10, ESV
The new year is fast approaching, so the season for resolutions is upon us. Some of the most common involve losing weight and starting to exercise. As a result, what I call the “resolution rabble” overwhelms gyms across the country before dying off as most people lose motivation and quit. People similarly begin diets with great discipline but likewise lose motivation and go back to old habits. The shape stays a bit round and the pounds stay on. On the other side, diet and exercise can become an obsession, leading to faithful devotees to various exercise routines, products, diets, and practices. How should we look at this biblically? What does Scripture say about fitness and health that can guide us to actually accomplish those resolutions?
A Greater Purpose for Health and Fitness
Arguably the biggest reason health and fitness resolutions fail is a lack of vision and purpose. Why “get in shape”? Why lose weight? Without this, people quit at the first sign of adversity. As part of the futility resulting from the Fall (Genesis 3:18, Romans 8:20), diet and exercise both require effort for quite a while before seeing any results, which leads to frustration that could cause us to quit. Only a purpose much larger than ourselves and our pleasure can overcome the frustration of seemingly fruitless pain. Scripture clearly defines that purpose: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). As the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechismstates, our primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That must be the motivation behind everything we do, including our approach to diet and exercise. We want to get in shape in order to glorify God. We want to lose the weight in order to glorify God. That is the purpose that can turn a resolution that is easily cast aside into a strong habit that produces real results.
Two Wrong Approaches
This naturally leads to two extremes that must be avoided. The first is to over-spiritualize diet and exercise. We can come to see particular diets, like the “Daniel Diet”, as paths to righteousness and their opposites as defiling the temple of the Holy Spirit. Scripture clearly teaches that since the Holy Spirit indwells believers, we are His temple, which is a major motivation to glorify God in how we treat our bodies: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Yet Jesus made it very clear that we do not desecrate that temple through what we eat or drink: “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him” (Mark 7:15). He therefore declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19). Only in sexual immorality does a man sin against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18) so only sexual immorality desecrates our bodies in which the Holy Spirit dwells.[1] Junk food, alcohol, and tobacco cannot do that, so diet and exercise are not the path to righteousness. The same can be said of any attempt to avoid sin through bodily severity:
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
-Colossians 2:20-23, ESV
No matter how severely we treat our bodies, those habits will not stop the indulgence of the flesh. Remember, self-control is a fruit given by the Holy Spirit through the vehicle of faith, not by bodily deprivation. We must not over-spiritualize diet and exercise and therefore overemphasize the importance of our physical bodies.
The opposite error is to disregard diet and exercise entirely. I have heard people cite Proverbs 28:1 as an excuse for avoiding exercise: “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion”. They also shun any semblance of dieting by pointing out that in the Mosaic Law the fat was holy to the LORD (Leviticus 3:16). They may not sinfully over-indulge in food, alcohol, and smoking, but they partake of these things enough to negatively affect their bodies. In rightly avoiding the error of over-spiritualizing the body, they under-spiritualize it. First, they are clearly committing the cardinal sin of bible study by taking these verses out of context. They ignore the many proverbs against laziness (Proverbs 6:6-11, 13:4, 19:24, 21:25) and gluttony (Proverbs 23:2,21, 25:16,27) and the ceremonial aspects of laws regarding fat. This, like the “cultural cop-out”, is an attempt to make the Bible say what we want in order to support our desires rather than subordinating our desires to the Bible.
Stewardship and Self-Control
Instead, the concept of stewardship is prevalent throughout Scripture. As we saw with tithing, all we have ultimately belongs to God. He entrusts it to us and then charges us to take care of it for His glory. That includes our bodies. In commanding husbands to follow the example of Christ with the Church by nourishing and cherishing their wives as their own bodies (Ephesians 5:28-29), he is assuming that we love our own bodies by nourishing and cherishing them. We must care for ourselves physically, but taking care of ourselves physically must not supersede our pursuit of godliness.
If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
-1 Timothy 4:6-10, ESV
Notice how Paul uses an athletic analogy to describe the effort and self-control required for the pursuit of godliness. That type of physical training is of some value, but that value does not extend beyond this life since no matter how well or poorly we take care of our bodies here, they will be replaced by our glorified bodies for eternity. But without the godliness that comes from sanctification—which begins by repenting and believing the Gospel—we won’t be able enter glory at all, no matter how well we have cared for our bodies. Therefore, physical training is of temporal value but godliness has value both now and for eternity, so we are to train for godliness much like an Olympic athlete:
I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
-1 Corinthians 9:22b-27, ESV
This is intense self-control. Paul talks of disciplining his body and keeping it under control. This “discipline” in ESV and NASB (“subdue” in NET) means to pummel as a boxer. Similar harshness is seen in “keep it under control” (literally “enslave”). The image here is punching someone in the face until they give up and do whatever you tell them. That is how Paul treated his physical body in pursuit of godliness and advancing the Kingdom. The context of this passage is how Paul has laid aside various rights for the purpose of the Gospel. He watched what he ate and drank, abstaining from certain foods at times and partaking at other times for the sake of the Kingdom. He endured beatings when it would advance the Kingdom (Acts 16:19-24) but exercised his rights as a Roman citizen to avoid them when it didn’t (Acts 22:23-29). His bodily severity was not for the purpose of “self-made religion and asceticism” (Colossians 2:23). He knew that bodily severity in and of itself could never make him holy or godly. Instead, he was willing to inflict upon his body whatever was required for godliness and the Kingdom. His physical body was enslaved to Christ dwelling within him (Galatians 2:20) to do Christ’s bidding. And since we are to imitate Paul’s imitation of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1 cf. 1 Thessalonians 3:9), we should likewise subject our own bodies to whatever severity is required to maximize our godliness and usefulness in advancing the Kingdom. This is what self-control is about: severity to the temporal body to maximize eternal benefit. And as we exercise self-control in some areas, that will aid our self-control in other areas as well, so exercising discipline with diet and exercise will help us to exercise discipline in our prayer, Bible reading, and numerous other areas. Conversely, self-indulgence in one area—like junk food and sedentary living—will lead to self-indulgence in other areas too.[2] This isn’t masochism or self-flagellation but the extreme discipline and self-denial of an Olympic athlete training with gold medals in mind.
Maintaining the Temple
This leads to a desire to be of service to God for as long as He will allow. While God is sovereign over every aspect of our lives—including the precise number of breaths we will take—He has created our bodies to generally perform better and for longer with a balanced diet and regular exercise. The better we take care of our bodies through diet and exercise (as well as things like sleep, hygiene, and proper preventative medical care), the longer they will generally last. We will therefore have more energy and ability to serve the Lord actively for far longer. Of course the nature of our fallen world is such that the healthiest of us can still succumb to debilitating disease or injury. Conversely, God can still use the sick, paralyzed, and dying to glorify Himself and advance His Kingdom in ways He doesn’t use the healthy. This means that like many proverbs, healthy living will lead to a longer and more fruitful life in service of God generally but not always. So let’s take care of our bodies through the natural means God has graciously provided so that we can serve Him to our utmost ability.
Ultimately, this is about maintaining our bodies so that they can continue to be used in the worship of God. We are to take care of our bodies as the Jews were to take care of their temple. When the Jews allowed the Temple to fall into disrepair, spiritual backsliding was a common companion. Conversely, restoration of the Temple accompanied revival. We must adopt a similar view since Scripture describes our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is especially important for those of us in jobs that lend themselves to inactivity, which would include pastors. The job of the pastor involves long stints of reading, studying, writing sermons, preparing lessons, planning services, counseling, and various other tasks that involve a significant amount of sitting. When this is combined with ample celebration of the goodness of God through enjoyment of the delicious foods and drinks He has given us, it can produce expanding waistlines and health problems that expand with them. As a result, it is not uncommon to see pastors who could stand to lose a few pounds. I am not saying that pastors need to be thin, but I would encourage pastors everywhere, as they are able, to set an example for their congregations by exercising self-control in their diets and making time for regular exercise. And yes, this means I am asking pastors to add something else to their already-overloaded schedules, but this is an investment of hours now to potentially add years to your ministry. Remember, God builds His Kingdom slowly and steadily, so the successful pastor emphasizes longevity. So let’s resolve to eat a balanced diet and make a habit of exercise for the purpose of serving God and advancing His Kingdom for as long as possible.
Some Practical Notes
With that foundation laid, I’ll end with some practical notes to help make fitness and health resolutions into habits. First, it is vitally important to start any fitness routine or diet with an objective in mind. We have laid out the ultimate objective of glorifying God, but it is also important to derive an overall physical objective from that. Do you want to lose weight in order to reduce the risk of certain health conditions? Do you want to reach a certain fitness goal? Do you want to take part in a certain event like a marathon? Your answers to these and many other questions will determine your approach. My objective is to be the old guy still going to the gym and maintaining a reasonable weight. My diet and exercise routine reflect that. I do not follow fad diets or count calories but focus on balance and portion size. I avoid high-intensity workouts and aim for a balance between strength and cardio. Without some sort of direction, the abundance of diet and exercise options will be overwhelming and result in no benefit.
Then, develop your plan for how your diet and exercise routine will look, setting goals along the way. Plan your diet and workouts as well as ways to measure your progress. An important aspect of this is planning things you will actually do. A high-intensity workout is of no use if you won’t be motivated to do it. Early in my career, coworkers tried to convince me to do CrossFit with them. Knowing myself, I figured the soreness that would come in the first couple months would cause me to dread my workouts and quit altogether. By that point, I actually enjoyed my longer but less intense workouts, so I stuck with them. Similarly, a diet that takes extreme discipline is useless if you won’t follow it, whereas a much less intense diet that you will be motivated to follow is much more useful. I once lost thirty pounds in a year simply by moderately reducing my portion sizes and cutting down on junk food while maintaining my balanced fitness routine. And since I noted here that fitness and weight are areas I have struggled with in the past, if I can do it, anyone can. Finally, results in diet and exercise will involve pain and will be a long time in coming, so perseverance is key—stick with it!
And for those who may be nervous going to the gym, allow me (as a bit of a gym regular) to alleviate those fears. Don’t think you will be the only out-of-shape person there. Gyms are filled with people of all sizes, ages, and abilities, so you’ll fit right in. Don’t be worried about less-than-complimentary remarks either. The few people who would make disparaging comments should be ignored, and most people at the gym simply mind their own business. The only way you will (rightly) draw ire is by transgressing gym etiquette, so as long as you don’t hog the equipment, wipe it down when you’re done, don’t listen to music without headphones, and maintain courtesy for those around you, there is nothing to worry about. Stick with it and before long you too may become a gym regular who dreads the coming of January and the resolution rabble invading “your gym”.
So pursuant of the glory of God, make those resolutions—not to “get in shape” but to develop a habit of exercise to keep your body strong for the service of the King, not to “lose weight” but to take care of the body that is a temple of the Holy Spirit. While bodily discipline is only valuable in this life, it does aid in godliness that has eternal value. So let us glorify God by being good stewards of the bodies He has given us.
NOTES
[1] Doug Wilson, Fidelity: How to Be a One-Woman Man, Moscow, ID: Canon Press: 2012: 44.
[2] Doug Wilson, Fidelity: How to Be a One-Woman Man, Moscow, ID: Canon Press: 2012: 34.
