A doctor will tell you to do some exercise in order to keep your body in a healthy state and weight. It has always been said that body exercise helps in reducing the chances of getting some diseases. And that is true. Exercising will help you to maintain good health. But what is the importance of exercise from a Christian point of view? Is exercise of the body useful for a Christian?
By taking care of our bodies, we honor our Heavenly Father
1 Corinthians 6:19:20 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies”. These verses show clearly that God commands us to take good care of our bodies but we are also warned against vanity in 1 Samuel 16:7.
We are also urged to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, and that this is our true and proper worship of our God. Read Romans 12:1. It is evident that as a Christian, you should exercise your body in order to honor God.
Body exercise is valuable, but to what extend?
As Christians, we are warned against focusing too much on physical exercise, lest we make an idol out of it. There is some value in exercising our bodies as Christians but not as much value as that of godliness and spiritual training. The book of 1 Timothy 4:8 says “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both present life and the life to come”. This shows that God values our bodies thus answering the question “is exercise of the body useful for a Christian?”
In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul the apostle says “ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will last forever…”.Paul equates the life of a Christian to a race that one runs in order to get some prize. Even though this scripture doesn’t entirely focus on physical exercise, Paul’s use of athletic terminology in his teachings shows his positive views on exercise and competition.
Our bodies are Members of Christ’s body
It is expected of us to ensure the health of our bodies which are connected to the body of Christ. So if we don’t keep Christ body healthy who will? 1 Corinthians 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself …?” This alone answers the “is exercise of the body useful for a Christian?” question.
Exercise helps against laziness
We are told in Ecclesiastes 10:18 that “laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house. In this regard, we are expected to conduct body exercise in order to avoid laziness.
Bottom line
Body exercise should not be aimed at improving our bodies’ quality in order to show off. Instead, it should be aimed at improving our physical healthy in order to get the energy that we require in our spiritual endeavors.
