Bodily Fitness = Increased Spirituality?

For some Christians, the Bible offers physical as well as spiritual guidelines. The reason for this growing emphasis on the body is simple. People are beginning to identify a connection between being physically fit and being spiritually well.

Kim Melchor, the facilitator of the First Place program at Taylor Road Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama put it this way. "God is the potter. He made our bodies, we don't own them, and we need to serve God as long as possible on this earth. Making positive, healthy choices will be a glorification to Him."

In recent years, many churches have added health-oriented programs and some have even invested in special exercise equipment to make fitness easier for interested members to achieve. Melchor also stated, "Putting food, exercise and Christ in the proper order, we can be healthier and be there for God, our church, our families and our communities."

Few doubt the importance of meeting life’s physical demands. Jesus knew this and acted upon it in Mark 8 when He fed five thousand hungry listeners. The One who created man knew full well that ears become dull when the stomach becomes empty.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul spoke of the physical body and its connection to spirituality. Although the context was moral purity, the principle of honoring God through the body is still conveyed. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” No Christian has the right to abuse his or her body since one’s physical condition can have a direct bearing on a relationship to God and the ability to serve Him fully.

While the benefits of overall physical fitness are obvious, for the Christian, this must be kept in proper balance. Paul wrote to young Timothy and clearly stated the priority order. In 1Timothy 4:7-8. “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

Then too, the Lord, who understands the human body as only the Creator-God can, reminds His followers in Matthew 6 to never place physical issues above spiritual wellness. In verse 25 he declares, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.” His point was basic. Meeting physical needs should never distract from spiritual pursuits.

Finally, Jesus summarized the entire matter, and every other related issue as well, in verses 32-33. “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Bill Breckenridge