I was thinking about how I moved from a more sedentary to active lifestyle. One of the things I decided to do is to get a pedometer to help me monitor my exercises. Now, I realized that there are days that the body asks to rest. It means that the body is asking not to do some intense activities for the day and focus on basic tasks like cleaning one’s room, washing dishes, and mopping the floor instead. The benefits of exercise are numerous–muscle growth, better mood, and detoxification of the body. I remembered doing some cardio and aerobics and I’ve had much shorter anger, reduced excess energy (which has helped me control my compulsive lying and talking), and I get to had less constipation. All these workouts are part of one’s physical well-being.
However, 1 Timothy 4:8 says that bodily exercise profits little. I think the KJV doesn’t get it as much as accurate as the ESV. The KJV doesn’t say that bodily exercise profits none but little. In short, Paul was talking about that while it’s beneficial but it’s not as poweful as godliness. Godliness will put us on the track to exercise. It seems that Paul was talking about how exercise means nothing without godliness. The ESV says that bodily training has some value but it’s godliness that makes all things profitable. The Christian life leads to some bodily exercise in order to be more useful for the LORD. It leads to a healthy lifestyle of “You are what you eat.” in every way. You get to eat more vegetables and less meat. The food pyramid says you need to eat more glow than grow foods and use fat sparingly. We tend to indulge in high fat and do less exercise. However, by God’s grace, we can do more exercise and eat only the right amount of fat, eat more healthy food (and we can enjoy it), and godliness makes it easier to stay fit than doing workouts without godliness.
One classic verse that’s often misunderstood is Philippians 2:12-13 which says to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. The GNT (a Catholic translation) is often used to say you can lose your salvation. However, to work out to complete one’s salvation is not about a loss of salvation. Rather, Philippians 1:7-9 says that Jesus began a good work will finish it. The losers lose the race and don’t get eternal life. However, by God’s grace, all of those who are His are bound to win this race. If they’re slacking off then expect God’s loving discipline (Hebrews 12:5-9). Fear and trembling are necessary for discipline as much as love and respect. This is the paradox of loving and fearing God at the same time. Fearing to displease God out of love for Him. This working out means to really try and mature into one’s Christian life. It’s also to realize that it’s God that works in you to complete this salvation. From salvation to sanctification to the inevitable glorification.
The lordship salvation distinctive (or as some call, lordship sanctification) is that Christ is the Lord of every Christian. If Christ is not their Lord then He’s not their Savior at all. The lordship salvation doctrine teaches that a Christian may fall away but never completely. Instead, a Christian will endure to the end. The ability to persevere is not the root but the fruit. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints distinguishes true and fake converts. Even some non-Calvinist brethren are bound to agree with that even if they disregard the middle three points of TULIP. Sure, the non-Calvinist is bound to cringe at the doctrine of unconditional election, limited atonement, and irresistible grace. However, the non-Calvinist saved by grace is bound to say, “But certainly, we can both agree that true converts will persevere!” Ray Comfort, David W. Cloud, Vernon McGee, and Aiden Tozer were all non-Calvinists too.
Godliness puts a value in the physical exercises making them profit more. The motive being one’s physical training is no longer focused on the trainee but the Trainer himself. It takes real discipline to do one’s workouts consistently. Every Christian has God as a spiritual gym instructor. Bible studies are the mental exercise. A healthy body and a healthy mind are needed to function well. Can you really read the Bible and understand it if you’re tired? Exercise helps provide brain function for the better. Doing some physical exercise may help tune in one’s senses to God’s Word even better than if one was sluggish and did no exercise. Some pagans see the need for physical exercise to connect with their occultism. Christianity needs physical exercises for Christians to better read and understand the Bible in a healthy state of mind. If a Buddhist monk could rightfully encourage Buddhists to do some health routines then it’s a shame if a pastor fails to encourage the redeemed to do get more exercise. Connecting both physical and spiritual exercise in godliness is the way to go.
This exercise would mean getting rid of toxins in both the physical and the spiritual. Exercise would help one get rid of piling up toxins you didn’t know you had. It’s not just healthy eating of less grow and more glow according to the food pyramid. Sure, a vegetable dish can help but that’s not enough. Exercise would help the intestines have a better movement to digest food better and clean them up. The spiritual exercises such as Bible studies will help the Christian discipline the mind. The mind and the body are so polluted in sin that the first moment of salvation isn’t enough. It’s to be sanctified in both areas in order to function properly.
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