“It’s almost summertime, ladies! The shorts are getting shorter! Don’t you want to be ready for the beach?”
“Hold that plank a little longer… you want to be sexy and strong!”
Over the years I’ve enjoyed various exercise classes at our local gym, but the barrage of self-focused motivations makes me cringe. Is this really what it’s all about? Working out in order to have a beach-ready body? In order to feel good about ourselves in a bikini? No: we need to remember that as believers, it’s not about us. And this is hugely liberating!
Contrary to what popular culture likes to tell us, as Christians our bodies are not our own: they were bought with the precious blood of Jesus and now belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). And they house the third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. As temples of the Holy Spirit, we want to care for our bodies well, stewarding the earthly tent the Lord has given us. Romans 12:1 admonishes us:
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
You might remember that the Old Testament sacrificial system required animal sacrifices—lambs or other animals without blemish were offered at the temple in order to take away the sin of the people. But since Christ came and paid the ultimate sacrifice with his life, we are covered in his righteousness, free from condemnation. Our body is acceptable to God because of the costly price Jesus paid. In contrast to all those dead animals, we are living sacrifices, meaning that we are alive from the dead—our sin being buried with Christ and our new life being raised with him (Romans 6:4). As followers of Christ, we offer our whole selves—our minds, the strength of our bodies, our words, our hearts—in order to bring glory to God. We may be striving for a more beautiful or strong or healthy physique, but our bodies carry so much more significance than just that: they can be instruments of praise to God!
Instead of offering an animal sacrifice in worship, we offer a sacrifice of praise—verbal accolades of God’s greatness, despite the hardships we may be enduring. Our words remind us of God’s faithfulness to his promises, his sovereign and loving care over our lives, and his mercy which calls us back when we’ve strayed. We please God by doing good with our hands—sharing what we have with others, or offering physical, tangible help to a friend in need (Hebrews 13:16). We readily sacrifice our own comfort and ease for the sake of another. In this way, our bodies are holy and acceptable to God. It’s not an offering of bodily looks but bodily behavior. And it showcases the greatest purpose our bodies have on this earth—to point others to the living, all-powerful God. This is an act of worship.
Our bodies are all about God, not about us! Remembering this allows us to be free from the world’s self-centered, never-satisfied motivations. It gives us a chance to reshape our whole perspective on exercise.
This article is an excerpt from Beautiful Freedom by Stacy Reaoch. Used by permission of The Good Book Company
About the Author:
Stacy Reaoch is the author of Beautiful Freedom: How the Bible Shapes Your View of Appearance, Food and Fitness. Stacy is a writer, pastor’s wife, and mother of four who resides in Pittsburgh, PA. She’s passionate about helping women apply gospel truth to the daily trials of life. You can connect with her at stacyreaoch.com.
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