We all know the saying
Your body is a temple
1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19
But what does it really mean?
How do you treat your body like a temple? A temple is carved and designed. A temple is ordained and ornate. So, does that mean you should decorate your body? No.
Leviticus 19:28 says:
“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.”
The cuts and tattoos on your body are decorations, right? Biblical scholars have read “cuts” to mean piercings. Most women have piercings, and many men do too.
Many people have a tattoo in effigy of a lost soul or spirit. I lost my son in 2007 and I have been considering getting a tattoo so that he will always be remembered, not only in my heart but on my body.
Leviticus is an Old Testament scripture and the New Testament is silent on the subject. What to do? An important scriptural principle on issues the Bible does not specifically address is if there is room for doubt whether it pleases God, then it is best not to engage in that activity. Therefore, we should not pierce or tattoo our bodies.
But we do.
Why do I bring this up in relation to fitness?
Because if it’s easy to disobey God’s wishes on piercings and tattoos, it’s extremely easy to disobey God on the really hard stuff – like eating right, not overindulging and keeping our bodies fit.
Proverbs 23:20–21 says
“Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.”
An easy interpretation of this scripture leads you to think that gluttony would cause poverty because of the excess expense. Although I think that’s a good start, a more thorough explanation would to understand that those who are obese (therefore gluttonous) make less money than their thinner counterparts. So not only are you likely to spend more on food, but you aren’t able to make as much to start. To top it off, only 5 of the 40 presidents of the history of the United States were overweight (classified by our current BMI schedule). We, the people, are not likely to elect an obese person.
Let’s delve a little deeper, shall we?
If you are gluttonous and it’s time to step up for our Lord, will you be able to? An obese person is likely to have heart problems, be slower and have complications breathing. As such, if you are called to fight on God’s behalf, the excitement alone can kill you. If it doesn’t kill you outright, you will most certainly be at a disadvantage against a stronger evil.
Physical fitness is important as well. Being a child of God, you may be called to climb up a mountain as Moses was. Are you ready to make that trek? I know I could, with some struggle. But God does not want us to struggle when he calls on us. He doesn’t want us to hesitate or question whether we are capable of completing the task.
This is a frank and straightforward assessment of the biblical principle because the bible doesn’t really leave any room for “a little fat”.
On the other hand, starving yourself and failing to consume enough nourishment is also ungodly. A lack of nutrients will make you weak and unable to withstand the fight against evil. God wants an army, not just people or bodies.
We have to remember what is said in 1 John 2:15-17
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
This is a pledge that we give to God. That we will not give into desires of the flesh, but abide by His law and for us to live, we must abide.
I know it’s hard sometimes to abide by His law, but as Christians, we must try our best to follow His path. He leads us to salvation. We may not always meet His requests, but we have to do our best to try.
In God’s unfailing love,
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