Should a Christian exercise?
"Don’t you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is in you, and you have received the Spirit from God. You do not belong to yourselves. Christ has paid the price for you. So use your bodies in a way that honors God" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
"Training the body has some value. But being godly has value in every way. It promises help for the life you are now living and the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:8).
"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider how handsome or tall he is. I have not chosen him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outside of a person. But the LORD looks at what is in the heart'" (1 Samuel 16:7).
A Christian can exercise and it’s healthy to do so.There is nothing wrong with a Christian exercising. In fact, the Bible tells us we need to take care of our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Part of taking care of our bodies is exercising and eating healthy foods. With this in mind, we also need to be aware of extremes. Exercising too much can be unhealthy or it may cause an injury.
In 1 Timothy we learn that physical training holds some value, yet spiritual training holds purpose for this life and the life to come.. If you focus too much on your physical health, you might not be paying enough attention to your spiritual health. Physical health is important, but training for godliness is much more important (1 Timothy 4:8). There’s nothing wrong with exercise—just make sure you are not becoming obsessive about it.
Many people exercise out of vanity or to look a certain way. This does not bring God glory. Instead, you should exercise to keep your body healthy and happy. There is nothing wrong with exercising, but you need to be careful that you don’t allow it to become an idol in your life. God always needs to be your top priority and focus, not exercise. He looks at the condition of your heart, not your body (1 Samuel 16:7).
