A Little Theology of Exercise

Throughout history, philosophers and theologians have debated the importance and the role of the body. The Epicureans thought everything was for our enjoyment.  The Gnostics thought that everything in the material world was evil and only the spiritual was good.  And the Ascetics denied themselves physical pleasures for the sake of spiritual disciplines.  Fast forward into modern life, we can see a number of these different threads come into view as we attempt to answer the question of how ought we to properly view our body.

And so, the question then becomes, as Christians, what does the Bible say and what does God say about how we should view our bodies and how we should then use our bodies for his service and his glory?  These questions are the subject of the book A Little Theology of Exercise by David Mathis.

After discussing the importance of movement in the introduction, the book itself is divided into two main parts.  The first part develops a theology of exercise, and the second part gives five arguments as to why you want to pursue fitness.

Watch my full review of this book.

I have written and published on this forum a number of pieces about fitness.  As a later convert to the idea of physical exercise and fitness, I now believe that movement (and in particular exertional movement) is an absolutely vital part of not only our physical lives but also our mental and spiritual lives.  I found this book particularly instructive and encouraging as it helped me formalize and build out my theology of exercise in several specific ways.

Our bodies and our souls are deeply connected

While I know that the number of subdivisions of our existence has been the subject of debate and conversation for theologians over the years, I like to view our lives in three main spheres—the physical realm of our bodies, the mental realm of our minds, and the spiritual realm of our souls.  These are distinct but interconnected aspects of who we are, and what we do in one can have a profound effect on the others. When I exercise, my mind is affected—my ability to focus and my mood improves. What I do with my physical body has effects elsewhere. Discipline in the physical realm has trickle-down effects spiritually and mentally.

Physical activity is an important spiritual discipline

Paul says bodily exercise is of some value, but godliness is of great value.  We often read this verse and move quickly to focus on the great value of godliness – as we should.  Lifting weights won’t get you to heaven. Running won’t get you into glory. Only faith and trust in Jesus will. But using the body that God has given you is an important spiritual discipline that should be part of every believer’s life alongside reading the Bible and prayer.  In many ways we act as functional Gnostics when we focus exclusively on certain spiritual disciplines and ignore the body.  God made your physical frame.  He made it for a purpose.  He made it to move.  And God called that good!

How we use our bodies is an act of worship

The Bible calls us as believers to worship God.  We have a tendency to compartmentalize worship into a once weekly activity consisting of a song set, offering and sermon.  But biblically, worship is continual, daily adoration of our maker and sustainer.  Jesus adds context when he calls us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  (Mark 12:30 ESV). Our worship is not just the words that come out of our mouths or the thoughts in our heads but also the movement we do with our bodies.  We can worship God in our bodies and rejoice in what he has given us.

The focus of this blog is the pursuit of excellence or virtue with medicine as the basis.  Aristotle would define this as living well by seeking the highest good.  As Christians, we would view this as beatitude with God as the central focus.  To that end it may seem strange to focus our attention in a medically oriented blog toward theology and fitness.  However, this book is at the very center of that pursuit of excellence.  In healthcare, there is no medicine more potent than proper nutrition and fitness.  But to really see the importance of fitness we need to step back and think more broadly. 

Several years ago, I published a blog post about the excellence compass outlining how I view the various spheres of life.  The cardinal directions reflect a vertical reality oriented toward our theology and a horizontal reality reflecting our orientation toward our personal existence and to our interaction with various groups of people around us.  The summation of our vertical and horizontal relationships leads us to our output in the form of our vocation, avocation and service.  How we care for and move our bodies profoundly affects each of these areas – including our orientation back to God.  This book provides that insight.

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