The Bibles Perspecitve on Fitness and the Temple of the Holy Spirit

In the inaugural Fit For Jesus website blog post, I introduced the following scripture from the Bible:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." ~ 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20

This scripture is only the beginning of the concept of becoming fit and healthy for eternal purposes, but what a clear beginning it is! Our body is the literal, physical temple of the Holy Spirit. By creating a fit, healthy body, we are taking care of our righteous Holy Spirits temple. Our bodies are a gift from the Lord, and we should all, in a simple act of gratitude and love, honor Him with our body and the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Are we required to? Technically, no. Salvation through Jesus Christ is a gift of Gods abundant and perfect grace. Our salvation does not depend on our actions, but dont you, out of love and appreciation, want to give something back to our gracious Heavenly Father, who mercifully gave His Son for us?

(In future articles, we will get into greater detail about how, while our actions here on earth have nothing to do with "deserving" salvation, our actions here on earth - including your levels of health and fitness - undoubtedly have much to do with our eternal heavenly rewards!)

Here is more scripture:

"Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body." ~ John 2: 19-21

In this portion of scripture, Jesus states that His body is a temple. I know when I first came across this passage, my gut response was, "Yeah, but that is Jesus. I cant compare myself to Him and call my body a temple!"

It almost seems uncomfortable to compare ourselves to Jesus Christ, doesnt it? Yet, in the Bible, it clearly states that we are "made new in Christ", and through the Holy Spirit "conformed to the likeness of His Son." Yes, we are conformed into the spiritual likeness of His character and His righteousness and holiness, but Jesus was also very human.

Jesus was all too clear: His human body was a temple!

"In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." ~ Ephesians 2:21-22

This passage from Ephesians really sealsdrives home the point, doesnt it? We are, both individually and collectively, becoming a "dwelling in which GOD lives by His Spirit!".

I think we can all agree that the Bible is conclusive: our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. In the days of the Old Testament, a tremendous amount of resources, including time, talent, attention, and money were devoted to the building of Gods temple, based on very clear direction from God. The temple of the Holy Spirit - our body - should be no different!

Pray today for the Lords strength to help you build a temple worthy of His Holy Spirit. Ask for strength to choose the right foods, the desire {and time |}}}to plan your meals, and increased priorities to create time to exercise. Start with the clear scripture, and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you in more detail about His desire for you!
With 14 years of experience in the fitness industry, Jeremy Nelms is the creator of Fit For Jesus! The worlds largest Christian fitness website FitForJesus.com brings together people from around the world to support each other, lose weight and get in great shape at http://www.FitForJesus.com. With a rapidly growing Christian social network, you can receive nutrition tips, exercise techniques, recipes, and massive amounts of support. Learn more about taking care of the temple of the Holy Spirit at Fit For Jesus today!