How fit are you?
What is your present level of fitness? I’m not talking about physical or mental fitness, although, of course, these are important.
Rather, I’m talking about spiritual fitness for the believer.
For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:8
Well, we know that physical fitness, depending on factors that may challenge us, is hugely beneficial, both emotionally and psychologically. Yet, compared to spiritual fitness, what Paul calls godliness, they are only a little bit profitable.
The New Testament Greek word for ‘profitable’ is ōphelimus. It means ‘advantageous, beneficial, to heap up, to accumulate, to profit.’ Godliness builds something excellent into us that affects all aspects of our life, now and in the age to come.
Godliness, he says, is profitable for all things, including all other forms of fitness and wellness. Our main priority, then, should be spiritual fitness and wellbeing.
We know that people face all kinds of physical and mental challenges in a lifetime, but Paul gives a solution to these by putting before us the advantage of spiritual fitness that leads to the possibility of overcoming any psychological or material difficulties we may face in life.
Spiritual fitness increases lifelong resilience. But there are other benefits.
Godliness carries the promise for the life we now lead and that which is to come. It has impact on more than one dimension. It is a continuing flow of connection to the very Lifegiver who sustains us, not only as we navigate this world in this time, but in the eternity to come.
Mystery of godliness
What then is godliness? How can we enter into this spiritual dimension of fitness and wellness?
Essentially it is God-likeness. To be following in the precepts and leading of the Holy Spirit. To be Word-aware and allowing God’s will to permeate our lives and being. To be Christ-like in everything. To be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, obedient to His instructions via New Testament teaching.
Paul, again, speaks of the mystery of godliness. He phrased it as a benediction.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
1 Timothy 3:16
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
Jesus is the Word made into a man through birth, through the woman, by the Holy Spirit. Manifested in the flesh. He came to be like us to save is through His death on the cross.
He was justified in the Spirit. God the Father pronounced Him to be His Son, sent to justify us through faith in the cross, through His death that paid the price of our sin to give us life eternal.
He was witnessed by angels, who did not know the plan of God, and still watch to see how we now accomplish God’s will through faith in Christ and obedience to His will.
He was preached in the earth, and still is. The Gentiles, meaning all nations and ethic groups outside of Israel, were given the route back into favour with God to become the children of God through faith in Jesus. The wild branches grafted into the true Vine, who is Christ.
He is believed in the world. All who believe and come to Him are saved and have eternal life accredited to them. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to those who believe.
He was received into glory, where He sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for the saints, for us, for those who believe, and for those who will believe.
Alive, raised from the dead, sending the Holy Spirit to be with us, in us, and upon us, to equip us for the work of the ministry, to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world, to all who will believe and be saved.
Godliness for today
His godliness is now our godliness as we follow in His footsteps, doing His will, imitating His faithfulness to the Father and to His will. His righteousness is our righteousness. His fitness is our fitness.
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Ephesians 5:1-2
Being physically and emotionally fit are good things, and worth working towards as much as we have the capacity for them, and depending on our circumstances.
But walking a godly walk, walking in love, being a follower and imitator of God by imitating Jesus will aid us seriously also in our physical and psychological needs, and help us lead an effective dynamic life.
Fit for purpose. Fit for God. Fit for victory.
Photo by wal-619712 for pixabay
