Stewarding your body

A steward is defined as “one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns” or “one who actively directs affairs.” To steward means that you do not own but manage on behalf of another. If you think of the fiduciary responsibility of a financial advisor, they are required by law to steward (or manage) your money in a trustworthy manner – it is not their money to waste. In our own personal finances, we know that money can either be handled wisely or recklessly. What if we viewed our bodies in the same way? What if we believed that our bodies were not our own and instead were given to us to steward in a trustworthy manner? How might this change your perspective and prioritization of building and maintaining healthy habits?

The idea of stewarding one’s body may not be novel to those of you who are Christians. Most notably, and directly, in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, we read the following:

“¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

But what does this mean? In many instances, we read that glorifying God with our bodies means abstaining from sinful practices (we will not cover that here, but if you’d like to read on the subject, I recommend Romans chapter 1). If you are a Christian, you likely are familiar with what you should not do with your body according to the scriptures, but just like a manager of one’s estate (a steward) is obligated to manage the property well on behalf of the owner, how familiar are you with what we should do with our bodies to glorify God? How would you answer this question? Can you even answer this question? Victoria and I had an opportunity to consider this topic on our Church’s podcast and discuss the value of bodily training as a way to glorify God.

Much of what we hear about godliness is focused on the renewal of the mind – and rightly so! What we think often precedes how we act, and as sinful humans we are constantly fighting a battle to do the will of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) and constantly needing our minds renewed (Romans 12:2). However, as we discussed in the podcast, with so much attention being paid to the renewal of our minds, one might think of our bodies as “just along for the ride” or worse, cursed vessels of little to no value (Gnosticism). But is that what Scripture has to say? Spoiler alert – not at all!

One must look no further than the creation narrative (Genesis 1&2) to see that God created a physical world for all created beings to flourish. In the case of humans, God took the possessive form, stating, “let us make man in our own image” (Genesis 1:26) before forming the man out of the dust and breathing life into his nostrils. If God did not desire an intimate relationship with humanity, why would he make man “in His own image?” It would seem that a God who does not care for humanity would describe the creation of humans like any other animal – (e.g., the platypus was created and God called it good). However, we humans were created “in His image,” highlighting the immeasurable value of your life! Do you, or can you, believe this to be true?

As direct image bearers of God, man and woman were given dominion over all animals and charged with a mandate to fill (or populate) the earth and subdue it, thus filling the earth with the image of God. In Psalm 139, we read:

“¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.”

This text highlights the direct role of the LORD in your physical formation and his sovereignty over each day that you are to live on the earth. Even though we sinned (Genesis 3) and are now living under the penalty of that sin, where death, disease, and disability are real, we see countless examples of God still placing a high value and caring for the human body. One of the very first things God does for Adam and Eve prior to sending them away from the Garden of Eden, is to clothe them (Genesis 3:21), covering their nakedness and thus protecting them from the elements that would harm their exposed bodies. Later in Genesis, we see the LORD provide Joseph with wisdom to ensure the survival of the Egyptians and surrounding peoples by collecting food in preparation for a seven-year famine (Genesis 41). In Exodus, we see the LORD provide manna, quail, and water for the Israelites as they wander in the wilderness due to their own disobedience. We read in Deuteronomy 8 how the LORD didn’t allow the Israelites’ feet to swell or their clothing and sandals to wear out during those 40 years of wandering. In 1 Kings 17, we see the LORD use ravens to bring food to Elijah as he flees Jezebel, who is seeking to kill him. These are just a few examples from the Old Testament, a collection of books where skeptics often equate God with being a ruthless judge, that highlight the LORD’s love and care for our physical needs.

Further, in Matthew (the first book of the New Testament), Jesus says,

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

In these examples and excerpts from Scripture, we see that God has a deep care and love for the human body. This is most readily seen in the incarnation of the Son, who took on human flesh to redeem humanity through his death and resurrection. In redeeming humanity, we see that those who believe in Jesus will have physical bodies that are raised from the dead upon Christ Jesus’ return (Matthew 28:1 Corinthians 15:35-49), and these bodies will exist for eternity in their glorified state – free from disease, disability, and death.

So, what is the first step to stewarding your body well? We need to first understand that God, the Creator of this physical world and universe, was intimately involved in the creation of you, a physical being, to enjoy and interact with the world you were created to inhabit! He cares for your body today, even after the fall of man (Genesis 3), by continually providing what is needed for humanity to be sustained.

Now, if God is pro-human, what can we do to steward our bodies in a way that glorifies him? That will be our next topic of discussion.

Much of what Victoria and I shared on the podcast is shaped by the following book: A Little Theology of Exercise | Desiring God.

If you want to explore this topic in more depth, I highly recommend giving this a read!

If you’d like to learn more about the Parris Performance Institute, check out our website, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and join our free fitness group for people in the Lehigh Valley where we answer fitness related questions and post/host various challenges.

If you’re looking to maximize your fitness by receiving coaching, fill out our connect with a coach form or book a free “No Sweat Intro” to learn more about the small group training programs taking place at the Parris Performance Institute. For those of you not in the Lehigh Valley, we also do online coaching as well.

Now…go make today better than you found it!