So much is said about health these days - it seems like everyone has a point of view on what we should and shouldn’t eat, whether it is important to be fit, how much and what type of exercise to do, and whether God cares about any of this at all. So, how do we make sense of it all? Well, we certainly don’t have all the answers but we hope to explore at least some truths together. To build our understanding, let’s start at the very beginning!
God created the world and everything in it to be perfect.
Obviously, God planned and knew that man would sin and fall prior to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In the New Testament, Acts 4:27-28 confirms another example of how God works in this way. It says that the people gathered together against Jesus because God's plan had predestined this to take place.
God knew that sin would thwart his perfect creation. Yet, when he completed it, Genesis 1:31 tells us that he 'saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good . . .' This includes our bodies!
God carefully fashioned each one of us, and he calls us good. Perhaps that's why even after the Fall, Adam still lived 930 years!
When sin entered the world, it affected every part of our lives.
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned . . .” (Romans 5:12).
Genesis 3:16-19 states the curses that Adam and Eve faced because of their sin. They were cut off from God, the ground was cursed, childbirth was painful, work was difficult, and man would now physically die. Today, we too face pain because of that first sin, including pain in our physical health.
Here are just a few effects we currently see that reflect this pain:
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As reported in John Mark Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, “Before 1879, the average person in the U.S. slept 11 hours per night. Now we’re at 7. . .”
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According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), every year the U.S. spends, on a per-person basis, $12,300 on total healthcare, with $1,300 of that on prescriptions.
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According to joint research from The Guardian and Food & Water Watch in 2021, just four companies control 80% of all food consumed in the U.S.
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According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only half of adults in the U.S. meet the global standard of 150+ minutes of moderate-intensity cardio each week (livestrong.com).
You and I can feel the temptation and brokenness of sin every single day as we fight our inward desires and outward pressures on what we eat, the distractions in our lives, the fight to get enough sleep, the fight to feel . . . healthy.
We feel like we constantly fail, and that it's just too hard. Fortunately, there is good news for us.
Jesus came to save us from our sins and to heal our brokenness.
God gives us, through the payment of our sins with the death of his son Jesus Christ on the cross, a justifying and saving grace, as well as a sanctifying grace. We need both not only for our spirit but also for our earthly bodies.
- Jesus gives us justification and reconciliation with God:
“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men” (Romans 5:18).
Without justification, nothing else matters. If death ultimately and permanently separates us from God, who cares how we live now? Who cares about the health problems we face? We might as well follow the apostle Paul’s “advice” in 1 Corinthians 15:32: "If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’”
But because we have a path to salvation and the hope of a forever life with Jesus, the way that we live now and how we take care of the bodies God has given to us matters.
(Let me take a quick detour right here. If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please reach out to us here at Berean. Nothing else in this article matters without him!)
- Jesus begins to heal the world through sanctification but also through physical examples:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1).
Jesus’ ministry is filled with stories of healing physical problems. Though he doesn’t heal everyone, he showed that he does care about our health, and he cares about our sanctification so much that he gave us the Holy Spirit to continue the work he started.
What do sanctification and the healing of our brokenness have to do with our everyday health?
The answer is everything! As Jesus rescues us from our brokenness and we become sanctified by him, he calls us to live for him in all areas, including how we care for our bodies.
1 Corinthians 10:31 says, 'So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.'
There are several other examples in God's Word where we are called to live for him by caring about the way we live now because he cares about our health. Consider these two:
- "Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty and slumber will clothe them with rags" (Proverbs 23:19-21).
- "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul" (3 John 1:2).
We want you to understand that this does NOT mean healthier people are any more holy (justified or sanctified) than those who are not. Just hang out with fit people for a moment and you’ll see they are just as messed up as everyone else! There are many health problems that happen to us that are beyond our control. However, these verses are an eye-opener, for sure, showing us that some troubles may come our way because of our own poor actions and choices (the sins of drunkenness, gluttony, or neglecting God's wisdom - to name a few).
So, now what?
If you believe that Jesus saved you from your sins, and you believe that he wants you to pursue godliness through how you interact with others and take care of your physical body, what can you do to start? Or, what can you do to keep going?
1. First (and we’ll rely on two Berean pastors for help here), begin by remembering the astonishing work that Christ has done for you. As you stand back in awe of what he has done, this generates a love for him within you. As your love for him grows, this prompts a desire to glorify him with what you do.
2. Then, as Pastor Roger says, “Do the next right thing.” This might look a little different for each one of us. For some, it’s committing to go on a 30-minute walk 4-5 times per week (this is one of my favorite starts, but that’s a conversation for another time). For others, it’s a commitment to turn off the TV and put down your phone just a bit earlier in the evening to get more sleep. For some, it means putting down processed food and instead cooking a meal at home. Just do one small step this month. Then, gradually add a bit more later. Major changes most often involve small, consistent “wins” with perseverance through all the setbacks. Need inspiration? Google stories on Sir David Brailsford and the British Cycling Team!
As I consider this point, I'm also reminded of an impactful sermon by Pastor Deven. He preached on Philippians 2:12-13 which says, ". . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” He urged us to work hard with reverential awe but that God would provide the motivation, whether we ‘feel like it’ or not. He charged us to “create situations to grow and not to stumble.”
As you pursue your health, create small opportunities for yourself to grow, and allow God to be your motivation!
3. Give yourself grace. Will you never miss a workout? Will you never struggle to pick up a book and get to bed on time? Will you always be able to get up earlier to get in God's Word and maybe do a short workout? Will every meal be healthy?
No way! - Celebrate the wins, but give yourself grace along the journey.
Make a commitment in 2023.
As we're kicking off this new year, commit to honoring God in all things, even through your health.
In the end, what matters is that “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24).
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
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