Working Out Your Faith

     Working out your faith? In the context of this blog, here is what I mean: we should press on to know what we believe, and how that impacts us through the process of working out. In all areas of our lives, it’s not so much what we are doing as much as it is how and why we are doing it. What is the motive? How does that motive influence the way that we act? Take, for example, the act of a child cleaning their room. In one instance, they can shove all of their dirty clothes under the bed and toss their toys into the closet and shut the door. In another instance, they can take the time to neatly organize their clothes and toys, and care about the process. Supposedly, in both cases, the child cleaned their room. Yet, we can see that it is only in the latter instance that the task was truly meaningful. This holds true in the process of working out as well.  

“WE WORK OUT OUR BODIES AND OUR MINDS. WE MUST ALSO WORK OUT ALL THINGS RELATING TO OUR SALVATION.”

     The mind is a powerful place. Factors like how you push yourself and the kind of music you listen to have long-term impacts. Just like the child cleaning their room, we have the option either to go through the motions or to truly take hold of the opportunity. We can do 3 sets of 12 with a comfortable exercise; or we can push our limits and do the exercises that make us uncomfortable. In fact, according to the American Council on Exercise, stresses you face while exercising can lead to the benefits of the general adaptation syndrome (1). So, your body benefits from new intensities so long as you are able to properly recover. Bearing this in mind, we all have to decide what our fitness goals are and how they can be achieved.

     Why don’t you want to do long-distance running? Why not take up balance training? Why do you want to lift weights? These questions can be ordered differently, but I hope you get the point. We must figure out both what we want to do, and what we don’t want to do. Sorting this out will help us focus on our goals, and will help us to achieve success more effectively. 

     If you are someone who really wants to start working out at the gym, but feels intimidated and judged by the people there, you have to consider fighting those inclinations. Trust me, all of the “gymrats” and “meatheads” there are not half as intimidating as you may think. Just remember that we are all fallen human beings either clinging to our Savior, or in desperate need of Him. Telling ourselves this reminds us that even those people who act like they have it all figured out, simply do not. This is the perspective that relates to all of us; from the successful CEO, to the college student trying to find their way, to the father of three young children that just lost his job, to the family in an underdeveloped nation facing poverty. Thinking this way can help ground how we see others and how we face the challenges of this world. As C.S. Lewis famously expressed in his book, The Weight of Glory: every person you have met or will ever meet is a soul, not just a mortal (2).

     I know that felt like a tangent, but my point is this: thinking of people this way takes away false perceptions of subjective success, and makes every interaction meaningful, even at the gym. You don’t have to be intimidated by those around you because we all bleed the same. Beginners at the gym may not know what exercises they are supposed to do or how they are supposed to do them, how many sets and repetitions to do, etc. I can see how discouraging and menacing that may feel. Still, we all have to start somewhere. The guy over there knocking out pull-ups like he’s auditioning for American Ninja Warrior . . . he didn’t come out of the womb being able to do that. We all have a past. We all have a story. We all have to, as the Apostle Paul says in the Scriptures, work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12-13).

     Why aren’t you an atheist? Why aren’t you an agnostic? Why aren’t you a Buddhist? Why aren’t you Jewish (in the religious sense)? Why aren’t you a Muslim? Why aren’t you a Mormon?  Why aren’t you a Jehovah’s witness? Most importantly, why are you a Christian? These are some of the questions that we must ask ourselves if we are to work out our salvation.

     I am not an atheist because there is something rather than nothing. I am not an agnostic because the Word of God (The Bible) holds true in every circumstance and shows that God has spoken and we have access to His revelation. I am not a Buddhist because there is a claim to morality without a moral law-giver. I am not Jewish (in the religious sense) because the prophecies of the Tanakh were fulfilled in the person of Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus the Messiah). Everything He said and did authenticated the words of the Old Testament found in our Bibles through His historical Resurrection from the dead. The New Testament puts the work of Jesus on full display, and acts as a continuation and fulfillment of the story of redemption. I am not a Muslim, a Mormon, or a Jehovah’s Witness because the standard was already set in Deuteronomy 18:22, and Deuteronomy 13:1-3 for what a prophet must fulfill. Muhammad, Joseph Smith, and Charles Taze Russell did not meet the standard that was already set before their time. Additionally, God’s Word cannot be corrupted as stated in Isaiah 40:8, and 1 Peter 1:24-25. I am not coming against people that are of the above traditions, just the undergirding beliefs of those systems. What about what I am? I am a Christian by the grace of God, in light of all that has been expressed above. This must be thought about in all of our lives. I wanted to provide my reasons, in hopes that they may help you establish and think through your reasons.

    As Christians, we must work out our salvation, and that involves investigating what we believe and why we believe it. We work out our bodies and our minds. We must also work out all things relating to our salvation. Therefore, work out your faith. Be purposeful in your work-outs and be purposeful in your faith. Connect your mind and your heart. Don’t give up. Keep fighting the good fight of the faith (1 Timothy 6:12). Godspeed!