7 A Christian Guide to Body Stewardship, Diet and Exercise The empowering means of sanctification is God’s Spirit working in the life of the one united to Christ (Rom. 8:1–17; 15:16; 2 Thess. 2:13), so that the Christian life is characterized as walking by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 22–26; in contrast to non-Christian rebellion Gal. 5:19–21). It is impossible to grow in Christlikeness if one is not growing in Christlikeness with the use of one’s body. Thus, Christians should be characterized by self-control (Gal. 5:23; 1 Tim. 2:9; Tit. 2:2, 5, 6, 12; 1 Pet. 4:7; 2 Pet. 1:6), particularly with the way that they use their bodies: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God” (1 Thess. 4:3–5; see also 1 Cor. 6:14). While non-Christians are so driven by the simple impulses of bodily desires (Phil. 3:19), Christians dedicate their bodies to worship of God and service of others. Although Christians use their bodies in a sanctified way for the worship of God, all human bodies still suffer the decay resulting from sin. The human body was not created for suffering and death, but they are tragic results of sin. Thus, even while bodily suffering and bodily death are experienced universally, they are unnatural in that they are not part of what God declared over his creation to be good. Following the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, they experience the suffering of broken relationship with God (Gen. 3:8–13), health issues (Gen. 3:16), relationship struggles (Gen. 3:16), struggles to provide (Gen. 3:17–19), and ultimately death (Gen. 3:22–24). Written on nearly every page of the Bible are stories of suffering, struggle, and death resulting from sin, sometimes one’s personal sin, the sin of others, or just the effects of living in a sin-cursed world. Since the exit from Eden, bodies age, sickness ravages, and death reigns (Rom. 5:12; Heb. 9:27). The decay of the human body is one example of the larger category of natural evil, the terrible things that result from living in a world downstream from the fall in Eden. In Romans 8, Paul describes both the anguish of living in a sin-cursed world and the promise of God’s deliverance: “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:20–21). All creation fell with humanity, suffers with humanity, and awaits the adoption of humanity. As we await the eternal realization of our adoption, our physical bodies are subject to decay. Physical activity and healthful food are common graces of God that make functioning in the sin-cursed world possible as we await the final undoing of the curse. Being united to Christ does not always entail immediate deliverance from bodily suffering (Jas. 5:13–15); rather, Christians suffer all the more because they risk their bodies for gospel-ministry (Acts 20:22–25; 2 Cor. 4:7–12) and experience persecution (e.g., Mark 8:34–35; 13:13; John 15:20; 2 Tim. 3:12). So, the human body is a frail yet resilient vessel through which to worship God and in which to carry the gospel message, “so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Cor. 4:10). This resiliency can and should be enhanced through careful stewardship. Just as death was not the original intent for the human body, death is not the final end of the human body. God corrects the sin-caused distortion of his created goodness in the new creation through his Son. On account of Adam’s sin, God subjected the whole world to the futility of suffering, decay, and death (Rom. 8:20). God did so with the plan of salvation and ultimately
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