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Did you know that the Apostle Paul commands us to go to the gym?
He writes in 1 Timothy 4:7…
Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness (NASB1995).
Train yourself to be godly (NIV).
To be godly, go to the gym (OGV).
1 Timothy 4:7 reads “discipline” in the NASB and “train” in the NIV, but the translated Greek word is “gymnazo” from which we get the English word “gym.”
That’s why the Old Guy Version (OGV) says, “Go to the gym.”
When we go to the gym, we are following the Bible. I think the OGV translation of 1 Timothy 4:7 should be printed on the napkins at all church potlucks.
Paul wrote 1 Timothy to his protégé Timothy who was serving as the pastor of the Church in Ephesus. The city of Ephesus had many gyms—the Upper Gym, the East Gym, the Theater Gym, the Harbor Gym, and others.
When Americans think “gym,” they consider Planet Fitness™, the YMCA™, LA Fitness™, Curves™, or Gold’s Gym™. When the Apostle Paul mentioned “gym” in his letter to Timothy, the Ephesians would think of their gyms too.
The word in both the Greek and English implies work, discipline, and training. But Paul uses the context of the word to imply more than physical fitness. As he says to Timothy…
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8, NIV).
We are saved by grace, and neither winning a gold medal nor righteous works earn forgiveness, salvation, and hope for eternity. But “grace” doesn’t negate our responsibility to stay in shape both physically and spiritually.
Paul continues in his exhortation to Timothy…
That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe (1 Timothy 4:10, NIV).
In Roman culture, there were exercise routines and coaches. Ephesus and other cities at the time of Paul had a “gym” culture—lost in the Middle Ages and only recently recovered in today’s world.
The Apostle Paul stays with the “gym” talk when he tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:10 to labor and strive. The Greek word for “labor” means “hard work,” and the Greek word translated as “strive” is “agonizo” from which we get our word “agony.”
These words sound like phrases my coach used when I played football in high school—Work harder, Edwards. No pain, no gain, you dumb lineman. Stay after practice and run an additional mile!
But Paul elevates his gym language to a more loving and encouraging tone when he mentions the living God, who is the Savior of the world.
Jesus becomes our coach, motivating us to godliness by His love for us. We work, we train, and we agonize because we love Him!
Now, get to the gym!