NT apostle, minister anointed by God to deal with scripture and church doctrine based on scripture
NT prophet, minister anointed by God to bring correction to church, to correct both ministers and individuals.
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I Timothy 4:7-8 refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
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I had spent years believing bodily exercise "profiteth little" … and had felt that God puts restoring powers in the body and given time and rest my body would improve after various injuries without my doing anything.
Then I fell twice in 2018 and spent 2 1/2 months in rehabilitation facilities where many physical therapist brought exercise to my attention in rather strong ways.
I never argued the point with a therapist, but I did continue, through their speaking, to hold to what it says in I Timothy 4 … believing there was a little profit in some exercise but never accepting the doctrine that without exercise I would be doomed.
My favorite therapist, who came to me after I moved to Colorado in 2019, approached the issue of exercise cautiously. She would say things like, "I thought about showing you some exercises you could do, but I don't think you would do them."
I responded, "That's right!"
The last session with her, I told her what the Bible says. I told her it says bodily exercise profits "little". There may be a little benefit. But basically we are warned in Bible not to go crazy and get hung up on exercise theories.
With that, she said she had never been much of an exercise person and she felt healing of the body came with time.
(I think physical therapists are excellent teachers on how to approach various obstacles and how to safely use a cane or walker. I have great appreciation for such instructions.)
But I still believe the scriptures on the subject of bodily exercise.
I do make 3 or 4 "walk throughs" the house during daylight hours, just doing a little deliberate action … but I avoid strong regiments as the world recommends.
(Basically I do not place my faith in that which I might do through my own attempts.)
God didn't say there was "no" benefit to exercise … Paul just warned us about "old wives tales", which is what I think the world today professes concerning the subject of exercise.
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