Aimee Byrd – Theological Fitness: Why we need a fighting faith
Cara Thompson writes…
It’s not every day I read a book that makes me both want to head to the gym and add a bunch of Christian books to my wishlist, but this book had exactly that effect. Aimee Byrd'sTheological Fitness uses fitness analogies to help us think about this exhortation in Hebrews: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Heb 10:23
Fitness? What has that got to do with theology? Bear with me a moment...
Andrew and I were over in Northern Ireland for Christmas, which meant we got to catch up with our nephews and nieces. I was reminded of how much I needed to keep going with my physio exercises when I saw Andrew’s 70-year-old aunt pick up our 3-year-old nephew to give him a big hug. Having hurt my back 8 months ago, I didn't even feel strong enough to lift a small pile of plates at a friend's house the other day! My back is weak, and I’m working on getting stronger, but the only way for me to do that is to keep up the exercises. It takes determination, it takes effort, it takes perseverance, but, as my physio assures me, the rewards are worth it!
Where am I going with this? Aimee Byrd's book got me thinking about my theological fitness. How do I tend to respond to failure in my life? What does that tell me about my understanding of grace and of Christ’s work? Am I confident that I can adequately discuss the good news of the gospel with people who challenge me about my faith? I would love to know God more, to be more discerning in which beliefs and thoughts are in line with Scripture and which aren’t, to have a closer walk with God.
Byrd talks about getting into shape theologically in a similar way to how we talk about getting into shape physically. Her starting point is Hebrews 10:23 that I quoted earlier. She breaks it down into its different parts (“Let us” – this is a community thing; “hold fast” – it takes stamina, which takes training… etc) to help us understand the necessity of spending time and effort on gaining a proper understanding of our faith if we are to stand firm in it. It takes determination, it takes effort, it takes perseverance, but the rewards are worth it!
But she also makes it clear that none of is about self-improvement. It is all about us keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, the one who invites us to know him more, and to live a life worthy of our new identity in him, trusting in his finished work on the cross and in his faithfulness as he continues to shape us day by day. With practical questions after each chapter, a very readable style, and a whole heap of encouragement, Theological fitness is a great book which left me both feeling challenged about my attitude towards reading the Bible and encouraged to read it more, trusting that “he who promised is faithful”. Here are a few quotes that stuck with me:
On our growth as Christians: “We are not fighting to improve our old selves, but we are striving to live as new creations in Christ.”
On our tendency to prioritise social media updates over reading the Bible: “God has ordained very ordinary means to communicate extraordinary grace while the world uses extraordinary means to communicate ordinary, humdrum data.”
Quoting Thomas Shriner: “The author [of Hebrews] does not commend perfection to his readers. Rather, he exhorts them to continue to hold on to Jesus Christ, to continue to cling to his sacrifice for forgiveness of sins. . . . Believers persevere by continuing to find their forgiveness and final sanctification in Christ instead of themselves.”
See you at the gym!
