When it comes to salvation and fitness, both involve transformation—but the way we engage with each is fundamentally different.
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross did what no one else could do: he bore the weight of sin and conquered death once and for all (Romans 5:10). The heavy lifting of our salvation is already accomplished.
Jesus’ death and resurrection are a gift. The Bible tells us we are saved by grace through faith—not by works, so no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8–9). This means we don’t earn our way into God’s favour. Jesus has already paid that price. Think of it as showing up to a gym and discovering someone has already bought your lifetime membership, paid for a top-tier personal trainer, and stocked the fridge with all the right nutrition. Access has been granted. All you need to do is show up.
But here’s where the gym analogy takes a sharp turn. While salvation is a gift we can’t earn, fitness isn’t. No one else can go to the gym for you. No one can squat, run or stretch in your place. If you want to get stronger, healthier, or build your endurance, the burden of work is fully yours. There’s no shortcut, no substitute. You have to do the reps. You have to sweat. You have to push through the soreness. Fitness, unlike grace, is not free.
This contrast draws out an important spiritual lesson: grace isn’t opposed to effort—it’s opposed to earning. Just because Jesus did the work for us doesn’t mean our lives should be passive or lazy. In fact, as the Apostle Paul writes, ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:12–13). That doesn’t mean we earn our salvation. It means we respond to grace with action.
Fitness and faith do intersect in one key way: discipline. Getting up early to train, resisting unhealthy cravings, and staying consistent all require intentional choices. And living a Christ-like life does too. While Jesus made a way for us, discipleship still calls for self-denial, daily faith, and sometimes even suffering. The difference is that the end goal—eternal life—has already been secured. All we need is to remain faithful. In fitness, you’re still working toward a result that can fade if you stop.
You don’t work to be saved—because your salvation has been achieved, you work. You sweat in the gym. You serve in life. Not to earn love, but because love already found you.
Joanne Wale