Observing Lent during the weeks before Easter with the intention of focusing on the cross can be a way of honoring Jesus’ sacrifice. As Kelly Givens observes, Lent “represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him.” Jesus expects us to fast, too: David Mathis explains, “The concern will not be whether we fast, but when.” However, is it Biblical to observe Lent by fasting or giving up something for 40 days? Is there anything about Lent in the Bible?
According to Susan Narjala, “Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for ‘Spring’” when the days get longer. “Similarly, as we ‘lengthen’ the time we spend in the presence of the Son, the Holy Spirit awakens our hearts to the glory of the gospel.” The word “lent” is not found in the Bible, and many Christians are wary of the idea. George Sinclair says, “Protestants have historically been suspicious of Lent.”
During this time, typically, one is supposed to fast or at least give up a comfortable habit that is difficult to do without drinking coffee or alcohol, eating chocolate, watching TV, etc. Some families observe this day as a matter of tradition, through gritted teeth if necessary. Like refusing to use swear words or never getting a tattoo, it is an outward sign of piety, yet it might not involve any inward transformation. Hence, the Protestant suspicion.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Kelly Givens explains that “Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday”, the extra 6 days being Sundays when the Sabbath rest includes a rest from Lent. Ashes are significant for Christians’ grief and repentance as they approach Good Friday, where they consider the horror of the cross prior to the joy of Christ’s resurrection.
One problem is that 40 days of self-denial can become a means by which one seeks to earn salvation to prove he or she is a “good” Christian, to boast in self-control, or to test oneself against temptation. Since we are saved by grace through faith and not by works, so that we cannot boast about our accomplishment (Romans 2:8-9), any thought of earning salvation through sheer determination to fast from food (or from anything) is a clear sign that one still does not understand what Christ accomplished on the cross.
Lent has also become a hurdle for people trying to overcome addictions to various substances; people who feel like failures when they break down on day 12, thinking, “Why try? God won’t have me now, I’ve let him down.” This is when some recovering addicts will return full force to their substance of choice, believing they do not deserve to be rescued from their addiction and their sin, forgetting that we do not deserve salvation; it is a gift only Christ could purchase, and he has paid in full already, even though we come broken to his throne.
Then there are people who use Lent as an excuse to double down on dangerous eating disorders such as anorexia or on the self-punishment of excessive exercise. “Let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” (Romans 14:13) The pressure of Lent can lead to trouble for certain vulnerable individuals. If we make sacrifices at Lent, are we then excused from picking up our cross for the rest of the year? This is another potential temptation: to say, “I’ve done my part, I’m good with God,” when God and his glory were never the central points.
Finally, if Lent represents an unspoken Biblical expectation, the only example is Christ’s personal period of fasting, which did not feature breaks on Sundays. In that case, either we must follow him exactly in this way, or we cannot satisfy Jesus, “for whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” (James 2:10), Suggesting that Lent is a Biblical imperative poses many problems.
But since it is NOT an imperative, we can embrace a time of grieving and contemplation as a means of knowing our Savior better. Jesus used his time of fasting to dig deep into prayer, seeking the Father, away from the many demands he would soon face. Fasting makes us vulnerable, and, as Christ did, we can turn to the Father, seeking a rich relationship with him. We need him more than ever when we do hard things, and we follow Christ’s example at the same time, finding that only he truly satisfies.
Lent is a gift if we remove its religiosity. We experience joy when our purpose is to glorify God and to grow as believers in our walk with Christ.
Narjala comments that “observing lent can steer us to a place of brokenness.” We start with ashes because they represent “our own fragility and humanness—that we are dust and will return to dust (Gen. 3:19).” Jesus prayed to prepare himself for the trials to follow. We use this time to deeply grieve over what our sin did to our sinless Savior: “Lent steers us to the cross where we contemplate our fallenness, finiteness, and frailty.” Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a time of mourning, although with the anticipation of resurrection.
Isaiah 61:3 promises “a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning.” When we lift our heads, we see that Christ defeated death. We see that our sin is no match for his power over the grave. As Narjala observes, “By intentionally cutting ourselves off from the things that temporarily satisfy, we confront the fact that we may have created insidious idols of them.” We can see them clearly - and vanquish them by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lent has no Biblical precedent, and yet the light never looks brighter than when we enter it from a place of darkness, grief, and longing.
The right approach to Lent is humble and God-glorifying, but there are also personal benefits to taking this time to give something up:
1. Self-reflection. When you identify your biggest idol, you know where you need to concentrate your prayer. You can ask, “Why do I think I need this? What stress am I trying to relieve? What is a better approach?” You recognize that something has captivated you more than God.
2 . Fulfillment. When you release something, God gives you something better. Stop exercising obsessively and find more time to read Scripture, contemplate his goodness and his promises, and find satisfaction in the presence of Jesus. Give up wine for 40 days, and you can afford a night away with the family, a new Study Bible, gas for a road trip, and some time alone with the Lord.
3. Generosity. Although the Lord cautions us against doing good things to earn his favor or to become boastful, we are still called to follow Christ in every way. We “stir up one another to love and good works,” after all. (Hebrews 10:24) Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, and spent time with the poor in spirit. Give up junk food for forty days and donate to a local food bank. Stop gaming and visit your aging grandparents to play cards and laugh with them. Discover the joy of reflecting Christ to individuals who need his love.
The Christian life is counter-intuitive to our secular world. We echo Paul, saying, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8) As Narjala remarks beautifully: “When we stop drinking from the broken cisterns of the world, we gain a heightened awareness that our deep thirst can only be quenched by the Living Water.” You might discover that the sacrifices you made are worth continuing because the result is so joyful.
George Sinclair asks, “Is the Lord calling you to set aside 40 days for a more focused growth in godliness?” Many pastors and mature Christians would argue there is value in the observation, whether one gives up money, time, or food. Still, giving up anything for 40 days is most difficult because once we declare our intention, the Devil tells us we cannot do it, or we tell ourselves. We find all kinds of reasons not to follow through. But Jesus, the center of our worship and our delight, will also help us.
Lent encourages us to rely on Jesus as our sufficiency. We use this time both to declare that he is enough, but also to find in him sufficient strength to make the declaration and live like we mean it. Only the indwelling Holy Spirit can convince us that we do not need the earthly idols that give us short-term relief from pain, from waiting, from remembering, or from doing important tasks we want to avoid. The Holy Spirit refers us to the person of Christ, the only one who can provide long-term and complete relief for eternity. He is our strength; in our own strength, we cannot do it.
The world would say that giving up a day of exercise or rejecting alcohol is only necessary if the doctor says so for our health. The Lord says they are idols and a threat to our spiritual lives, so how do we drown out the voices around us? We turn to the church. We ask our Christian friends to help us understand our motivation and to encourage us. We guide one another away from religiosity towards worship and away from temptation back to Jesus. We provide and accept accountability as part of a body, whether that is the larger congregation or just a few close friends.
Remember the goal: to hear Christ’s voice, to love and honor him, to be more attuned to him and focus on him, and to take this into the rest of your life where others will see him too. The end of Lent might mark the beginning of the long-term change you could not have managed without this time of focus on Christ’s own unfailing devotion to the Father’s will and his commitment to providing us the strength to live in ways the world might not understand, but which will make many people curious.
Sources: https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/reforming-lent/
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-ash-wednesday-why-do-christians-celebrate-it.html#ashes_symbolize
https://in.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-observing-lent-can-help-you-grow-in-christ/
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