Lent is quite popular among Catholics and even certain Protestants, but it is Biblical?
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UNLEARN
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My name is Lex, and I'd like to invite you to join us each week as we UNLEARN the lies
and dig deeper into the truth of God's Word.
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Lent is a well known tradition among Catholics and various other denominations, but is this
40 day period of fasting Biblical?
Lets examine both Scripture and History to find out where Lent comes from, and what purpose
it serves.
Lets begin by looking at the source, and see what the Catholic Church says about Lent.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia,
“the real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the
death and Resurrection of Christ…
One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart.
The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through
self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God’s will and to make
His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.”
So, according to the Catholics, the purpose of Lent is to purify us and make God’s Kingdom
come.
Really?
They are claiming that through self-denial we can become pure.
The Bible says that we are made pure by the shed blood of the Messiah.
No amount of fasting, abstinence, or self-denial can purify us from sin.
Lent promotes a works based salvation that diminishes the saving work of the Messiah!
Lent is used for “fasting from sin and from vice… forsaking sin and sinful ways.”
Paul had some important things to say about this form of self-denial used to try to produce
your own godliness:
“Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as
though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations – “Do not touch,
do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using
– according to the commandments and doctrines of men?
These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility,
and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.”
- Colossians 2:20-23
Lent is a doctrine of men that commands denial of certain things for the purpose of purifying
yourself.
The problem is that you cannot purify yourself!
So, where did the observance of Lent come from?
In A.D. 360, the Catholic Church at the Council of Laodicea officially commanded the observance
of Lent.
So, 300 years after Messiah’s death and resurrection the Roman church established
it's practice.
However, the Babylonians had a tradition of weeping, fasting, and mourning for Tammuz
which is very similar to Lent, and some have speculated that this might be the actual origin
of Lent.
In fact, the prophet Ezekiel saw a vision about people mourning over Tammuz at the Temple
in Jerusalem.
“So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord’s house; and to my dismay,
women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man?
Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.”
- Ezekiel 8:14-15
Is it possible that Ezekiel was seeing people fasting at Lent in the same way the pagans
fasted for Tammuz?
Today, it's popular to have a big wild party right before Lent begins.
This party is referred to as “Mardi Gras” in French or “Fat Tuesday” in English,
and in Latin countries it is referred to as “Carnival”, which comes from the Latin
“Carne Vale” which means “Goodbye to meat”.
This day of celebration has come to include wild parties, fatty foods, fornication, drunkenness,
dancing, and various forms of lewdness.
It is one last chance to get your sinning done before the fast begins.
There is nothing Biblical or godly about that.
Immediately following the wild parties on Fat Tuesday is a day of fasting and repentance
known as Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents
as a sign of mourning and repentance.
It's a day of fasting, mourning, and penance.
It might have the appearance of godliness, but it's not at all Biblical.
Our Messiah taught us that when we fast that we should not give the appearance that we
are fasting:
“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.
For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear
to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who
sees in secret will reward you openly.”
- Matthew 6:16-18
In the Norse religion, placing ashes on one’s forehead was believed to ensure the protection
of Odin.
Also, it's important to note that they put the ashes on their heads on Wednesday, the
day named for Odin – Wodin’s Day.
Lent may seem like a sincere, heartfelt religious observance, but it's not Biblical, and it
seems to have connections to paganism.
God hates all pagan observances.
They cannot be “Christianized” or made clean by men.
That includes Lent.
“And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
Mark 7:7
Messiah and his disciples never observed Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent, or Easter.
This is important to know, because we're supposed to follow His example and do the things He
commanded.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things
that I have commanded you...”
- Matthew 28:19-20
Messiah never commanded the observance of Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent, or Easter,
but He did command us to celebrate Passover in remembrance of His death and resurrection.
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