From time-to-time people will direct questions to me regarding the practice of Lent and Ash Wednesday. In this short response I will attempt to offer a biblical summary of why I do not participate in this particular religious custom.
The main reason that I have personally never adopted Lent as part of my own religious exercise is simply that I have never heard or read a legitimate biblical argument for why Evangelical Christians should adopt as their own, a tradition born out of Catholic ritual, which seems to place more emphasis on the form of worship than the heart. In other words, the burden of proof should rest squarely on the shoulders of those who maintain that Lent should have a place on the Christian church calendar. But alas, I am aware that this simple assertion will be less than satisfactory for most of you so let me lay a stronger foundation for my view.
To be fair, my contention here is directed more toward the practices of Ash Wednesday than the broader forty-day Lenten period itself. I will confess that I celebrate Christmas, and I can hear now some cantankerous soul saying, “How can you forbid the observance of Lent on the basis that the Bible doesn’t instruct or command it, while celebrating Christmas which the Bible also doesn’t instruct or command?” Most of you know the answer to this before it’s offered. I can justify Christmas because I like receiving gifts and I can easily dismiss Lent because I can’t think of a single vice that I feel good about giving up!
Let’s get serious for a moment. If you want to set aside a period for fasting and “giving up” certain things in preparation for Easter, which also is not instructed or mandated in the Bible, then be my guest. I can offer no reason why you shouldn’t give up your ice-cream, vape, or your nights watching Naked and Afraid in order to prepare you to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Christ. However, those who are deeply committed to the gospel need to think a little more carefully about why we do what we do as it relates to our church traditions. As I promised initially, allow me to offer more substantial reasons why I do not participate in Lent and Ash Wednesday.
- According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ’s will more faithfully.”[1]
The Bible says that those who are in Christ are to “put off the old self with its practices” (Colossians 3:8). The Apostle certainly intends that such a “putting off” be more than a temporary or seasonal practice, but rather the ongoing pattern and lifestyle of a true child of God. What many give attention to each Spring, the Word of God calls the faithful follower to walk in daily. We are instructed to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), while we are to “hide his Word in our heart” (Psalm 119:11). These and other Christian traits are to become enduring virtues rather than infrequent contemplations.
The temporary sacrificing of luxuries or other comforts seems to be the very opposite of God’s intentions for his people when the Bible declares, “Sacrifice and offering you have not delighted…” (Psalm 40:6), and “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it…the sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart…” (Psalm 51:16). There can be no doubt that God is more concerned with true repentance and obedience than he is with heartless public expressions that likely do not reflect the true nature of the heart.
Once again, my most severe contention with Lent deals specifically with the practices associated with Ash Wednesday. I am sufficiently aware that in the Old Testament there are many occasions which reference the practice of wearing “sackcloth and ashes” as a demonstration of a person or nation’s grief, anguish, and contrition over sin (Isaiah 3:24; Esther 4:1; Jonah 3:5-6). However, the New Testament deals with the spiritual realities which the Old Testament practices only pointed to.
In 1st Peter, the apostle addresses the conduct of believing wives. However, the principle which is evident here clearly must be applied to every believer not just wives. “Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of the hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit…” (1 Peter 3:3-4). Though not innately evil in and of themselves, braided hair, jewelry, and even clothes can become prideful displays of perceived worth when obedience and humility are neglected. In the same way outward religious expressions which draw attention to man’s piety rather than the goodness and glory of God are repulsive in God’s eyes.
There seems to be something quiet contrary about making a public show (ash on forehead) of our repentance and self-denial when Jesus clearly warns, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (Mathhew 6:1). How explicitly Jesus, himself, instructs us when he says, “When you fast…” (Matthew 6:16). Once again, hold tight if you will to your seasons of repentance and fasting as sincere and genuine attempts to renew your focus on Christ and his glory. But when those attempts become public exhibitions then we have very likely crossed a line. Jesus continues, “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mathhew 6: 17).
For too long the church in America has embraced shallow self-serving superstitions rather than sound doctrine which is able to save those who preach it and those who hear it (1 Timothy 4:16). We’ve obscured the gospel message and dismissed the power of the cross by the games we play in the name of religion. Rather than Lent, why not “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).
[1] https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year/lent
Rick Kirby 