Lent began last Wednesday, summoning all Catholics to 40 days of abstinence leading up to Easter Sunday. In recent years, some evangelicals have also started observing the season, making me want to bang my head against the nearest wall.
In the present day, Catholic dogma teaches that Lenten sacrifice, which supposedly leads to repentance and deeper spiritual contemplation, is an act of obligation. Over the centuries, the particulars of the fast have changed, but the fact remains that during the 40 days (Sundays are excluded), one must abstain from some food or pleasure out of devotion to God.
In a blog post I wrote a year ago, I made the point that Christians should practice self-denial throughout the year rather than just during the six weeks preceding Easter. And the self-denial that Jesus requires of Christians is far more costly than giving up chocolate or Twitter for 40 days! I’ve already made my case in that post and this one, so its unnecessary to repeat my arguments today.
But in a conversation this morning, I realized that my objection to Lent boils down to the same problem I have with Roman Catholicism in general: it rejects the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work on the cross. For all the talk of Lent enhancing our devotion to Him and drawing us to deeper repentance, we can’t escape its emphasis on human good works. As usual, the attention shifts from what Christ did for us to what we credit ourselves as doing to earn His favor.
The whole mess reminds me of the Galatian church in the First Century. The apostle Paul had preached the Gospel to them, but as soon as he left their region, false teachers swooped in and taught them that they needed to observe Jewish rituals in order to truly be saved. This adoption of legalism enraged Paul.
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? ~~Galatians 3:1-6 (ESV)
Lent promises to draw people closer to Christ, but in reality it distracts from Him. Evangelicals, of all people, should recognize Lent as an unbiblical practice that completely negates the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. It repeats the same basic error of the Galatian church.
Sisters, I beg you to think seriously about participating in Lenten observances. Does doing so really honor the Lord Jesus Christ? Or does it make you feel spiritually proud, as if you’re doing something to curry His favor? Above all, remember that you come to Him only because He shed His blood on the cross.
The Outspoken TULIP 
Debbielynne,
Lent is a very old tradition in the Church that originally was for those preparing for baptism and entrance into the Church on Easter. I think Protestants misunderstand Catholic teaching because of a skewed view on the communion of the saints. Catholics believe that suffering has merit and that we can participate in Christ’s atoning merits for the members of the body of Christ by reparations for our sins and the sins of others. So when we give up things this is offered up to God for the good of the whole body of Christ. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the Church.”(Colossians 1:24) This does not mean that Christ’s atonement was not sufficient, but that he allows us to participate in it, in some small way.
LikeLike
Actually, Colossians 1:24 refers to the persecution Paul endured; those hostile to the Gospel could no longer persecute Jesus directly, so they persecute His representatives. Sharing in Christ’s sufferings are in no way meritorious — He fully paid for the sin of all who would believe on Calvary. We participate simply by believing in Him, trusting His finished work on the cross.
Catholicism, according to the Council of Trent, teaches that human works must accompany faith in order for salvation to occur. That mirrors the false teaching of the Judaizers in Galatia. I also suggest you read Colossians 2:20-23, which applies brilliantly to a variety of Rome’s man-made practices. I pray for your deliverance from Catholicism, Rodney.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The issue really rests upon the history of Lent and Easter. They were pagan. ‘Lent’ was originally the 40 days of weeping for Tammuz (son of Queen-goddess, Semiramis) who was killed by a boar while hunting. People would give up something they enjoyed so that Tammuz would be happy in the afterlife. Easter was a fertility festival and pig was eaten, as in killing the animal that killed the god, Tammuz. And, I won’t even go into who Easter/Ishtar/Ashteroth was and why eggs are dyed. It was supposedly brought into the Roman Church by Constantine and his council to make it more palatable for the polytheists to join the new State-sanctioned religion. So, why would Christians want to be part of this paganism at all?
LikeLike
I hesitate to fully embrace that argument for reasons too numerous to get into right now, but I definitely appreciate you bringing it up. Easter may have pagan associations, but Christians celebrate Christ’s resurrection that day. The resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith!
LikeLike
This is hypocritical of you to say. If pagan ceremonies with no sugar coated name changes to make it more palatable to the masses are wrong, then so are the pagan ceremonies that have name changes. The Catholic Church is the great whore. We are commanded by God to come out of her so we don’t receive her plagues. That church is wicked! Do you really think Christ died for you so that you can continue in idolatry? Never! The american church is filthy and it loves the world. It has lost its witness and is compromised. God rejects sun worshipers. These pagan ceremonies are about sun worship. You can NOT drink of the cup of the lord and the cup of demons. Repent. Judgement is coming. If you celebrate Rome’s pagan festivals, you are a daughter of the great whore. Facts.
LikeLike
I will not debate anyone in a Comments thread. Any further comment from you will be automatically deleted.
LikeLike