Lent is a period of 40 days (excluding Sundays) that comes just before Easter when Christians remember Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and also His 40 days of fasting in the desert. During this period, Christians commit to fasting or giving up certain food like meat. Some also give up habits like smoking, drinking, watching television, social media or telling lies. This tradition began in the early church and is practiced by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran and other churches. Prayer, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins, etc, seems to be a good practice but should Christians who have really understood the salvation that Christ has wrought in us practice lent?
We are called to have a daily fellowship with God. Jesus said in Luke 9:23 (KJV) “if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” and in Matthew 25:13 (NKJV) “watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming”. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray “give us this day our daily bread”. Paul teaches in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray without ceasing” and in Ephesians 6:13 (ISV) “take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to take a stand whenever evil comes.” The Bible teaches us to be always alert and communing with God 365 days a year and not limit our devotion and alertness for 40 days.
Instead of merely contemplating and meditating on the death of Christ; the Bible asks us to understand that we are also dead. “Don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Romans 6:3 WEB) and “our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin” (Romans 6: 6 ISV). We are also told “you too must continually consider yourselves dead as far as sin is concerned, but living for God through the Messiah Jesus” in Romans 6:11 (ISV). So the focus on our death should surpass the focus on the death of Christ.
Once we realize that we are dead in Christ, we need to understand what is accomplished by this death. First we get a new life. Romans 6:4 (ISV) says “through baptism we were buried with him into his death so that, just as the Messiah was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too may live an entirely new life”. 1 Peter 2:24 (ISV) says “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to those sins and live righteously.” Secondly we get victory over sin. Isaiah 53:5 “He was wounded for our transgressions, and He was crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment that made us whole was upon Him, and by His bruises we are healed”. Romans 8:13 (WEB) says “if by the Spirit you continually put to death the activities of the body, you will live“. Thirdly we are blessed. Galatians 3: 13&14 says “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law … that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus”. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (ISV) says “although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich”. Our focus should be on what His death accomplishes for us by putting away all sin (visible and hidden) and enjoying His blessing rather than focusing only on His the death and temporarily giving up some sin.
Once we understand the potential that we have through Christ’s death and resurrection we need to appropriate it in our lives. Romans 8:14 (LEB) says “all those who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God“. Colossians 3:1&2 (LEB) says “if you have been raised together with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on earth“.1 Corinthians 14:1 says “pursue love, and strive for spiritual gifts”. Galatians 5:22 & 23 (LEB) says “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control “. So our final focus should be on how His resurrection enables us to move into an entirely new dimension in life, being lead by the Spirit and growing in the Spirit.
Although Lent has good motives, it falls short of what God has in mind for us. 1 Peter 2:9 says “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people to be his very own and to proclaim the wonderful deeds of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” I pray the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 1:8 that you “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints“. A 40 day period of remembrance of Jesus’ suffering limits the gospel and seems like attending kindergarten school when we should be attending the best universities. May you live daily with Christ and in the Spirit!
Understand the truth 