Is Lent Biblical? Matthew 4:1-2

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He has fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry." Matthew 4:1-2

These days it is becoming more and more fashionable for evangelical protestants to observe Lent. By Lent I am referring to the forty days leading up to Easter as a time of self sacrifice and soul-searching. People observe Lent very differently, but generally-speaking today it usually involves giving up some favorite habit, possession, food or drink for the duration of Lent. Am I making a definitive judgment about the motives of those observing Lent? I am in no position to do that. Nor am I saying that observing lent is categorically wrong. When something is not specifically commanded or prohibited by Scripture, we as Christians should not make a definite judgment about it (see Romans 14:4-6). But having said this, I am still concerned about the observance of Lent.

First of all, as just stated, we have no command to observe Lent. Yes, Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days to fast and to prepare for His temptation by Satan, but this example does not relate to us unless we are able to discern that Satan is going to attack us on Easter and we feel the need to be prayed up to meet the challenge.

This brings up the biblical practice of fasting. My father (who has a doctorate in theology) doubts that fasting is even for today. But even if that position is rejected out of hand, there is still no command in Scripture for us to fast. Fasting is something that we can do voluntarily to be more focused in prayer and to draw closer in our walk with the Lord. I have zero problem with that. But when people publicly tell people what they are giving up for Lent, this seems dangerously close to what Christ condemns in fasting (see Matthew 6:1-6).

Also, there is a danger that some Christians might observe Lent and sacrifice something because they think that in doing this they are sanctifying or purifying themselves in some way. This is all well and good if you are a practicing Catholic. It fits fine with Catholic theology. But if one is a committed Protestant, following the principles of the Reformation, and more important, Holy Scripture, then we have to remember that Christ paid for all our sins on the cross (I Peter 2:24), and we do not need to do any penance or in any way make payment for our sins. Christ paid it all! We do nothing but trust in the merit of Christ (to use a good Catholic term).

Now before anyone says it, or course, we should live holy lives and avoid sin at all costs. But that is different from us picking something to give up for forty days that is not prohibited by God's Word. If God says in Scripture that we are not to do something, we should give it up 365 days a year. But us arbitrarily picking something to give up is at best unnecessary, and at worse, us deciding to play God and make a decision to give up something that God does not tell us to give up.

My point is this, Lent observance is not explicitly biblical, and depending on your motivation and how you observe it, it can definitely be unbiblical. Am I saying you should not do it? No, but I am sounding a word of warning. We should not do Lent because it is "cool"; because we are spiritually bored; because others are doing it; or because we think we are making up for some deficiency in the sacrifice of our Lord. We should only observe Lent if we are fully convinced that God wants us to do it (see Romans 14:5,23), and our purpose is to abstain from something that may hinder our devotion to God or led us or someone else into sin. But this should be true for us every day of our lives.