stephen R Harrison

You’ve probably noticed several people and churches observing Lent. Perhaps you’re involved in it in some way as well. For those not accustomed to it, here’s some info about it. Lent is a 40-day (46 if you count Sundays) religious observance that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter used to deepen one’s worship, reflection, submission, self-denial, repentance, and remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and His sacrifice for our sins on the cross. During Lent, Christians typically abstain from certain things such as food (fasting). As many Christians observe this season of Lent, we must remember this: Only Jesus can forgive us from our sins. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us from our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It is only the blood of Jesus that forgives us from sin (1 John 1:7). While giving up certain things (fasting) can help deepen our devotion and dependence upon the Lord, grow in discipline, and remind us of His sacrifice for us, they can never atone for our sins. I cannot do enough good things to equal out or make up for the sinful man I am or the sins I have committed. We are not saved by works, but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Thank God He is patient with us and wants us to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Jesus paid our debt of sin for us, so we could be forgiven.

It’s good to have seasons of deeper prayer, sacrifice, and devotion to grow in the Lord. I usually begin the new year with a time of prayer and fasting and do that again in the fall. I also use the time leading up to Easter and Christmas to pray, reflect on Jesus’ birth/death and resurrection, fast, and grow deeper in my devotion to Jesus. In those times, I’ll give up watching TV, social media, food, sleep, etc. so I can spend more time in the Word and prayer. While these times can help me grow in Christ, they do not forgive me from sin. They do not help me earn right standing with God or His favor and love. They should be more than mere mechanical religious activities. They should not be times I boast about what I’m fasting from as to draw attention to myself. If anything, we should do everything at all times to draw attention to Jesus! These times are not about trying to make up for our sins with good things either. They aren’t even about ourselves feel better about the sins we’ve committed. We don’t use them to combat guilt and condemnation of sin. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2). We must remind ourselves to walk in His forgiveness, grace, and love, not the accusations from the devil.

Jesus exclusively forgives sins through his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. No one can absolve me from sins, and I can’t do anything to forgive myself. While Lent can be a helpful season of fasting, we should not fast from sinful things as we should repent from sin. That means we turn away from sin permanently, ask the Lord to forgive our sins, and turn towards Him. I don’t believe it’s sinful if you don’t observe the liturgical season of Lent. However, if you do observe Lent, don’t fast sinful things. Repent from them. I’ll never forget a lady telling me she was fasting from a critical spirit. I said, “You’re right, you shouldn’t do that, but you don’t fast from it, you repent of it. You should stop it altogether.” Another guy told me he was fasting from lust. Again, repent! An adage I’ve found helpful when dealing with sin is “admit it, quit it, and forget it”. Ask Jesus to make you holy as He is holy. Don’t pick sinful things back up after a season! Don’t give up things to try and pay for your own sins (penance, indulgences). That’s unbiblical. If you give up certain foods or fast altogether from them, ask the Lord to deepen your intimacy and dependence upon Him. While we can show our remorse over sin through outward actions by living a holy and set apart life, those actions in and of themselves cannot forgive us from sins. You and I cannot forgive our own sins, but we can ask the sinless Jesus who became sin for us on the cross to forgive our sins.