Is Lent Biblical?

Lent is a well known tradition among Catholics and various other denominations, but is this 40 day period of fasting Biblical? Also, is it a good thing to do? Lets examine both Scripture and History to find out where Lent comes from, and what purpose it serves, and I hope by doing this we can come to a conclusion about our own participation in such things.

Lets begin by looking at the source, and see what the Catholic Church says about Lent. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia,

“the real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ… One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart. The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God’s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.”

Wow, did you catch that? The purpose of Lent is to purify us and make God’s Kingdom come. Really? That is a bold and blasphemous statement! They are claiming that through self-denial, we can become pure. The Bible says that we are made pure by the shed blood of the Messiah. No amount of fasting, abstinence, or self-denial can purify us from sin. Lent promotes a works based salvation that diminishes the saving work of the Messiah!

Read more »