Fasting Considerations

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Fasting Considerations​

https://graceambassadors.com/tips/fasting-considerations

This originally appeared as an email delivered on
Sunday, March 9th, 2025.​

Tomorrow our church will eat together in celebration and remembrance of our communion in Christ.

This past week a large part of churchianity entered a season of fasting in remembrance of the forty days the Lord spent suffering without food in the wilderness. This is why there are forty days of fasting in the religious season of Lent.

There are technically 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, but the 6 Sundays during that time are not counted.

Also, according to the Roman Catholic Church, fasting is not required on any day during Lent except the first and the last. Furthermore, that church defines fasting as eating one full meal per day with two smaller non-meals allowed.

On Fridays, meat is forbidden, unless the meat is fish. (This is how the Filet-o-Fish sandwich was invented.)

All these rules mean that one could observe the 40 day ‘holy’ fast of Lent perfectly and not go one day (or even a half a day) without food. There is more change in my eating regimen when my wife goes on Keto.

Most people view fasting as a sanctified diet plan, but religious fasting is not a diet plan (if you were looking for a Biblical prooftext for how to eat, look at Prov 11:1 or 1 Cor 9:25). Fasting during Lent is presented by religions for spiritual purposes (closeness to God, spiritual cleansing, forgiveness, etc.)

This is contrary to what our apostle says that “meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse” (1 Cor 8:8).

There is no Biblical instruction to observe Lent or follow the Lord in a season of 40 days (46…er, 2, or even 1 day) of fasting (i.e., eating a small lunch) in any dispensation.

However, there is a Biblical pattern of the saints gathering to eat and to “rejoice evermore” in what Christ already performed on our behalf (1 Cor 11:33; 1 Thess 5:16).

For Truth,

Justin “small breakfast” Johnson