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Should Christians Give Something Up for Lent?

Should Christians give up something for Lent?

You ask different people this question and the answers will range from a serious โ€œOf courseโ€ to a scoffing โ€œHaha, no!โ€ to a confused โ€œHuh??โ€

And depending on what brand of Christianity you come from, you might not even be able to fathom the difference of responses.

Should Christians observe Lent?

You might hold Lent as a valued sacred tradition and canโ€™t believe others donโ€™t.

Or you might scoff at Lent as simply a man-madeย tradition, not based in the Bible and therefore easily ignored.

Or maybe you’re notย quite sure what Lent even is, in which case you might want toย read this description here.

But I think all of us would benefit from taking a look at the Bible & what exactly it has to say about prayer & fasting for Lent. So letโ€™s dive in.

What does the Bible say about giving up something for Lent?

  • It doesnโ€™t. Nowhere in Scripture can you find a command or even a clear reference to fasting or giving up certain habits in preparation for Easter. Itโ€™s just not there. And avoiding meat on Fridaysโ€ฆ..zilch. zero. nothing.
  • Scripture does encourage fasting. The Bible is full of examples of fasting and prayer, and as you read passages like Matt 9:15ย andย Matt 6:16-18, you can easily conclude that fasting should be an important habit in our lives. Moreover, the Bible also talks about different kinds of fasts where you give up something besides just food. For example, I Cor. 7:5 mentions giving up sex for a time to give yourself to prayer & fasting.
  • God values remembrance. Scripture is full of commands to remember and traditions that help us do so. From the feasts the Jews held in the Old Testament to the institution of the Lordโ€™s Supper in the New, God places great emphasis on remembering what He has done and often ties this remembrance to a holiday to help us not to forget.

So at this point, we can see that Lent is not commanded. That means if you choose not to observe Lent you are good to go. No commands broken. No sin committed.

But I also think you just might be missing an opportunity to pause and remember. To contemplate what God has done & prepare your heart for Easter in a way that is meaningful.

In the church I grew up in,ย Lent was joked off as simply a man-madeย tradition with no Biblical basis. But as Iโ€™ve grown older and met others who do observe Lent, Iโ€™m starting to see its value. We spend a whole month celebrating Christmas, but so often Iโ€™ve felt that Easter doesn’tย get the emphasis it deserves.

But thatโ€™s where Lent can come in. To be honest, Iโ€™ve never observed Lent before, but Iโ€™m excited to see the difference it makes this coming Easter.

But for those of us who ARE choosing to observe Lent, we need to be really careful. Careful to focus on what Lent should be and not what itโ€™s actually become for many.

We should NOT observe Lentโ€ฆย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 

  • Out of obligation or guilt. If you observe Lent because you feel like you have to, stop. Just donโ€™t do it. Itโ€™s not commanded, and youโ€™re not currying any special favor from God for doing so. God cares most about our heart, and when we do something for the wrong reasons, it does us no good and certainly brings God no pleasure.
  • To feel spiritual. Donโ€™t observe Lent because it makes you feel like youโ€™re a spiritual person or because it strokes your own spiritual ego. Pride is the opposite of what God wants and fasting is supposed to be all about humility.
  • To gain Godโ€™s favor. For many people,ย Lent is all about repentance and self-sacrifice to gain Godโ€™s favor. But as we contemplate Easter, we realize He did all the work for us. God is not impressed by our good works & fledgling efforts to gain His favor. What God truly desires is a broken and contrite heart, fully surrendered to His will (Psalm 51:17). Lent can be a great help in getting our heart to that point, but not if our goal is actually focused on ourselves (gaining His favor) instead of focused on Him.
  • By telling everyone what weโ€™re giving up. Facebook this week will be filled with people declaring to the world what theyโ€™re giving up for Lent. But donโ€™t join the crowd. Matthew 6:16-18 clearly states that when we fast, weโ€™re supposed to do it without anyone else knowing it. It should just be between us and God so that our focus is on Him and not on what others think of us.

If we do observe Lent, we should do itโ€ฆ.

  • Because we desire to deepen our relationship with God. This is the only valid and worthy reason for observing Lent. Our goal should be to know God more and to meditate on His goodness. To root out sin in our lives and become closer to Him as a result. When we focus on that for 40 days, God can do amazing things in our lives.
  • With joy, thanksgiving, and repentance. To deepen our relationship with God and fully appreciate Easter, we need to first repent and ask God to root out any sin in our lives. When we truly repent, joy and thanksgiving flood in and lead to abundant praise and worship.
  • With or without a fast. Since no Lenten fast is commanded, you could choose to observe Lent simply with prayer, praise, or a renewed focus on Him. But there is something about a fast that helps us get the focus off of ourselves and onto Him. Giving up something, saying no to our flesh and our own desires, is powerful when we do it for the right reasons. It is a daily (sometimes constant) reminder of God and what He has done, of our own inadequacies and our need for Him. And Scripture is clear that fasting helps us connect with God in a deeper way and will be rewarded (Matt. 6:18).ย  [br] [br] It could be an actual fast from food. Or you could fast from something else. Try to think of something that will help you focus on Him.

Whether you choose to give something up or not, I encourage you to spend time in prayer & thanksgiving as we approach the joyous celebration of His resurrection.

Do you observe Lent? What helps you keep the focus on Him and not on yourself?

What to Read Next
  • In regards to lent, as an Eastern Orthodox Catholic, I was told by our priest that lent needs to be reflected on as a time of adding something that may have been missing as opposed to the more common view of things being taken away. It helped with my motivation to follow through with the tradition and get more joy out of the event.

  • “In the Catholic tradition Lent is all about repentance and self-sacrifice to gain Godโ€™s favor.”

    Perhaps for some Catholics, this may be true; however, the REAL reason is so that we may prepare ourselves (through prayer, fasting, contemplation, and acts of spiritual self-discipline) for Easter – the celebration of the resurrection of Christ – the greatest holy day of the Christian year.

    Never have I been taught that Catholics make sacrifices to “gain Godโ€™s favor” but rather for us to draw closer to God and strengthen our relationship with Him.

  • Hi Linda,

    I just wanted to say as a former “born and bred” Freewill Baptist, (I now attend a Methodist Church, who does follow Lent but is not as strict as the larger Methodist churches) for us Lent is not necessarily giving something up. It refers to anything that can/will make you closer to God. It can also mean picking something up. I know for last year, for Lent I began reading daily devotionals. It did bring me closer and I also believe once you do something whether it is picking up or giving up. That “one” thing becomes a habit. Just wanted to throw this out there. ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Thank you for this post! You hit the nail on the head. I will strive to keep these in mind as we head toward Easter. God bless!

    • I agree with his focus on others. The thing we need to be careful about though is why we are doing this. If we are doing it out of tradition, or if it’s simply self-denial for self-denials’s sake, then it’s no good. It’s got to be for the right reasons – out of a heart that wants to draw closer to God.

  • There is a growing movement of individuals, groups, schools…giving out rather than giving up during Lent. A season of intentional generosity which, as #40Acts shows, blesses others and can be transformational in the long term. It also reflects God’s grace.

    ’40 days, 40 reflections, 40 challenges to make a difference

    Now in its seventh year, 40acts is the generosity challenge created by Stewardship.

    Every day throughout Lent (not including Sundays), wake up to a new generosity challenge and short Bible-based blog straight to your inbox. Each act is designed to sharpen your awareness and give you practical ways to stretch your faith as well as your generosity, with three challenge levels.

    Want to do 40acts as part of a team with others? 40acts Together was created especially for groups. Whether youโ€™re a church, small group, youth group, school or family, 40acts Together provides you with online and printable resources to guide you through a generous Lent as a community.

    Sign up as a group leader for free access to any combination of the resources. Youโ€™ll also automatically be signed up for the individual challenge.’

    Just do a web search for ’40 Acts’ and consider doing Lent differently!

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