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Lent

Ash Wednesday arrives in the middle of this week.  For many this marks the beginning of the Lenten season that culminates next month with Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  During this forty day period of time many mainline denominations will commemorate the forty days of Jesus temptation in the wilderness with fasts, penance and abstention from various worldly practices.  Some individuals will even go to extreme measures to share in the sufferings of Jesus.  In general, a somber and penitent mood is supposed to rule those who are observant. 

There is a growing attraction to the practice of Lent among Evangelical Christians.  This bothers me for two particular reasons.

1.  For most of those who practice Lent, that practice is performed for the atonement of sins.  Roman Catholic doctrine in particular teaches that we must add our works to the works of Christ in order to receive full atonement of sins.  We must suffer as Christ suffered in order to do proper penance for our sins and to find full atonement.  This clearly is not biblical.  Christ has atoned for sins once for all (Heb. 10:10).  Nothing at all can be added to Christ's death.  It was sufficient to make complete atonement in and of itself.

2.  Who said we are supposed to mourn and be sad coming up to Good Friday?  Please don't get me wrong.  There is a place for mourning over sin.  Godly repentance ought to include a profound sadness concerning our rebellion against God.  What I don't get is why mourning is necessary when I think about Christ's death on the cross?  It's not called Sad Friday.  It's called Good Friday for a very important reason.  For sinners who trust in Jesus it is the best day in the history of the world.  On that Friday God's love for us was displayed in the greatest fashion ever.  Our Lord and Master gave Himself in our place, suffering the wrath of God we so richly deserved.  Instead of being punished, we received His perfection - His righteousness - credited to our account so that we might receive everlasting life.  So why am I supposed to mope and mourn?  No, I rejoice.  Christ did on that day that which I could never do for myself!  Praise His Name!!


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