Should Baptists observe Lent?

I would encourage Baptists to observe the season of lent in preparation for two of the most important dates on the Christian calendar, Good Friday and Easter (or Ressurrection Day). It also gives an opportunity for some to explore the rich Christian traditions surrounding Lent intended to focus the Christian on what Christ's sacrifice means to them.

Of course it shouldn't be a requirement to observe Lent. God knows we baptists don't need another superfluous thing to get legalistic about.

 

I asked a former priest, Richard Bennett [http://www.bereanbeacon.org/] about lent - he sent me this email:

QUOTE:

Lent in the Roman Catholic Church is a season of Penance as explained in New Catechism of Catholic penance, Para.1438

“The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).”

All of this penance is in the context of Para 1435, which states,

“Conversion is accomplished in daily life by gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor, the exercise and defense of justice and right, by the admission of faults to one's brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of suffering, endurance of persecution for the sake of righteousness. Taking up one's cross each day and following Jesus is the surest way of penance.

When one leaves Biblical truth and begins to look on conversion as a process as explained in Para 1435, the focal point will always be on man's experience and not on the objective finished work of Christ on the cross. In Ephesians 2:8-9, the sovereign grace of God is exalted and the faith through which it is received is so minimized as to be "not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast”

Biblical justification is perfect and a finished work of God. “It is God that justifies.” Justification is God’s work alone to show His righteousness and the fact that He alone saves. Once God has justified any person, He views that person “in Christ”, for God, having forgiven the sinner, reckons to his account Christ’s righteousness. Thus justification is by faith alone “without the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:28.

Regarding how the Penance is to be done the commands of the Roman Catholic Church are clear, thus she states,

Canon 1251 “Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This departure from the faith, was foretold in Scripture,

1 Timothy 4:1-3

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”

Likewise Vatican Council II Documents, No. 63 Presbyterorum Ordinis, Sec. 16, Vol. I, p. 893 state, “For these reasons, based on the mystery of Christ and his mission, celibacy, which at first was recommended to priests, was afterwards in the Latin Church imposed by law on all who were to be promoted to Holy Orders. This sacred Council approves and confirms this legislation.”



. . . all of this is just humanistic and pagan,



Rejoicing in the Lord to the glory of His grace,

Richard Bennett
[end quote]


Lent is a Catholic practice that is now being observed by a large part of Christianity - allbeit with a new twist - a horse of a different color is still a horse.

 

I think I can safely say many (most?) of us do not really mark the season of Lent.

Lent's not my cup of tea, but "[e]ach one should be fully convinced in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5).

 

Originally posted by eliodalmanthua:

Amen eloidalmanutha!! Great post

I heard Richard Bennett's message about The Passion movie--very good message.

 

Unfortunately, many "christian" churches are now getting on the band wagon. It is very disturbing.

 

Too bad everyone can't be convinced according to your mind.

 

Christianity Today:
Articles on Lent

The Beginning of Lent
Lent is one of the oldest observations on the Christian calendar.
by Ted Olsen
Christian History Newsletter

Chocolate? No, TV
Our unusual Lenten fast.
by Eric Reed
Leadership Weekly Newsletter

Let's Lengthen Lent
The season can be a beautiful and deeply moving experience of walking with Jesus to the cross.
By Sherwood E. Wirt
Christianity Today

What is the Reason for the Season of Lent?
Is Lent for Protestants, too?
compiled by Ted Olsen
Christianity Today
[quoted below]

The Challenge of the Lenten Season
Evangelical Protestants are caught between freedom in Christ and sacred observance.
from the CT Editorial Archives
Christianity Today

Food for the Soul?
Though Lent is supposed to be about the heart, not the stomach, the season is famous for provoking culinary creativity.
by Elesha Coffman
Christian History Newsletter

Countdown to Easter
Forty ways to celebrate the greatest event in history.
by Annette LaPlaca
Christian Parenting Today

http://www.christianitytoday.com/holidays/easter/features/lent.html

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http://www.cresourcei.org/cylent.html

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QUOTE:
For the last two years we have had posted on our Home page an article dealing with the issue of "Why Baptists Don't Observe Lent" and, until recently, I had no confirmation of Baptists observing it. I received no correspondence from Baptists last year as to this phenomenon, but 1998 has been different. To date I have received well over 125 responses to the article that we have featured and several of these responses are from folks who claim that their respective Baptist churches are observing the Lenten season. Not only has this indignant army of pseudo-Baptists swarmed me with vitriolic and sometimes even threatening messages, but they have almost universally "delivered" me to the Devil for espousing such heresy that the observance of Lent was not found in the Scriptures, was unknown to the early New Testament church and the fact that Jesus was not crucified on "Good Friday" as the disciples of the Pope affirm. [end quote]

http://www.blessedquietness.com/journal/resource/letter.htm

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http://www.rca.org/worship/material/lent/resources.ht

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http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:qom29rUOZcsJ:www.fbcnewton.org/PDFs/Beacon%2520February%25202005.pdf++Lent+Baptist+denomination&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=6&ie=UTF-8

 

If you think that Jesus was crusified on Wed. (and many do) does your church ever discuss worshipping on Fri. instead of Sunday? As far as I know the only valid reason for moving the day of worship from the Sabboth (Sat.) to Sunday was that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday.

 

NO!

 

Lent is a man made psuedo-Christian ritual. Smearing a smudge of ashes on one's forehead does just as much good as killing a rooster, under a full moon, smearing the blood on a rock, then burning the dead rooster. In other words it does no good. It is un-scriptural and should NOT be observed by any saved person.

 

Yes, Lent is a man made ritual that "does" nothing and is not found in scripture (ascriptural).

But like Sunday School, which is also a man-made ritual that "does" nothing and is not found in scripture, it is good to prepare us and remind us of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection and what it means to us.

 

When we observe days, months and years than we become no better than the Jews who observe the holy days to keep the Law. We are to live solely by faith and nothing more.Galatians 3

 

Many people benefit from "ritual." That is to say, patterns. If something is done using a pattern, and it is beneficial, then why not? Just so it is realized that the pattern has no "magic" or benefit of its own.
If you fast, and make a point out of telling others, "you have your reward." But if you truely used the time to pray, it is between you and God, and you have benefitted. Ritual for ritual's sake is wrong. But if it helps you for the right reasons, then it is beneficial.

 

StraightAndNarrow,

re: “If you think that Jesus was crucified on Wed. (and many do) does your church ever discuss worshiping on Fri. instead of Sunday? As far as I know the only valid reason for moving the day of worship from the Sabbath (Sat.) to Sunday was that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday.”

Wouldn’t work because you can’t get three days AND three nights from Wednesday afternoon to the end of Friday.