- Prayer is a Moral Responsibility
- Christian Ethics and Fasting: Why Christians Should Fast During Advent
- The Ethical Importance of Going to Church
- Evangelism is a Moral Responsibility
- Teaching True Doctrine is a Moral Responsibility
- Christian Ethics and Confession
Why Fast?
Fasting is the deliberate abstaining from food, or at least certain types of food, for a fixed period of time. By extension, any deliberate abstaining from a particular created good (entertainment, luxury, comfort) for a fixed period of time can be considered “fasting.” Many modern Western Christians do not engage in fasting to any significant extent. This is problematic, and is, I believe, one of the (many) reasons why the mortal sin of greed is so rampant in the modern Western church.
There are dozens of references to fasting found throughout Scripture. Most often, this fasting is associated with mourning and praying to God for deliverance and/or forgiveness. Joy and feasting are closely associated, and often go hand in hand. Thus, it is appropriate that mourning and repentance be associated with fasting.
Fasting is often the spontaneous response of an individual or community to a tragedy or conviction of sin. However, we also see references in Scripture to official days of fasting that are proclaimed for the entire nation or community (1 Kng 21:9-12; Chron 20:3, Ezra 8:21-23; Esther 4:16; Isa 36:6-9; Joel 1:13-14, 2:12-14; Jonah 3:5). In contrast to our highly individualistic culture, ancient Israel understood that there is such a thing as collective responsibility and guilt, and that the whole community of God’s people might need to engage in a period of fasting in order to seek God’s deliverance and/or forgiveness for the nation.
The practice of fasting is not, however, restricted to times of mourning and repentance. Luke tells us of the prophetess Anna, who “never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:37). In two passages in the book of Acts, we see church leaders practice fasting as part of the process of discerning God’s will for His Church (13:1-3, 14:23). Thus, the practice of fasting seems to be understood as beneficial to being attuned to God’s will; by abstaining from the pleasure of created goods for a time, one can be more focused on God and the leading of His Spirit.
The New Testament does not explicitly mandate that Christians fast regularly. However, Jesus assumes that His disciples will fast when He says “When [not if] you fast. . .” (Matt 6:16) and tells John’s disciples that, after He is gone, His disciples “will fast” (Matt 9:15; Mark 2:20; Luke 5:35). Apparently, the spiritual practice of fasting was so taken for granted in first century Jewish culture that Jesus did not feel the need to explicitly command His disciples to practice it. And indeed, from very early times the Church developed traditions of official days of fasting during which Christians were expected to abstain from food or at least meat.
So, how does the spiritual practice of fasting relate to ethics? From the standpoint of a rules-based ethics, it is difficult to see how it does. How does it make sense to say that there is a moral rule that I should abstain from something good like food for a time, when I am not hurting myself or anyone else by partaking of it?
From the standpoint of Christian virtue ethics, however, it makes perfect sense to regard the practice of fasting as an ethical practice. A single instance of fasting may not seem morally significant. However, over time, the regular practice of fasting can profoundly shape our moral character. Through fasting, we can develop the virtues of self-discipline and self-control. We can reduce our attachment to lesser created goods, allowing us to develop a greater attachment to God, the Supreme Good. Being a disciple of Jesus requires that we be willing to give up anything and everything in order to follow Him (Luke 14:33). By deliberately choosing to give up good things for a period of time on a regular basis, we train ourselves to be willing to give these or other good things up if circumstances call us to do so in order to be faithful to Jesus. The spiritual discipline of fasting can help shape our desires, such that our loves become rightly ordered and our actions righteous.
Many modern Christians, especially Protestants, do not put much value on the practice of fasting. They see it as associated with the problematic idea that bodily goods and pleasures are inherently bad, something our immaterial souls should seek to avoid. Or they see it as an empty religious ritual, a misguided attempt to earn spiritual points with God.
It is true that fasting can be practiced in a problematic manner. The Old Testament prophets criticize God’s people for practicing fasting unaccompanied by genuine repentance from sin (Isa 58; Zech 7). And Jesus condemns fasting for the purpose of looking good and spiritual to other people (Matt 6:16-18). Undertaken without the proper attitude, fasting can become an empty religious ritual.
However, properly understood and practiced, fasting is a good and valuable spiritual discipline. Christian fasting is not based on the Platonic idea that bodily goods and pleasures are inherently bad; Scripture makes it clear that these things are good. Because of sin, though, we have a tendency to love these things more than we love God and our fellow human beings. Fasting can help us to correct this and to rightly order our loves by giving up these good things for the sake of pursuing what is even better.
Why Christians Should Fast During Advent
Most modern Western Christians are aware of the tradition of fasting during the season of Lent[1]The forty days leading up to Easter., even if they do not do this personally (Traditionally, this fasting has consisted in giving up meat during the Lenten season, but many Christians today fast from certain entertainments, luxuries, or comforts instead). The idea of fasting during the Advent season[2]The four weeks leading up to Christmas., though, is foreign to most modern Western Christians. It might be a surprise for them to learn that in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Advent is a period of fasting just like Lent.
Properly understood, Advent is not just a time to happily sing Christmas carols about the cute baby who has come to cheer us up. Rather, Advent is a time of mournfully waiting for the coming of the Savior whom this world so desperately needs. The lyrics of the old hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, which mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear,” capture well the spirit of Advent. We can rejoice during Advent, knowing that Christ our Savior has come, but we also relive the world’s mournful and anxious waiting for His coming, while we ourselves mournfully and anxiously await His Second Coming, when He will finally make all things new. It is thus appropriate that Advent be a season of fasting, as we mournfully long for and pray for God’s deliverance.
In our culture, the Advent season has become dominated by a spirit of frenzied capitalist consumerism. The tradition of Christmas gift-giving inspired by St. Nicholas’s generosity to the poor has become co-opted by the economic power structures of our society to produce a staggering display of the wealthy exchanging luxurious gifts with the wealthy. The “Christmas” shopping season continuously expands, now extending past the Thanksgiving holiday and threatening to smother it. The demonic power of Mammon has a vested interest in removing thanksgiving from our hearts. For an attitude of thankfulness to God is the secret to contentment. Capitalist consumerism thrives on making us discontented, so that we will strive to buy happiness by purchasing more and more luxuries. But this can never bring us true peace, happiness, and contentment.
The followers of Jesus are called to a more excellent way. They are called to live simply and to demonstrate radical generosity to the poor. During Advent, Christians must resist the greed and consumerism of our secular culture’s “Christmas” season. One of the ways they can do this is by fasting during Advent. By actually choosing to consume less during this time, they can bear witness to a radically different understanding of what it means to look forward to Christmas. We rejoice at the coming of the crucified Savior of the world at Christmas. But let us also look forward to His coming with prayer, fasting, mourning, and repentance.