Fasting and Asceticism

This is a great question. In fact, I wanted to address it in my sermon, but as you know the sermon was long enough already. One of the difficulties in writing sermons is deciding what to leave out. While fasting can in a sense be a form of asceticism, the difference between biblical fasting and unbiblical ascetic behavior primarily lies in the motives and the goals: Why do we do it, and what do we hope to accomplish?

As I begin, I would like to say that I do believe fasting to be something expected of Christians. While it is not emphasized in the New Testament to the degree prayer is, it is nevertheless an important spiritual discipline. Not only do we see Jesus and His followers setting the example of fasting, but the Sermon on the Mount makes clear that fasting is expected. In Matthew 6, Jesus talked about "when" (not "if") we give, pray, and fast. Fasting is no more an option than giving or praying. However, we are just as clearly not expected to fast as much or as frequently as we give or pray.

While volumes can and have been written on fasting, I highly recommend Donald Whitney's chapter on the subject in his excellent book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. He gives the best overview I have seen. In the mean time, let me try to draw a couple of brief distinctions between biblical fasting and asceticism.

Biblical fasting can be done to express grief, repentance, or devotion to God. It can also help intensify praying by giving a laser focus to it. We do not fast, however, in order to appease God or to earn His favor. We also do not fast in order to gain access to Him. Neither do we abstain from foods in an effort to be or to appear more holy. Rather, we see all foods as clean, but at times, as the Lord leads, we set aside food as some kind of expression or as a means of devoting serious time to prayer. We do not believe that fasting achieves for us higher or better standing with God or that certain foods are more evil than others (in fact, food is morally neutral--though we can overindulge in food and drink--i.e., gluttony & drunkenness). We also believe that some foods and beverages can become stumbling blocks for some people. In those cases, it might be best for those individuals--depending on their own circumstances--to abstain from certain things.

Ascetic beliefs can teach (to varying degrees) that enjoying things like food is not holy. For example, if you enjoy chocolate, you should not eat it. They do not see these things as gifts from God. They might also teach (as was the case with the Jewish mystics I was talking about Sunday) that abstaining from certain things can help you access God or experience Him more fully. They do not see Jesus as reconciling us to God completely and giving us by grace through faith all that God is and has for us. Even some Christians inadvertently practice asceticism with made up rules that cannot be found in the Bible. Some say all forms of "worldly" entertainment are evil, for example (such as those folks in the French Quarter with the sign saying "sports nuts" love the devil).

While God does expect us to fast at times, He gave no rules. We do this either as we are led by His Spirit privately or when our faith community does it corporately. However, we do not see foods as inherently evil. We also don't think we need to earn God's favor or do anything more to gain access to God. We believe Jesus, being fully God and fully human, lived the perfect life to become the perfect sacrifice. His death completely atoned for our sins, and His resurrection assures us of His victory over death and hell. He has done everything necessary for us to know God and to have life abundant and eternal.