Sometimes it is fun to argue for something you do not actually believe, and one time I did just that. The argument I made: we, as followers of Christ, should not fast.
I want to clarify; I believe we should fast. Fasting is a great discipline. Maybe I'll talk about it in a future blog post. But for now, I'll just explain the time I argued otherwise.
Why I Entered the Argument
In college, four years ago, a friend of mine asked, "What do you think of fasting?" I thought briefly and responded, "I don't like it." My friend, as is to be expected, asked, "Why?" I responded, "Because I do not believe it is biblical."
I'm not sure why I responded that way. I was mostly being silly. I enjoyed making off the wall statements, and I was not at all worried about swaying my friend to believe something crazy. She is a devout follower of Christ, and she was at least as well-versed in the Word as I was. We regularly had good conversations about what it looks like to follow Jesus, and I guess I decided it was time to throw a curveball into our discussion.
When I made this claim about fasting being unbiblical, I had no basis at all. In fact, I could think up plenty of reasons why fasting is biblical. However, I made the claim; therefore, I needed to come up with a way to back it up.
As expected, the friend once again asked, "Why?" And thus it began.
Why You Shouldn't Fast
In case you are only joining us at this header and have skipped everything before it, I believe we should fast. If you are confused about the disjoint between the header and that sentence, don't jump in at the middle of a blog post next time!...but don't feel too bad; I do it all the time.
My argument stemmed from a question asked of Jesus in Matthew:
Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast."
Matthew 9:14-16 (ESV)
I claimed that here Jesus tells us we should not fast. He tells us specifically that we should not fast as long as He is with us. Well, is Jesus not with us? Matthew 28:20, "And behold, I (Jesus) am with you always to the end of the age." Again in Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
If Jesus is with us, why would we mourn? We should celebrate! There were three days "when the bridegroom was taken away from them;" those were the days to fast. But He came back, and now we no longer need to fast!
How I was Immediately Defeated
I think my friend humored me for a few minutes. She asked some questions, and I delved in a bit deeper. But suddenly, realization struck her, and she asked, "Didn't they fast in Acts?"
I responded, "Yes they did. I lose the argument." In the process of developing my argument, I had already found the verse to completely refute it: Acts 13:2-3, "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting...then after fasting and praying..." My argument immediately falls apart because I was claiming the disciples should not have fasted after Jesus' resurrection, yet here they are seen fasting!
What's the Point?
There is a reason I tell this story. It is not to show intelligence in coming up with an argument for something I don't believe. It's not to show you that I did not "rightly handle the Word of truth" as commanded in Timothy (2 Tim. 2: 15).
I tell this story to show how easy it is to make a convincing argument about anything. The Bible is a big book! Anybody who knows a fair amount of it can pull verses from the left, right, Old Testament and New Testament, throw them all at you at once without any context, and pummel you into submission in an argument. Again, that is a poor way to "rightly handle the Word of truth," but it can be done.
However, most bad arguments from Scripture can quickly and easily be countered by Scripture itself. I am not saying the Bible contradicts itself, but I am saying that people can twist anything to make it fit what they want it to mean. And if we know Scripture as well as my friend did, we can see through the falsehoods. Sometimes it may be a little more difficult that it was for her, but the better we see the full picture of the Bible, the better we can hear each verse in context. Then we will know when somebody is using that verse out of context.
Any good teacher will say, "Test what I tell you." But I could say that and immediately teach something crazy, and people who never read the Bible will have no idea! Saying "Test me" gives me free credibility if I know it will never be done!
My point, then, is to read the Bible for yourself. Be in the Word regularly. "Be renewed by the transforming of your mind" (Rom 12:2). Be in the Word that never returns void (Is. 55:11). Be in the Word that is "living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrows, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb. 4:12)! You do not want to be "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctriine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." (Eph 4:14).
If you are in Christ, you do not need a teacher. Teachers can help guide, but the Spirit is your teacher. 1 Cor. 2 explains how nobody can know the mind of God except His Spirit, and that His Spirit searches the depths of God and teaches us, giving us the mind of Christ (2 Cor 2:10-16)! And we are told in 1 John 2:27 that we have no need of anyone to teach us, but that his anointing teaches us about everything!
Conclusion
Hopefully this has increased your desire to spend time with Christ in the Word even more. There are so many benefits. Steadfast confidence in the truth is just one of many. Please continue in your time in the Word.
Also, though I have spent a lot of time discussing the importance of time individually in the Word, there is massive benefit to spending time in a local church with a community of believers. Hebrews regularly explains the importance of having both fellow believers to regularly encourage you and authority to correct and protect you. In the end, the author commands us to meet together! Heb. 10:24, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
I hope you have enjoyed this story! I really appreciate the time you all take to read what I write. I greatly enjoy it, and I learn a lot in the process of writing these posts out. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
See you next time!