The Purpose of Lent

Ephesians 4:22

The Lenten season is upon us. It is viewed as a time of deprivation rather than indulgence.

Faith Baldwin suggests the things which we should give up for Lent are things we should give up “for all time”—“the sweetness of revenge; the bitter herbs of resentment; the sharp spices of gossip; the bland puddings of complacency; the ego-building proteins of vanity; the strong stimulant of prejudice, whether religious, racial, or intellectual; the heavy bread which nourishes unkindness, and the drugging wine of self-pity.”

These good words are grounded in Scriptures like Ephesians 4:22 which suggests that we are to put off the old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. And naturally Paul is talking about a permanent act. We ought to put off “for all time,” not for just a short time. We ought to make Lenten Abstinence a life-long abstinence.