If giving up chocolate, coffee, bread or alcohol could make reparations for the sins of world, why did Jesus have to die on the cross? I always suspected the point of "penance" even as a Catholic kid when I gave up bubblegum for Lent. It used to really irk me a little when saying a few Hail Marys and Our Fathers would be my penance at confession. As I hurriedly said them I often wondered what kind of God would be satisfied by saying mere words in exchange for forgiveness. Of course, I didn't understand the whole purpose of the cross until I came to saving faith in Jesus Christ and left the religion of my birth.
I think, far too often, we forget that there is NOTHING we can do to pay for our own sins much less those of the whole world. Christ's sacrifice was "once for all" and His blood made atonement for the sins of the world. We are given forgiveness by God's grace through faith in Christ and, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are enabled to walk in newness of life - a life that brings honor and glory to God because it operates by faith. When we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and we are forgiven and cleansed when we confess (come clean, name it as HE names it) to Him. Giving up pleasures in our lives in order to somehow appease the anger of God over sin, kinda makes a mockery of the TRUE cost of sin - the blood of the only begotten Son of God.
I will pray for more eyes to be opened to the truth of the gospel of grace this Lenten season.
Now there's the perfect excuse; I'm gonna pig out and get drunk!
:)
But, seriously, where on earth did you get the idea that Lent was to make reparations for the sins of the world?
hey, if you want to disparage those who give up the pleasures of the flesh while you don’t, ok, that’s your choice, right?