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Context: Postmodernism as it relates to religion is that idea that there is no universal religious truth. Instead there is a reliance on scientific understanding and a reality that is shaped by social, historical, and cultural contexts according to the individual place or time in history; including the present time.
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I recently watched a video interview from a Orthodox Christian Father. He was talking about the importance and design of fasting. Growing up I was encouraged to fast but I don’t think I really had an understanding of why we as Christians fast. I fell into the trap that many Christian do where they adopt a practice because they are told to and not because they understand the purpose of the practice. I’ve recently started to deconstruct these practices so that I can understand and reconstruct ideology in a way that is authentic to Biblical teaching.
God has really been moving me towards fasting integration into my daily walk with Him. But what is fasting and why is it important? Archimandrite Seraphim Johns, the pastor of Prophet Elias Orthodox Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico says that to overcome spiritual temptation and warfare we must develop a spiritual walk that is “solid with God all of our days.” And fasting is part of this process. He says that we as believers must have a daily habit of going to God and that we must have spiritual leadership to help guide us. All great suggestions and advice right? But why fasting?
According to Father Johns, fasting allows you to submit to God by overcoming your will and passions. He explains that the ultimate goal is to conform our will to the will of Christ. Johns says, “Our best defense in the spiritual battle we are engaged in is complete reliance upon our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the victor….It is Christ and Christ alone. We must have a solid prayer life. And whether you are Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant take up a habit of fasting.”
I know you’ve waited so long in the devotional to see what the big deal is about fasting. We’re almost there! But first we must understand sin. Sin is anything that separates us from God. Darkness is the prince of Earth and the angels that fell because they rejected God were consumed with darkness. Darkness tries to steal our light through the temptation to sin. What is sin? Remember that sin is anything that separates us from God.
Mark 7:20-23 reads, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
Wow, that’s a heavy scripture. We are born into a sinful nature. Our nature is natural of this world but not of God’s purposes. Sure, in this word sexual immorality is natural, after all it’s biological. Sure, in this world adultery is natural, after all our evolutionary instincts should be satisfied. Sure, in this world theft is expected, after all it’s just business. But just because something is natural in this world does not mean it is sanctified by God. We live in a world that is governed by darkness and postmodern ideology tells us that we should thrive in our natural instincts because that’s science and natural equals good. Our culture in the West tells us not only that if something is natural it is good but that we are entitled to the natural experience.
But that is a perversion. God tells us that what is natural in this world is darkness and he yearns for His people to fight against the natural urges of this world and a sanctification that draws them into relationship with Him. Because what is unnatural in this world is light and light is a reflection of who God is.
According to Johns Hopkins University, light is nature’s way of transferring energy through space. In other words, light is literally God’s presence here on earth. It’s a glimpse of heaven that travels through time and space to enter the darkness of Earth.
Ok, that’s great. But what about fasting? A devotion to the practice of fasting is a devotion to the practice of combating one’s passions and laying them down for God’s will. It’s the active practice of purposeful resistance to sin. Because sin is used by darkness and preys upon the human passions that are so normalized in this world. It’s a process of active sanctification and submission to God and His will for your life.
Johns says, “Fasting is part of our discipline…it brings us closer to Christ. To help us to overcome our passion. And that’s really where the battle lies because that’s where we confront our individual war. Our own individual spiritual war.”
This concept of fasting to sanctify passion and realign a devotion to God and His will was new to me and answered a lot of questions my soul was yearning for. And I’m not an expert, I still have a lot to learn. The cultural understanding of who God is may vary but when we as a family of God come together for His good, we open the door for God’s light to shine in the darkness.
For more information about fasting visit:
https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/biblical-fasting-why-when-how-and-how-not-to-fast/.
To learn more about our Orthodox brothers and sisters visit: https://www.youtube.com/@RootsofOrthodoxy