Research article: Should Christians Fast? A biblical look at three key forgeries in the text (non-denominational Bible study)

http://www.truthortradition.com/fasting
Before we can accurately discuss the biblical information about fasting, we must understand that although when we speak of “fasting,” we usually mean going without food, that is not the only meaning it has in the Bible. Later in this article we will examine a second biblical meaning of “fasting,” which relates to self-humiliation, repentance, prayer, and doing good works.

** There is no scriptural directive for Christians to “fast” by not eating food. In fact, God has never prescribed the practice of fasting for any of His people, either Israel or the Church. Nevertheless, some people think that God commands fasting. Furthermore, others who realize fasting is not a command of God practice it for a number of reasons such as: a tendency to want to save themselves by their works, to feel more valuable in the eyes of God, to try to gain God’s favor in a given situation, to prove to themselves that they really do love God, or to increase their self-discipline and prove they are not a slave to food. Also, there can be health benefits to fasting, although there are also reasons to be cautious about it, but that is not the focus of this article.

** Through the centuries, fasting became...

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