False Lent and Pagan Festivals

By The Late Apostle Bishop S.C. Johnson

Printer Friendly Version

Among the many errors which crept in after the Apostles died was Lent and it's false connection with the sufferings and crucifixion of Christ. It is supposed to represent the forty days of fasting of Christ in the wilderness. However, the people do not fast as Christ did but they only give up one or several things which they like, or sometimes do not like. If they really wanted to commemorate the death and suffering of Christ they would fast the entire forty days. Christ nowhere in the bible tells us to commemorate the forty days of fasting as an annual church festival.

In earlier times It was only adhered to by the Catholic Church and those churches that were closely connected to it in religious form. However, the celebration has reached such popularity until now even some of those who claim Pentecostal ties announce their holy week services.

Lent could not even begin to compare with those forty terrible days which God spent proving that He could live without yielding to temptation, because in most cases those who keep it when tempted hard enough, will quickly get what they want. But we find Jesus when the devil came to tempt Him again and again, He would rebuke him. We find on one occasion when He had become hungered, the devil came to Him and showed Him the stones, which were in Jerusalem and closely resembled bread. The devil boldly told Him, "if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Matthew 4:3.

Jesus answered him saying, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4.

The devil showed the Lord the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, but He would not lower His testimony to the children of men for worldly goods and a morsel of food.

The Bible does not at all endorse Lent, it is only a tradition devised out of carnal intention of men, it has no place in the Church of God.

Lent was established at the council of the Catholic Church at Nicaea, 325 A.D. but was not well instituted until the middle of the fourth century. It was near this time that the birth of Jesus was celebrated on December 25, first in Rome, and before the end of the century, it was celebrated in the East also. The actual meaning of the word Lent, came from the Latin word, Lengthen, lencten, meaning spring. It denotes the spring period of fasting in preparation for Easter; in the Western Catholic Church, it is a penitential period extending from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Some writers associate with the middle ages.

Toward the end of this vain worship is a week known as (Holy Week) which lasts from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.  Read More