Occasionally, we receive some questions about the matter of fasting as it is set forth in the New Testament. We have been asked if Christians must fast in order to be acceptable in the sight of God, and if we are to fast, how do we know when to do so? Answering these questions will allow us to make some general observations regarding the matter of fasting. The first observation is that this was a thing that was done by the Old Testament Jew. And though God, in the law of Moses required only one day of fasting per year, according to Leviticus 16:29-31, the Jews added several other periods of fasting to this one required by God’s law. (See: 2 Chronicles 20:30; 1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 12:16; 1 Kings 21:9 & 27; and Esther 4:16.) God did not seem to mind that the Jews engaged in fasting more often than he had required under the law, so even under the law, with the exception of the Day of Atonement, fasting was a voluntary exercise and was not a requirement of God.
By the time that Jesus began his ministry upon the earth, fasting was quite common among the Jews and especially among a sect called the Pharisees. Some of the Pharisees fasted as often as twice a week, but they did so more for the purpose of showing themselves off to men than they did for dedicating themselves wholly to God for the period of the fast. Jesus saw through the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who boasted that they fasted twice in a week. In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. In this parable, he mentioned that the Pharisee boasted to God that he fasted twice a week (v.12). Jesus also pointed out in Matthew 6:16 that the Pharisees did this to be seen of men, and that when they had been seen of men they had their reward. So they did not really fast in order to draw more closely to God, but in order that men would say, when they looked upon them, “Look how righteous the Pharisees are, they fast twice a week.”
In 1 Corinthians 7:1-5, Paul told the Corinthian Christians that they could refrain from the conjugal relationship if both consented to do so for a period of fasting and prayer. They were not required to do this, but they were permitted to do so. We understand, from what is written to the Corinthians, that fasting was a choice to be exercised by the Christians and not a matter of obligation laid upon them by the Gospel of Christ.
It goes without saying, that Jesus abhorred the hypocrisy that was practiced by the Pharisees regarding the matter of fasting, and warned the people not to follow the example of the hypocritical Pharisees. Jesus did not forbid them to fast, nor did he forbid them to be seen of men while they fasted, but he did forbid them to fast for the purpose of receiving human praise. If we decide to fast today for the purpose of drawing closer to God in prayer and study, we should not allow that to be made known to those around us. We say this because fasting is not a means of earning a place of good standing with God. Even in the Old Testament Yahweh warned of a religion that replaced righteousness with fasting and outward devotion with dealing justly with one’s fellow man. So fasting cannot be substituted for loving obedience to God or for loving fellowship with our brethren.
Fasting can come about as a result of our faith in, and devotion to the God of heaven. We may fast in order to give ourselves, for a period of time, to prayer and the study of the Word of God. It could also be, depending on our physical makeup, that fasting would be so distracting to us that we would not be able to engage in concentrated Bible study and prayer. We think that it is interesting that in all the Bible only one nation of people were required to fast, and that was limited to one day.
There is, no doubt, a place for fasting in the kingdom of God, but it is something that we do by the permission of God, and not because he requires it of us. No one can bind fasting upon another person, and no one can forbid another to fast because both Jesus and Paul gave permission for us to fast: Paul by command, in the First Corinthian letter, and Jesus by example during his ministry upon the earth. Perhaps more of us should fast more often, but since it is to be a personal matter, there would be no way of forcing men and women, boys and girls to do so. One can say that one must be baptized in order to be saved (Mark 16:15-16) but no one can say that one must fast in order to be saved!
