Is Fasting A Command?

Is Fasting a Command?

Spiritual disciplines are an important part of the Christian lifestyle. Some of these spiritual practices are more commonly practiced than others. Disciplines like prayer and Bible reading are two of my favorites to talk about. In fact, I even wrote a book about each (click the links to check them out). However, there are many important practices that are part of the Christian life. I’ve probably been asked more times about one practice in particular: fasting.

Is fasting a command in the Bible? The Bible does not command followers of Christ to fast. However, that it is not to say that fasting is unimportant, irrelevant, or even simply optional. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus says “when” you fast, not “if.” While not a command, fasting is an expectation for the Christian. It was assumed by Jesus that His followers would fast (at least every once in a while), so He provides instructions to them about what to do when they fast. The instructions that Jesus gives should guide our practice of fasting whenever we do so. Unfortunately, many teach that fasting is either a tool that people can use in order to manipulate God into answering our prayers and requests they way we want Him to or as a means to show God that we are serious in our requests. Both of these views are inadequate and inaccurate. Instead, fasting is best viewed as a way to practice denying ourselves so that we can grow in the grace of God and be led by His Spirit rather than being led by the various lusts and impulses of our flesh.

Denying ourselves is a command, even if fasting is not. Just read Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, and Luke 9:23 for yourself. One of the best spiritual disciplines to practice denying ourselves is fasting. We ignore it to our own detriment.

Denying or Gratifying?

There is a great deal of misinformation about the purpose of fasting out there. Be on the alert. As with the great majority of false teachings, these various strains of error twist the truth. False teaching about fasting actually aims at the opposite of the true purpose.

True, biblical fasting is about denying yourself. It is about curbing your appetites. Christians don’t want to be led by our various appetites. Just read what the Apostle Paul wrote about it.

Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. (Romans 16:17-18)

Paul wrote something similar to the believers in Philippi.

For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. (Philippians 3:18-19)

The grace of God has come to give us true freedom. In Christ, we do not need to be enslaved to our various lusts and impulses. We can follow Christ, not our appetites.

Yet, many teach that fasting is a spiritual tool to manipulate God into giving us blessings according to our own desires. This is turning fasting on its head. The purpose of fasting is not to manipulate God into giving us what we desire. Fasting is a tool to help us walk in freedom from our appetites by the grace of God.

Expected to Fast

Fasting is not a command in Scripture. However, fasting was an expectation for disciples of Christ.

Fasting from food and other things is not an exclusively Christian activity. Several other religions practice some form of fasting for spiritual purposes. Likewise, some medical doctors also recognize the physical benefits of fasting. Fasting is a controversial topic. Since it is controversial, you’ll find passionate and vocal people on both sides of the issue. I’m not particularly interested in the debate. The fact that Jesus expected His followers to fast is a good enough reason for me to personally practice fasting in my own spiritual walk.

Many today — particularly in an affluent nation such as the United States — scoff at the idea of skipping meals. They don’t consider it a good option. They certainly don’t see how it could be good for you!

However, there is a trend in the health and fitness industry called intermittent fasting. This group is pushing back against traditional views about nutrition and meal frequency. While fasting comes and goes with various cultures, when Jesus was teaching His disciples (and the crowd that had gathered) about the kingdom of God, He assumed that fasting would be a part of their lifestyle. While it may not be common for you, it was more common for them.

In the sermon on the mount, recorded in Matthew 5-7, Jesus describes the nature of the kingdom of heaven. Christ describes how “citizens” of the kingdom should live on the earth. In chapter 6, Jesus describes activities that Christians definitely value. He starts with giving to the poor:

So when you give to the poor... (Matthew 6:2)

Jesus assumes that subjects of the kingdom will give to the poor. He continues,

When you pray... (Matthew 6:5)

Jesus assumes that subjects of the kingdom will pray. He then teaches the disciples to pray, warning them not to pray as the Gentiles do with meaningless repetition. Jesus gives them a model to pray in accordance with the will of our Father (6:7-13). This prayer is so important to understand. If you want more on this, click the link to check out my book on it.

Then Jesus continues by saying:

Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18, bold added).

Jesus assumes that subjects of the kingdom will fast. When Jesus walked the earth, He was confronted about the fact that His disciples did not fast even though John the Baptist’s followers and the Pharisees all did fast. Jesus responded:

But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days. (Luke 5:35, bold added; cf. Matthew 9:14-15 and Mark 2:19-20)

The disciples restrained from fasting for a season; while Jesus was with them. Afterward, Jesus said they would fast.

A Neglected Discipline

In some circles, fasting is neglected. Even frowned upon. But Jesus considered this important spiritual discipline as worthy of being included in His sermon on what a kingdom lifestyle looks like along with other essentials; such as giving to the poor and praying to our Father. Most people I know would never think of discounting prayer or service. We shouldn’t diminish the importance of fasting, either.

Since fasting was a normal activity for those to whom He was already speaking, Jesus didn’t give them a bunch of guidelines. He did direct them not to fast like the hypocrites. It’s not about making a show to others. They were to make sure that they weren’t drawing attention to themselves through this discipline. Jesus taught them that our fasting is to be done so only the Lord knows about it.

Fasting is not an activity to be done to gain pity from others or to make a show of piety. Fasting, like praying and giving, is to be done for the Lord and in order to advance His kingdom and grow in our relationship and dependence upon Him.

Some Guidelines

Whether you’re familiar with fasting or just learning about it for the first time, the concept of fasting is pretty easy to understand. It is simply refraining from eating and/or drinking. As such, there isn’t a lot of explanation needed. Most of the discussion in the Bible is telling us that people fasted. It gives the surrounding circumstances. It doesn’t tell us how they fasted beyond the fact that they stopped eating and/or drinking for the duration. It’s not hard to understand what fasting is. It is much more difficult to actually put it into practice, since denying ourselves is tough to do.

Since fasting is not common for some, there are some natural follow-up questions: Are there guidelines to fasting as for what duration, how frequently, from what, and so on?

The answers to these are both Yes and No. I sometimes wish it were a little clearer. However, I also don’t want to go beyond what is written and impose my opinion as if it were the teaching of Scripture.

There are a lot of passages in Scripture that use the word fast or fasting. However, there are other passages — like Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9, 18; and 1 Samuel 28:20, for example — that are about fasting which never actually use the word. These passages just tell us that they didn’t eat any food or drink any water. So, a simple word study won’t suffice to truly see the entire teaching of Scripture on fasting.

Additionally, there is no specific passage in the Bible that outlines exactly how to fast on all occasions. Most of the examples we see in the biblical accounts are individuals or groups who are fasting for various reasons, for varying lengths of time, and with various frequencies. These examples that are recorded don’t seem to be exhaustive but they are illustrative.

For example, we see the children of Israel:

fasting out of sorrow in Judges 20:26;
fasting due to repentance in 1 Samuel 7:6;
fasting as an act of mourning in 1 Samuel 31:13;
fasting in intense times of seeking the Lord in 2 Samuel 12:16;
and fasting as an act of humility before the Lord to seek His favor in Ezra 8:21, among other examples.

We also see how not to fast. Negative examples (what not to do) are just as important to our instruction as positive ones (what to do).

Jesus taught against fasting like the hypocrites, so that everyone knows you are “suffering for the Lord” (Matthew 6:16-18).

The Lord speaks through the prophet Isaiah and denounces fasting as a merely “religious” activity. That is, fasting is not pleasing to God when it is something done merely as an external act of obligation and in a ritualistic fashion with no regard to seeking the Lord’s will and with an impure heart (Isaiah 58).

Through these texts a picture begins to emerge. Fasting is meant to humble us before the Lord. It is done to demonstrate our dependence upon Him for sustaining our very existence (Deuteronomy 8:3; John 4:31-34). Fasting, therefore, should never be done as an attempt to manipulate the God of the universe into doing our will. It is an act of humbling ourselves before the Lord in order to seek His will and rely on Him to accomplish His purposes through us for His glory.

Fasting With Purpose

In short, fasting should be done as a response to our relationship with the Lord and always at His leading. While fasting from food is the most normal biblical practice, it is possible (and not anti-biblical) that we would abstain (fast) from anything that the Lord leads us to abstain from for a time set by Him.

A final thought is important to understand: fasting is reserved for activities and things that are not inherently sinful. When we stop doing things that are sinful, that’s not “fasting.” That is repentance.

Eating is a necessity. Eating can be abstained from for a time without serious physical repercussions for most people. Some biblical fasts include abstaining from drinking water, too. The human body can live much longer without food than it can without water, so be sure you are taking caution if you ever limit your water intake. It is generally understood that a person can’t survive longer than about 3 days without water. Some of the fasts we read about — like Moses (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9, 18) — are supernatural.

There are certainly some health conditions which should be taken into account before engaging in any fast from food. Anyone who is considering fasting, especially fasting for prolonged periods, should consider consulting with their health advisors first.

There can also be benefits from fasting from other things besides food. Consider, for example, that while it may be permissible to watch television for a Christian, it may also be beneficial to fast from such activities for a time to devote yourself to prayer. While fasting is a separate discipline from prayer, the two are often combined together in the Scriptures. About 25% of all the passages about fasting also include prayer in some form. There is certainly value in combining these practices in our walk with the living God.

For Further Study

The Bible is the primary source of instruction for followers of Christ. If you’d like to investigate some secondary sources, here are a couple of suggestions.

The Didache. This early document (c. AD 100) is controversial to some. Remember, we only recommend it as a historical supplement, not as inspired Scripture. This early document claims to be written by the Apostles and gives instruction on the Christian life. Those interested in the discussion of fasting will be most interested in chapter 8. There are many paperback versions available on Amazon, although you may be disappointed with the amount of content for the price. If you can’t resist buying a copy for your library, I’d recommend one without much additional commentary. You can access the entire text for free online here.

The amount of information provided on fasting is minimal. Here’s the totality of chapter 8, “Concerning Fasting and Prayer,” from the free link above:

But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites; Matthew 6:16 for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week; but fast on the fourth day and the Preparation (Friday). Neither pray as the hypocrites; but as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, thus pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us today our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (or, evil); for Yours is the power and the glory forever. Thrice in the day thus pray.

Essentially, this early document instructs followers of Christ to fast on Wednesday (the fourth day) and Friday. This could explain the timing of “when” you fast. There was a season in my walk with Christ where I kept to this schedule. I wouldn’t recommend being legalistic about this for yourself or with others.

Conformed To His Image by Kenneth Boa. This book is a more worthwhile purchase than the Didache, simply because you’ll get a lot more content for your money. However, most of that content is about spiritual formation in general, not particularly about fasting. Fasting is simply one facet of our spiritual walk and Conformed To His Image attempts to discuss spiritual formation in all of its various facets.
Here is what Dr. Boa has to say about fasting:

The spiritual discipline of fasting is abstention from physical nourishment for the purpose of spiritual sustenance. This difficult discipline requires practice before if can be effective, since it is not natural for us to pursue self-denial. There are different methods and degrees of fasting, but all of them promote self-control and reveal the degree to which we are ruled by our bodily appetites. Fasting can also consist of abstention from other things that can control us, such as television and other forms of entertainment. (Boa, Conformed, 84)

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. This is a controversial book and a controversial author. Full disclosure: I do not endorse nor recommend all of Richard Foster’s books, teachings, or his theology. However, this particular book does have a good discussion of fasting. Foster provides a full chapter on fasting in Celebration of Discipline, instead of just a paragraph or two.
I understand why many people don’t like this book. I found it to be helpful in my own walk when I read it the first time more than a decade ago. For a mature believer who is able to exercise discernment, I think this book is just fine. If you are a newer believer or are easily influenced by every wind and wave of teaching, then perhaps you should skip this one.