Fasting is a Tool and not the Goal
Fasting is a challenge to most of us. The concept of self-discipline has almost disappeared from the society we live in today, this helped a lot of people to challenge the Church’s authority to declare fast’s and ask the believers to follow it.
We all find different excuses for ourselves: health, diet, studying, work and just simply “not feeling like doing it!” Those who are more religious will argue that food should not be the real subject of fasting and we should be fasting spiritually rather than from food or only when there is a need.
First, let us agree that God will not benefit from my fasting, the rules of fasting in the Bible and set by the Church are for my own benefit and not for the benefit of anyone else. Neither the Church, the Priest, nor anyone else will directly benefit from my fasting; I am the only beneficiary from my fasting. The only side benefit is that if I become a better person I will be more beneficial to the society and more pleasant to deal with.
Second, fasting is not a goal in itself but it is a mean to achieve a spiritual goal, to overcome a problem in your life, or offer a sacrifice to God. Those who are new to fasting will work hard to achieve a certain amount of complete abstinence from food or how many days they fast. Hard work and self-control are very important but they are not the goal either.
We are One Being
Third, we are humans made of body, soul, and spirit. We are a single being not three. If I want to achieve a goal in my life, my whole being has to work towards achieving this goal. This means the body, the soul, and the spirit must all work together to achieve the same goal you set for yourself. The body is the loudest and most basic element in us. If you are hungry, extremely tired, or in pain, this will be the overwhelming feeling that drives your behavior and surpasses everything else. Similarly, if you are angry, your body will also participate with your emotions; your blood pressure may go up, your face will change, your fists will clinch and so on.
We are one integrated person consisting of body, soul, and spirit; and each of these “hypostasis” affects the other two.
If you are trying to participate in a race, lose weight, or study for an advanced degree. You can’t let your body sleep or eat whenever it wants. You discipline your desires in order not to hinder yourself from achieving your goal. Ask any athlete who trained for advanced competition on the amount of mental and physical disciple required to achieve the fitness level needed to compete. Or ask anyone who is trying to study for a difficult exam on the amount of discipline required to force themselves to avoid sleeping orresting, and focusing all their energy to succeed in passing the exam and getting to their goal.
Similarly, if we have a spiritual goal, then the body, soul, and the spirit must all march towards the same direction under the guidance of the will or the person[1].
“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Co 9:27)
Fasting is the tool that helps our physical aspect get in shape and be ready for the spiritual battles. It is a tool given by God from the very beginning (Gen 2:16) to help us control the desires of the flesh.
Death to the World and to Sin
Fourth, part of our daily battle is to die to the world and submit the body and the whole being to the Holy Spirit
“always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh..” (2Co 4:10-11)
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1Pe 2:24)
How can we die to the world and its desires and live in the heavenly sphere if we don’t win the first level of temptations which is food. Will I be able to tell the worst of sins “no, I am dead to the desires” if I can’t tell coffee creamer, milk, eggs, burgers, or chicken no “I am dead to the world”?
[1] The details of the human nature is not addressed in this discussion.