Christian author says Lent is a time of love, not legalism

Fasting during Lent is not for showing one's superiority but to honor God and grow closer to Him, says Laura Gallier

All you need to know about Ash Wednesday

The beginning of Lent

During Lent, Christians should think of fasting and praying as a way to honor God, not as legalistic behavior, a Christian author told Fox News Digital. 

In childhood, it is common to think of God as a "cosmic Santa Claus," Laura Gallier told Fox News Digital in an emailed message. Gallier is a Houston-based author and host of the podcast "Fearless and Free: Spirit, Soul, Body." 

God, said Gallier, was akin to "a stranger I could never know," who observed how she behaved, "keeping an impeccable record of how naughty or nicely." 

CARDINAL BURKE ANNOUNCES 'SIGNIFICANT NOVENA' TO PRAY FOR CHURCH AGAINST 'FORCES OF SIN'

While Gallier said she outgrew the equating of God to Santa Claus, her "assumptions about God lasted long into adulthood." 

She told Fox News Digital, "Suffice it to say, it’s intuitive to human nature to strive to earn divine approval through white-knuckle efforts at being good. When we inevitably fail, the sense of shame makes us grateful God keeps an invisible, sanitary distance from us."

cross and bible split with Laura Gallier

During the season of Lent, author Laura Gallier said God is not like a "cosmic Santa Claus" who keeps tabs on those who are naughty or nice.  (iStock; AveryGFilms.com and 4the1studio.com)

It is normal, said Gallier, to "try to compensate for our moral mishaps by doing noble things." 

Yet thoughts of "noble things" should not be the motivation why people fast during Lent, she said. 

DURING LENT, FASTING SHOULD BE 'PERSONAL,' INSISTS CALIFORNIA FAITH LEADER: 'IT'S BETWEEN YOU AND GOD'

Lent, she said, is "a seasonal tradition of sacrificing something savory for 40 days to show God we’re not entirely bad." 

It can be tempting, she said, to feel a sense of smugness when others fail at their Lenten fasts — and to carry this attitude of superiority throughout the year. 

ash and palm fronds

"Jesus debunked the delusion that we can earn right-standing with God the Father through human effort," said Gallier. Rather, she said, "God wants to know us and be known by us. He is not far from us and bids us through Christ to come close to Him." (iStock)

"As for the rest of the year, surely God sees how pure our intentions are — most of the time — and that’s bound to count for something," she said. "Right?" 

This, however, is not biblical.

WHAT IS LENT AND THE LENTEN SEASON, AND HOW DO CHRISTIANS OBSERVE THE TIME BEFORE EASTER SUNDAY?

"If it's the God of all Creation we seek to please, a disciplined performance will never suffice," she said. "Jesus debunked the delusion that we can earn right-standing with God the Father through human effort."

If it were possible to attain a holy life through good deeds and behavior, Jesus would have had no reason to die for the sins of humanity, said Gallier.

Jesus on the cross

Christ's death on the cross "forever shredded" the "naughty-nice ledge of legalism." (iStock)

"Why bear our shame if our good deeds can compensate?" 

The truth is, said Gallier, "God wants to know us and be known by us. He is not far from us and bids us through Christ to come close to Him, into His very presence." 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

She continued, "As for that dreaded naughty-nice ledger of legalism we’ve carried in our conscious our whole lives, it’s forever shredded at the cross." 

Instead of viewing our Lenten practices as legalistic behavior, they should be seen as ways to honor and worship God. 

"God is a loving, forgiving God."

"Our only reasonable motive for moral living and doing good things, including fasting during Lent, is to honor and draw near to God in love," she said. 

This love, and these actions, are done "in responsiveness to His pursuit of a deeper, all-satisfying relationship with us," said Gallier.

As she also says on her website, (lauragallier.com), "God is a loving, forgiving God, and His biblical standards are for my protection — and yours."

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.

Authored by Christine Rousselle via FoxNews February 28th 2024