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NASB | Matthew 6:16 ¶ "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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 6:16 ¶ "And whenever you are fasting, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they put on a sad and dismal face [like actors, discoloring their faces with ashes or dirt] so that their fasting may be seen by men. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they [already] have their reward in full. [Is 58:5] |
Bible Question:
I know about how important fasting is but can someome please explain what purpose it has? I know it's in obedience. I know it goes along with prayer but why are we told to do it. What is it doing to us spiritually? Thanks.....Pixie |
Bible Answer: Fasting is nowhere commanded in the Torah. However, there is sufficient justification for fasting in biblical times and, in fact, in modern times as well. - - - - - - - - - - Fasting is defined as "abstinence from food and/or drink as an element of private or public religious devotion. Fasting is nowhere commanded in the Torah and, in fact, is never attested earlier than the time of the judges of Israel (cf. Judges 20:26). The fact that Jesus and the disciples sanctioned it by their own example (Matt 4:2; Acts 13:2-3), however, is sufficient justification for its practice in biblical times and, in fact, in modern times as well. (...) "Jesus equates supplication and fasting when he teaches that the removal of mountains comes about only by prayer and fasting (Matt 17:21). The godly prophetess Anna looked for the redemption of Israel with supplicatory prayer and fasting (Luke 2:37 ). Before Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for the various churches, they committed them to the Lord with prayer and fasting (Acts 14:23). In all these instances there is the clear implication that fasting is an effective adjunct to petition. "The purpose of fasting is never explicitly stated in Scripture but its connection to penitence, mourning, and supplication suggests a self-denial that opens one to God and to the immaterial aspects of life. Inasmuch as food and drink typify life in the flesh and all its demands and satisfactions, their absence or rejection speaks to the reality of a higher dimension, one in which the things of the spirit predominate. The theology of fasting, then, is a theology of priorities in which believers are given the opportunity to express themselves in an undivided and intensive devotion to the Lord and to the concerns of the spiritual life." Eugene H. Merrill Bibliography. John E. Baird, What the Bible Says About Fasting; R. D. Chatham, Fasting: A Biblical-Historical Study; Joseph F. Wimmer, Fasting in the New Testament: A Study in Biblical Theology. Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology . Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Published by Baker Books (http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/BakersEvangelicalDictionary/) |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Matt 6:16 | Author | ||
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Hank | ||
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vessel | ||
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Tandabube1 | ||
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pixie | ||
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Lindag | ||
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kalos | ||
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pixie | ||
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8788 | ||
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ms gossett | ||
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etandylawson | ||
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destinyae | ||
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hensley |