Thursday, March 7, 2019

Aren't you disobeying Christ on Ash Wednesday?

StepHeaven says
Why would Protestants go to the nearest Catholic Church for ashes if they strongly oppose Catholic teachings and doctrines?
There must be many more that don't, judging by the reaction amongst non-Catholics on this forum.

Wouldn't that make hypocrites of those that did so?
One more hypocrite won't hurt anything.

There were plenty of non-Catholic churches offering ashes yesterday, but as somebody who can not explain away the contradiction between the scripture of washing your face when fasting so that nobody knows what your doing, to the man made idea of taking on a clearly visible mark that symbolizes to everybody exactly what you're doing, I'm honestly kind of confused by the whole idea. 
 I understand your confusion. I'll explain below.

Matthews 6:19 "But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Let's look at this in a bit more detail.

Let's start here:

Matt 6:6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.
If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.....

That's the main idea. Let's skip down a bit more.

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standingin the
synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received
their reward in full. ....

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, ....

Basically, this is preaching humility. In other words, don't stand on a street corner yelling,
"I'm saved by my faith alone." That is boasting in yourself and your abilities. It is trying to get
the approval of men and not of God.

And so, we see a difference between that type of behaviour and that of putting ashes on our foreheads.

First, the ashes do not simply symbolize fasting.

1. They also symbolize dying with Christ. Thus, they proclaim that we hope in the resurrection.

Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ
was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

2. And they symbolize the mark of all believers. The ashes are placed on our forehead in the shape of a cross. Thus,
they symbolize the mark that all believers in Christ will receive on the forehead.

Revelation 7:3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads
of the servants of our God.”

3. Finally and most directly answering your question, we profess Christ before men. Anyone who sees us
will know by the very fact that there is a cross emblazoned on our forehead, that we are believers in Jesus
Christ.

Matthew 10:32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

So, I hope that helps.

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