PENITENSYA (PENANCE)

It seems that penance will never disappear from tradition every Holy Week. During this season, many people come up with different practices to “pay” for their sins. Some are bloody. Others are even bloodier. But nothing compares to those who allow themselves to be nailed to a cross — usually with long hair. To be fair, they are sincere in what they do! But there are more important questions that need to be answered: Is this practice right? Is God pleased with it? What does the Bible say about this tradition? Let’s discuss a few points:

Never be pleasing to God. Self-harm is never pleasing to God! I don’t know where the belief came from that God is pleased when we haze or torture ourselves. God values self-love when He said we must love others as we love ourselves (Matt 23:29). Penance can also be considered a sin against one’s own body (see 1 Cor 6:18). As believers, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, which means they are not really ours (vv. 19–20). Therefore, we must take care of them.

If you think about it, penance is also an insult to the suffering of Christ. It’s as if those who practice it are saying that the sacrifice of Jesus was not enough, and that they need to add their own efforts. This leads us to the next point.

Never be enough to earn God’s forgiveness. Some believe that penance can pay for or wash away their sins. Isaiah 64:6 says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” This doesn’t mean that God is against good works, but it is wrong to think they are enough to earn His forgiveness. Just as a filthy rag cannot truly clean dirt, our good deeds cannot cleanse sin. How much more penance—which cannot even be considered a good deed in God’s sight! It cannot be called a good work because God never commanded us to do it. Let’s move to the next point.

Never commanded by God. Jesus said that anyone who wants to follow Him must take up their cross daily (Luke 9:23). Obviously, this doesn’t mean a literal wooden cross. When we are told to imitate Christ (1 Pet 2:21; Eph 5:1), it doesn’t mean copying everything He did, including His death on the cross! Penance is an unnecessary burden, not only because God never asked us to do it, but also because He is not pleased with it. In other words, it’s a wasted effort.

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No other sacrifice is sufficient or worthy to pay for our sins except what Christ has done. Christ was offered “once to bear the sin of many” (Heb 9:28). “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (10:14). One offering is enough! He doesn’t need to repeat what He did on the cross. And no one has the right to repeat or copy it.  If anyone desires forgiveness, there is no need to “bribe” God with bloody acts. For God is always willing to forgive. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). Stay Curious.