I'm happy Friday, everyone.

Well, can we make ourselves more holy if we treat our bodies more harshly?

It's a great question from a listener named Garrett in Houston, Texas.

Pastor John, hello, I've recently been studying the life of St. Anthony

through a book by Athanasius.

I'm curious about your thoughts on asceticism, a practice of many Christians

throughout the church age is this a biblical way to live and pursue holiness.

Does it work?

Is it biblical to hold such a rigid self-discipline?

I ask because of Colossians 2 verse 23, where Paul defines asceticism as

severity to the body and that practice being of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

So what are your thoughts on the place of asceticism in the Christian life today?

When Garrett says, is it biblical to hold such rigid self-discipline?

I don't know what the word such refers to because I'm not familiar enough with the life of

St. Anthony to pass judgment on his pattern of asceticism.

So let me just speak more generally, especially from the text of Colossians,

because I think that's what he's really getting at.

Is there a legitimate place for severity to the body called asceticism?

Whenever we hear the Apostle Paul criticizing some teaching or warning against some practice,

we have to kind of piece together from what he says, what the false teachers are saying,

like listening to one end of the phone conversation.

That's what we're up against in Colossians.

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