Self abasement, mutilation, self crucifixion, self flogging, self beating, harming your own bodies for sake of piety is not only seriously wrong, but against the savior! It is to trample on Blood of Christ and to deny that, "It is finished." (John 19:20). In Philippines, Argentina, and other countries people Good Friday, during Passion Week do painful and horrible things to their bodies. Some drive nails in their hands, others beat a crown of thrones into their heads, some carry 200lbs crosses, others flog their bodies with chain whips (flails, cat-of-nine-tails) with nails, glass, hooks, blades, their backs, cutting up their the flesh on their backs, and other grotesque displays that they call penance, holy observance of the Passion. These practices are pollutions! They bring shame to name of the Savior, and should be stopped! Jesus Christ died in our place, on the cross, and suffered pain so that we wouldn't have to! He died once for all our sins, "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit," (1 Peter 3:18), "When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God," (Romans 6:10), and "so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him," (Hebrews 9:28).
The Apostle Paul gives us the manifesto of salvation, "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--
/being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.… the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one." (Romans 3:24-30). If this salvation is received by faith in Jesus Christ, "If you confess Jesus is Lord (Yahweh/God), and believe God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." (Romans 10:9), then why would anyone mutilate their bodies and hurt themselves?! Jesus always was punished in our place for our sins, He did the propitiation, atonement, and all sufficient sacrifice; there is no good works that save us, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10).
/being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.… the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one." (Romans 3:24-30). If this salvation is received by faith in Jesus Christ, "If you confess Jesus is Lord (Yahweh/God), and believe God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." (Romans 10:9), then why would anyone mutilate their bodies and hurt themselves?! Jesus always was punished in our place for our sins, He did the propitiation, atonement, and all sufficient sacrifice; there is no good works that save us, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Those who teach you must harm, hurt, cause pain, inflict damage, afflict, and cut and break your bodies is against the words of the Apostles and Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross! For Paul speaks of those who teach this error of hurting oneself, "These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence." (Colossians 2:23, NASB), "Don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial (asceticism) or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud," (Colossians 2:18) and "Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear," (Acts 15:10), and "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1).
Even Emmanuel, Jesus Christ himself speaks of those who instruct people to follow harsh religious demands, "They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden." (Matthew 23:4), "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them," (Luke 11:46), "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:27-30).
How can people having read the Scriptures believe that the Savior would want them to serrate and scourge their flesh (skin, body)? The answer lies in the fact they do not practice what the Savior and his servants, apostles taught, and instead follow tradition, customs, and harsh and strict yokes and practices of men form Middle Ages and current day. Perhaps this lengthy passage on the point of Sacrifice by those who understood it best will help,
"For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,
“Sacrifice and offering You have not desired,
But a body You have prepared for Me;
6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.
7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’”
But a body You have prepared for Me;
6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.
7 “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come
(In the scroll of the book it is written of Me)
To do Your will, O God.’”
8 After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for [f]sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind I will write them,”
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind I will write them,”
He then says,
17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”
I will remember no more.”
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:1-25). Jesus Christ has made the perfect sacrifice on the cross! We now need only confess Him as Lord, believe in our hearts He was raised from dead (Romans 10:9), and we shall have eternal life (John 3:16). We then need only endure, keep believing and seeking, and following Jesus to see salvation completed (Matthew 24:13, Hebrews 9:28). There is nothing Scripture, or said by Savior or the Apostles about doing self abasement or harmful things to body for God, in fact they speak against these practices. So do not do them! Trust in Christ's sacrifice on cross, do not crawl onto one yourself! You cannot save yourself by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
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