Is It Sinful to Observe (or Not To Observe) Lent?

This is the time of year when I receive a lot of questions about Lent. Is it sinful to observe Lent? Is it sinful not to? Is there spiritual benefit in observing it? Or could there even be an element of spiritual danger? I am going to offer a few comments of my own, then direct you to some contemporary writers who have been helpful to me. This much is beyond dispute: Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to …