Celebrating "Christmas"

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Celebrating Christmas

 

"Christmas" is an annual holiday celebrated by a large majority of the world. Billions of people worldwide commemorate the birth of Jesus on this day. Most of them consider it as one of "the most holy" of religious holidays. For a lot of these people, it marks one of the few times they attend church services, along with Easter and Mother's Day. 

 

Knowing all of this, were you aware that Christians in the New Testament didn’t celebrate the birth of Jesus as an annual observance? Did you know that most Protestant churches didn’t  begin celebrating Christmas until the 19th century?

 

Scripturally sound congregations of the churches of Christ still don’t  have annual observances of Christ's birth. This may prompt questions in the minds of some.

 

How did the yearly observance of Jesus' birth get started?

Shouldn’t the Lord's church involve herself in such a holiday?

How about observing certain elements of it as individuals?

Focusing on the observance of Christmas in connection with the birth of Christ, let's start with the scriptural record of the birth of Jesus. 

 

The Bible gives us no clue as to when Jesus was born.  

The NT simply states that it happened in the days of Caesar Augustus and while Quirinius was governing Syria.

Luke 2: 1 - 2

 

Most scholars place the year of Jesus' birth between 4-6 B.C because of the information from Luke about the rulers. What’s important to note is that the actual year is uncertain, let alone the month and day in history. 

 

Sextus Julius Africanus popularized the idea that Jesus was born on December 25 in a reference book written in 221 AD.

 

Based on the assumption that Jesus died on March 25, and adding  a Jewish belief that prophets died on the same date as their conception, he reached the conclusion that if Jesus was conceived on March 25, then He was born nine months later. 

However, Greek Orthodox churches celebrate the birth of Jesus on Jan 6th or 7th. The fact is that no one really knows what day, month, or year Jesus was born. If we don't know exactly when Jesus was born, then how did the annual celebration of His birth begin? For that, let's review the history of the celebration of Christmas. 

 

In the Bible, there is no reference to Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus as an annual observance, or celebrating it at all for that matter. The only event of Jesus' life that was celebrated regularly was His death, done weekly in the observance of the Lord's Supper.

Acts 20: 7

I Corinthians 11: 23 - 34

 

Paul expressed concern about observing days, months, and years.

Galatians 4: 9-11

 

The Bible does not support the idea of an annual celebration of the birth of Jesus, so we have to look at human history to find out when the celebration of Christmas started. 

 

The identification of the birth date of Jesus did not at first inspire feasting or celebration. Tertullian does not mention it as a major feast day.  In 245 A.D, Origen denounced the idea of celebrating Jesus' birthday. The earliest reference to Christmas is in a calendar in 354 A.D. Soon after that it was introduced to Constantinople (379), Antioch (380), and Alexandria (430).

 

When did it become celebrated among Protestant churches, especially in the US? During the Reformation, Protestants condemned Christmas as having "trappings of popery". That’s because Christmas literally means "the Mass of Christ", or "mass on Christ's day". 

 

England's Puritan rulers banned it in 1647, it was reinstated in 1660. Puritans of New England disapproved of Christmas, it was outlawed from 1659 to 1681. Christmas fell out of favor in the US after the American Revolution, as it was considered an English custom. Interest in Christmas in America was revived through novels by Washington Irvin and by immigrants from Europe bringing their customs. Christmas was declared a U.S. federal holiday in 1870. As we’ve seen, the annual observance of the birth of Christ has been adopted only after great controversy among both Catholic and Protestant churches.

 

So we don't know when Jesus was born, and we do know that an annual observance of His birth did not begin for hundreds of years after the church began, what about today? Should Christmas be a work of the Church? 

 

Remember earlier that we read where Paul gave warnings in regards to feast days. He expressed his concern for congregations in Galatia. 

Galatians 4: 8 - 11

 

Not that their practice was wrong, only that he was concerned. From the context, his concern pertained to "why" they were doing these things. If they believed it was necessary to be saved, then Paul's labor among them was in danger of being in vain. That’s because seeking justification through the Law, with it’s religious feast days, causes one to fall from grace and become estranged from Christ.

Galatians 5:4

 

Paul admonished the Colossians not to let anyone "judge" or condemn them on these types of things.

Colossians 2:16-17

 

Some men at that time were seeking to bind the Mosaic Law on the Gentile believers. Gentile Christians were told not to let anyone judge or condemn them. That’s because salvation is in Christ, not in the keeping of the religious feast days of the Law.

 

Yet Paul himself was not averse to observing certain feast days apart from the church. He did not hesitate to keep Jewish customs when it was expedient.

1Corinthians 9:19-20

 

He had Timothy circumcised.

Acts 16:1-3

 

He took a vow.

Acts 18:18

 

He sought to keep a Jewish feast in Jerusalem.

Acts 18:19-21

 

He participated in purification ceremonies, which included animal sacrifices.

Acts 21:17-26

 

However, his teaching made clear that these things should be kept on an individual basis and not be bound on others.

Romans 14: 5 - 6

Galatians 2: 3 - 5

 

These things had nothing to do with our justification in Christ.

Galatians 5:4-6

 

Where Paul drew the line was in making such matters church doctrine or practice, in which people would be compelled to participate in them. Jesus warned of the danger of human traditions. He rebuked the Pharisees for this.

 

They made their traditions mandatory for everyone to observe.

Mark 7: 7

 

In keeping their traditions, they laid aside the commands of God. Mark 7:8-9

 

Traditions of men are wrong when they become matters of doctrine or required practice, bound upon all. They are wrong when they displace the commands of God by the very keeping of the traditions. 

 

Feast days or holidays are therefore like traditions; in certain situations they can be matters of expediency, but they can become a stumbling block to others. 

 

So how can we apply this to Christmas? The Bible is silent regarding any observance of Christ's birth. God and Jesus evidently did not deem it necessary for the church. Any observance is based upon human tradition, not God's Word.

As a human tradition, we must be very careful.  It cannot become a matter of doctrine, which is bound upon others.

It cannot displace the keeping of God's commandments. An example of this is to ask do those who come only on Christmas believe that it renders the command in He 10:25 of no effect?

Hebrews 10: 25

 

An annual observance by the church is unscriptural and wrong.

It intertwines human traditions with God's commands for His church. It forces people who are in attendance to observe what is a human tradition. 

 

On an individual basis, if someone wishes to esteem one day above another, it is between him and the Lord.

Romans 14:5-6

 

When doing this, we must always be careful not to condemn those who differ on the matter.

Romans 14:4,10-12

 

We must always be sensitive to the convictions of others, as long as they are not in violation of God’s Word.

Romans 14:13-19

 

As for pagan elements that have become intertwined with the Christmas holiday, perhaps this is best left on an individual basis.My own understanding is that we are free in Christ to change what may have been a religious practice at one time for personal use as an expediency. Some examples are using circumcision for hygienic purposes, or exchanging gifts among family and friends. 

 

My view of Christmas is similar to how I view Thanksgiving. I know the idea of an annual observance is foreign to the Scriptures. As Christians we should give thanks and celebrate Christ's birth year around if we are going to celebrate it at all. 

 

However, we must remember what we have been taught.

Acts 2: 42

 

Seeking to continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, the Lord's church should refrain from adding human traditions to its work and worship.

 

Even so, I am grateful that at least once a year people think about Jesus' birth. I just wish that people will do more than think about His birth once a year. I wish they would be thankful for His coming to this earth every day. I wish they would submit to His rule and be citizens of His kingdom foretold long ago.

Isaiah 9: 6 - 7

 

Unless we submit to the authority of Jesus Christ, His birth means nothing to us. Have you been born again of water and Spirit that you might enter that wonderful kingdom of God?

John 3:3-5