Should Christians Celebrate Christmas

John Hoole December 19, 2004

It's that time of the year again. All around us are the sights and sounds of Christmas. The crowded stores and shopping centers and the traffic congestion all remind us that Christmas is near.
When Pope Julius I authorized December 25 to be celebrated as the birthday of Jesus in A.D. 353, who would have ever thought that it would become what it is today. When Professor Charles Follen lit candles on the first Christmas tree in America in 1832, who would have ever thought that the decorations would become as elaborate as they are today?
It's a long time since 1832 - longer still from 353. It is longer still from that dark night brightened by a special star in which Jesus the King was born. Yet, as we approach December 25th again, it gives us yet another opportunity to pause, and in the midst of all the excitement and elaborate decorations and the commercialization that surrounds Christmas today, to consider again the event of Christmas and the person whose birth we celebrate.
Every year, most of us commemorate certain events. things like birthdays, Mother's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and certainly Christmas. But there are a number of people, or organizations, that think it is inappropriate for Christians to celebrate some or all of these events.
CAN YOU NAME SOME OF THESE GROUPS?
H. W. Armstrong - The Worldwide Church of God
The Watchtower Society - Jehovah's Witnesses

The followers of Herbert W. Armstrong do not celebrate either Christmas or Easter. The Plain Truth - Dec. 1976: "The early Christian church had always been against celebrating the birthday of its Savior." The Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that it is wrong for Christians to commemorate Christmas and Easter. But the Watchtower extends this prohibition even further by forbidding their followers to celebrate birthdays, Mother's Day, Valentines Day, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, etc. In their publication "The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life": "Thus, while the celebration of birthdays may seem of little consequence, they exalt the creature, making him the center of attention rather than the Creator.." (page 146) "Easter, therefore, finds no support at all in the Bible. It is of pagan origin, and therefore displeasing to God." (page 148) "There is no escaping it: Christmas is of pagan origin." (page 149)
AS A CHRISTIAN WHO BELIEVES IT IS OK TO CELEBRATE BOTH CHRISTMAS AND EASTER, AS WELL AS OTHER HOLIDAYS, HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THESE STATEMENTS?
Before we begin to examine the Scriptures in an attempt to answer these statements, and their criticisms of others that do celebrate these days each year, I need to make some foundational comments.
Firstly….Just because a person believes it is wrong to celebrate certain days, does not make them a cultist. There are genuinely born-again believers that choose not to commemorate what we call "Christian Holidays."
Secondly….For the most part, this issue is really a peripheral issue, not a matter which concerns essential doctrine. I call this a peripheral issue because a person's salvation does not hinge on whether or not they commemorate these days.
WHAT ARE SOME ESSENTIAL DOCTRINES?
When compared to the errors of the cults concerning doctrines that are central to our faith.
o doctrines concerning God - One God, He is a good God, He loves us, He is infinite & holy.
o the fall of mankind - all have sinned
o salvation - only through the blood of Jesus Christ, He died in our place
o the deity of Christ - He is co-eternal with the Father, He created all that exists
o the bodily resurrection of Christ, He died, but is alive today and at the right hand of the Father.
o the Bible is the only Word of God, etc.,
...then the issue of celebrating Christmas or Easter is really of secondary importance.

Before taking an in-depth look at celebrating Christmas, allow me to make a couple of comments about celebrating birthdays and Easter. Briefly, I believe there is nothing in the Bible which explicitly or implicitly forbids the celebration of birthdays, Easter, or Christmas. Contrary to Watchtower teaching, celebrating a birthday does not constitute worshiping a person. A Christian can certainly celebrate a birthday as a way of showing someone they are glad that God gave him/her life and as a way of sharing the memory of a joyous occasion with one's family.
While the Bible does not forbid the celebration of these events, it does not, conversely, command us to celebrate Easter once each year. But devout Christians all over the world have picked a special day of the year to remember Christ's atoning death for us and His subsequent resurrection. This certainly is not displeasing to God. In fact, God delights in the worship and praise of His people. a people who desire to lift Him up in any situation, as long as this is not the only day of the year they worship Him.
WHY DO THESE GROUPS BELIEVE CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
There may be more reasons, but I know of only two, and I have alluded to both of these already.
1. They believe that the celebration of Christmas, as well as Easter, has its roots in pagan customs.
2. They believe that since we are not specifically commanded to observe these days like we are concerning Christ's death, which we commemorate by observing the Lord's Supper (Communion), therefore we should refrain from celebrating them as days having some special Christian significance.

Let's address the first of these two reasons.
CONCERNING CHRISTMAS HAVING PAGAN ROOTS, WHAT IS USED TO SUBSTANTIATE THEIR VIEW?
They point to how many of the customs surrounding present-day Christmas had their origin, in many cases, among totally pagan and non-Christian religious rituals. They point to such things as:
o The Christmas tree
o Holly Berries
o The wreath
o Kissing under the mistletoe
o Merry-making and giving of gifts
o The Yule log
o St. Nicholas

Also raised are issues like:
1. The actual day of the year on which Christ was born is beyond definite determination. Most likely, it was not on December 25th.
2. Christmas was not celebrated by the early Church.
3. Dec. 25 did not become the accepted day for celebrating Christmas until AD 353.

DO CUSTOMS SURROUNDING PRESENT-DAY CHRISTMAS HAVE PAGAN ORIGINS?
It does appear, from historical records, that many of the trappings observed in modern-day Christmas were also observed in pagan worship - some of them dating from before the time of Christ - even back as far as to the Babylonians.
December 25th was the last day of the pagan Roman festivities known as Saturnalia. But December 25th was also considered the date of the Winter Solstice during that same time. That is the point at which the sun was thought to be farthest from the Earth's equator. Today we know that comes 3-4 days prior to the 25th.
It also should be mentioned that, during the first several centuries after Christ those of the Roman culture who observed the customs which involved the Holly Berry, the Yule log, and Mistletoe, were doing so as an act of worship to the gods of Saturn, Jupiter and other lesser known luminaries. But I know of no person, Christian or non-Christian, who observe any of these customs today, who do them as an act of worship to some pagan deity.
The questions, then, that must be asked, is, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CHRISTIANS CONTINUING TO OBSERVE A HOLIDAY WHICH IS SURROUNDED BY CUSTOMS WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH PAGAN FESTIVALS?
If we gave up all customs and observances which have any association with, or had their origin in, pagan religions, what would we do with the names of the days of the week or the months of the year?
Sunday - Sun Day
Monday - Moon Day
Tuesday - Theus' Day
Wednesday - Woden's Day
Thursday - Thor's Day
Saturday - Saturn's Day
July - Julius Caesar
August - Augustus Caesar
I would like to take some time right now to show that, while some of the customs surrounding the celebration of the birth of Christ have some association with customs of pagan worship many centuries ago, it is of little significance, if today they are not observed for the same reason.
I want to demonstrate from the Scriptures that it is not so much an issue of what is being celebrated, or on what day it occurs, as much as it is the attitude of the heart towards God that is of paramount importance. Nor is it really a matter of what some other counterfeit religion might do on the same day.
As one Salvation Army publication put it: "No matter how flagrantly men may abuse this holiday, they cannot rob devout believers of its wonder and glory as expressed by the angel: "fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.' " (Luke 2:10-11)
I am reminded of an incident which was confronted by the Apostle Paul, that may have some bearing on this subject. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul deals with the issue of whether or not it was right for Christians to partake of the meat that had previously been offered as a sacrifice to pagan idols. Some in the church were objecting to the use of any article which had any association with pagan worship. It sounds much like the arguments raised by those who object to Christians celebrating Christmas.
1 Corinthians 8:4-9 (NKJ)
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. 9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

Paul indicates in verse 4 that an idol is really nothing for there really is only One God. He goes on to tell us that eating meat which had been offered to idols makes no difference to God for before God, it is one's moral purity and holiness of heart that really matters, for as he states in verse 8, eating the food does not make a person a better Christian nor does refraining make a person less of a Christian.
It is the same in our celebration of Christmas. Some of the customs surrounding these festivities may have association with pagan worship. But, that is really of little significance to the Christian. Whether they celebrate or not does not make a person a better or lesser Christian. Just because there are counterfeit reasons for celebrating Christmas, does not mean that we need to abandon the real reason for our celebration. We just need to be careful to focus on the real reason for the season, and not get caught up in the counterfeit ourselves.
1 Corinthians 10:31 is a familiar passage to many of you.
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Most Christians are well acquainted with this Passage, but did you know that this verse is a statement of conclusion at the end of another of Paul's dissertation on eating meat offered to idols.
Paul says that it does not matter that others may have used the meat as an offering to an idol. As long as the Christian's conscience before God is correct (vss 25 & 27), and he give thanks to God for it (vs. 30), then the Christian is allowed to eat it.
So it is with Christmas. The fact that others may not celebrate Christmas for the real and proper reason, but rather worship their own gods of materialism and greed need not hinder us from celebrating the birth of our Lord, and remembering that He came to give us life. But, as we celebrate, we need to be careful that our festivities always bring honor and glory to God.
In summation, while it may be true that some of the customs which accompany Christmas festivities had special significance in pagan Rome, this does not mean it is wrong for Christians to celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday. This would be the same as saying, "The cult of Transcendental Meditation uses meditation in their worship therefore, Christians ought not to meditate." But, then, this would be contrary to the teaching of Scripture.
Does the fact that others celebrate or observe customs for different reasons, or in different manners, than we, mean that Christians have no business observing such occasions? Not at all!!
The Christian sees that honoring Christ's birth and resurrection on special days each year --- days that may have been observed by some as pagan holy days --- as symbolic of the personal transformation which the new birth makes in each Christian.
If God can take a pagan like me and transform me through the power of the resurrected Christ into something that gives Him glory, He surely can do the same with a day of celebration in which we honor Him.
Again I ask - is it not the intent of the heart which makes any celebration Christian or not? - and whether or not it is done to bring glory to God. That is the most important thing.
Consider the Lord's Supper (Communion). This is an ordinance set down by Christ for us to observe. And yet, if the attitude of the heart of the observers are not correct, it is not a Christian celebration at all. This is why Paul had to set down some specific guidelines in 1 Corinthians 11. The Corinthian church had made the time of the Lord's Supper a time to have a feast, and to show off to others in the church, while others present went hungry. (See 1 Corinthians 11:18-22)
I think the commandment in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, in regards to the Lord's Supper, is one that could safely be an admonition for all Christian commemorations, including Christmas and Easter.
THIS DO IN REMEBRANCE OF ME !!

400 years following the last of the Old Testament prophets, Elisabeth was thinking about their prophecies especially about God's promised gift of a Messiah. She was unaware that at that moment God was busy wrapping His Christmas present in human flesh. God would shortly be sending Him special delivery. For Elisabeth, Christmas came early. God pulled the wrapping paper back just a little to let her have a peek at His wonderful present, and Elisabeth's own baby leaped in her womb for joy and both she and the baby were filled with the Holy Ghost, and with great praise and with glory.
And she turns to encourage Mary, telling her that the Child within her is just as was told to her from the Lord. Because of her humility, Mary never in her wildest dreams imagined that she would actually become personally involved in the coming of the Messiah.
But, you know, God could not have a Christmas without a Mary.
When God became a baby,
He knew He'd have to compress,
His vastness, glory, all that power,
Into littleness.
A baby was the answer,
But where to find one;
The one who'd say, "be born in me,"
Oh, let me bear your Son?"

But, I can also see Satan whispering in Mary's ear. "Wait a minute. Why should you get involved? Why throw away all that's going for you?" He continues: "You're engaged to be married, What will people say, when you say your baby, is conceived in a different way? Can you just imagine their startled incredulity, when you say so sincerely, "My God gave him to me."
But Mary did not heed the whisperings of Satan. She bowed her will and gave her body, saying, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, Be it unto me according to thy Word."
Then there are the wise men. After having followed the star for many miles to Jerusalem, it disappeared. What did they do? They did what a lot of people with their means would have done. They went straight to the top - to Herod the king. If indeed the star they followed indicated a King was born for Israel, where better to look than in the King's palace. But, big is not always the best. The top is not always "where it is at." Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks in the heart.
Have you ever wondered how Herod knew exactly where to look? where he could find specific direction of where the new King would be born? He turned to the Jewish Scriptures.
The wise men learned the star could only lead them so far -- at this point in their journey they would have to turn to the Word of God to find their Savior. The light of God's star may come to each of us in many ways. The light might come in the form of: a pastor's message, a nativity scene or pageant, an inspired song about Christ, a TV or radio program, the life of a relative or co-worker or friend. But unless this light leads us to the Word of God, we will continue in darkness.
The star of the east was only a secondary star, pointing to the primary star --- Christ --- the bright and morning star.
Even though he gave instructions to the wise men on where to find the new King, did Herod ever find the Christ child? No!! WHY NOT?
Jeremiah 29:13 gives us the answer.
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

For those with seeking hearts who respond to the little light they have, God will give more light until it leads them to the place where the young Child lies. The result of the wise men's search was the reward of "exceeding great joy" and so it will be for all who seek to worship Christ Jesus. But for Herod and those like him what darkness lies ahead!!
Room in my inn for my business affairs,
Room in my inn for my worries and cares,
Room in my inn for the drink and the smoke,
Room for the act, for the off-colored jokes.
Room for my family, room for my wife,
Room for my plans, Lord, but no room for your life.
And room for depression, when the party's all through,
Room for myself, Lord, but no room for You!
Room in my stable, Lord, room out of sight,
Room in the darkness and room where it's night,
Room with the cattle, the pigs and the sheep,
Room where a newborn babe can't get any sleep.
Room, you can have it, how generous am I,
I like to be good when the Savior comes by;
Room in the filth and mire of my sin,
Room on the Cross my redemption to win,
Room in my stable, but no room in my inn!

So, how wise is wise, really? According to Solomon, the wisest of all men: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Again Solomon says in another of his books: We are to "fear God and keep His commandments."
Here, then, is the bottom line: To be wise, one must still find Jesus. Yes, WISE MEN STILL SEEK JESUS!

Questions, comments & suggestions to John Hoole