Keep Christ In Christmas?

Author : Keith Sharp

When my wife pointed out to me the message on the signboard of the Quality Ridge Church of Christ in Mountain Home, Arkansas just before Christmas last year, I decided something needed to be said. The sign implored, “Keep Christ In Christmas.” We did have two articles on Christmas in the Mountain Home newspaper before Christmas last year. So, should we “Keep Christ in Christmas”?

Christmas is the most popular American holiday, and, along with several other holidays such as Easter, St. Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, has a religious background. So the principles which determine the scripturalness of Christmas apply to these other holidays as well.

Principles

To scripturally answer our inquiry, we must understand, accept, and apply two important biblical principles . We must have authority from Christ for all we do (Colossians 3:17) . The authority of Christ is expressed in His Word, not in the traditions of men (John 12:48-49; Matthew 15:1-9).

Origin

Once a ladies Bible class my wife attended decided to study whether or not to observe Christmas. My wife was assigned the task of finding the origin of Christmas as a holiday. She went to the city library and asked for a book on the subject. The librarian told her to look in the Bible. Wrong! Neither the name Christmas nor the practice of celebrating the birthday of Christ is ever mentioned in the Bible. Albert Barnes, the great Presbyterian Commentator, wrote:

the Jews sent out their flocks into the mountainous and desert regions during the summer months, and then took them up in the latter part of October or the first of November, when the cold weather commenced. While away in these deserts and mountainous regions, it was proper that there should be some one to attend them to keep them from straying, and from the ravages of wolves and other wild beasts. It is probable from this that our Savior was born before the 25th Of December, or before what we call Christmas. At that time it is cold, and especially in the high and mountainous regions about Bethlehem. But the exact time of his birth is unknown; there is no way to ascertain it. By different learned men it has been fixed at each month of the year. Nor is it of any consequence to know the time, if it were, God would have preserved the record of it. Matters of moment are clearly revealed; those which he regards as of no importance are concealed.(Barnes. 2:1819)

Barnes is correct in both the facts he states and the conclusion he draws. If we needed to know when Jesus was born God would have clearly revealed it in Scripture, for all we need to know to be complete as God’s servants is therein made known (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

How, then, did the observance of December twenty-fifth as the, birthday of Christ arise?

Hippolytus seems to have been the first to fix upon Dec. 25. He had reached the conviction that Jesus’s life from conception to crucifixion was precisely thirty-three years and that both events occurred on Mar. 25. By calculating nine months from the annunciation or conception he arrived at Dec. 25 as the day Of Christ ‘s birth. The uncertainty of all the data discredits the computation. There is no historical evidence that our Lord’s birthday was celebrated during the apostolic or postapostolic times. The uncertainty that existed at the beginning of the third century in the mind of Hippolytus and others . . proves that no Christmas festival had been established much before the middle of the century. Jan. 6 was earlier fixed upon as the date of the baptism or spiritual birth of Christ; and the feast of Epiphany (q.v.) was celebrated by the Basilidian Gnostics in the second century . . . and by catholic Christians by about the beginning of the fourth century. The earliest record of the recognition of Dec. 25 as a church festival is in the hilocalian Calendar (copied 354 but representing Roman practice in 336. . .). In the East the celebration of Jan. 6 as the physical as well as the spiritual birthday of the Lord prevailed generally as early as the first half of the fourth century. Chrysostom (in 386) states that the celebration of the birth of Christ ‘according to the flesh’ was not inaugurated at Antioch until ten years before that date. He intimates that this festival approved by himself, was opposed by many. An Armenian writer of the eleventh century states that the Christmas festival; invented in Rome by a heretic Artemon was first celebrated in Constantinople in 373.

How much the calculation of Hippolytus had to do with the fixing of the festival on Dec. 25; and how much the date of the festival depended upon the pagan Brumalia (Dec 25), following the Saturnalia (Dec. 17-24) and celebrating the shortest day in the year and the ‘new sun’ or the beginning of the lengthening of days can not be accurately determined. The pagan Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence. The recognition of Sunday (the day of Phoebus and Mithras as well as the Lord’s Day) by the emperor Constantine as a legal holiday, along with the influence of Manicheism, which identified the Son of God with the physical sun, may have led Christians of the fourth century to feel the appropriateness of making the birthday of the Son of God coincide with that of the physical sun. The pagan festival with its riot and merrymaking was so popular that Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit or in manner(Schaff-Herzog. 3:47-48).

It is obvious that the celebration of Christmas as the birthday of Christ has no higher authority than human tradition and that it was adopted by an apostate church as an adaptation with little change of a pagan festival.

Religious Holy Day

Thus, there are at least four powerful reasons we should not celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Christ.

There is no scriptural authority for its observance. If we act without divine authority, we cut ourselves off from God (2 John 9).

We are forbidden to keep special holy days. Religious festivals and holy days belonged to the law Of Moses by which we are not to judge (Colossians 2:14-17) . The observance of such religious holy days is evidence of falling away from Christ (Galatians 4:9-11).

The only day special to Christians is the first day of the week. As Jesus rose from the dead on this day (Mark 16: 9), we remember His death each first day of the week by partaking of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Acts 20:7) . We also contribute to the church on that day (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).

The Lord’s thoughts and ways are far different from ours ( Isaiah 55:8-9). We remember our great presidents by celebrating their birthdays and erecting seemingly imperishable monuments of stone. But the Son of God directed us to remember His death, not his birthday, not by erecting a monument, statue, or cathedral of stone but by eating and drinking perishable elements – unleavened bread and fruit of the vine (Luke 22:14-20).

Customary Holiday

But does this mean it is sinful to remember Christmas as a time of exchanging presents and greetings, visiting family, engaging in innocent merrymaking, and decorating? Is it wrong to observe Christmas as a customary holiday?

The apostle Paul dealt with this question in principle in his first epistle to the Corinthians. The Corinthians, primarily Gentiles, had questions about keeping customs left over from their pagan heritage.

One question was in regard to eating meat that had been offered in sacrifice to an idol (1 Corinthians 8:1). Some thought that by eating the meat, even though they were not worshiping the idol, they were defiled (1 Corinthians 8:7). Paul identified this as a liberty, a practice that is allowed but not required (1 Corinthians 8:8-9).

But this did not mean they could engage in idolatrous worship (1 Corinthians 10:14)? To do so would be to fellowship demons and sin (1 Corinthians 10:20-21).

Finally, sometimes they could not know whether the meat had been sacrificed to an idol or just slaughtered for sale in the meat market (1 Corinthians 11:25). Eating this meat socially was also a liberty (1 Corinthians 11:23,25,27) . These three passages (1 Corinthians 8; 10:14-22; and 10:23-33) apply important principles of the doctrine of Christ to three situations which we also face in principle. Should we observe socially customs that are rooted in false religion? (1 Corinthians 8). Should we participate in false religion? (1 Corinthians 10:14-22). Should we keep social customs if we do not know their background? (1 Corinthians 10:23-33) The answer to the first and third questions is This is a liberty. The answer to the second is This is sin.

Paul himself exemplified this principle. Although he refused to allow the Jewish Christians to bind the customs of the law, such as circumcision, on the Gentiles (Acts 15:1-2; Titus 2:3-5), yet he himself , a Jew (Acts 22:3; Philippians 3:5), observed the customs of the law when he was among the Jews (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

The historian Luke records a most striking example of Paul following this principle (Acts 21:18-26) . When the apostle came to Jerusalem upon completion of his third preaching tour, James and the other elders informed him that the “myriads of Jews” who had become Christians were “all zealous for law” (verse 20). They understood this was not a matter of salvation, since they did not bind it on the Gentiles (verse 25 ). The law of Moses was more than a religious system; it was their national, civil law and the basis of their customs as a people. The Jewish Christians were loyal to their country and people, and thus kept “the law” (verse 24) and the “customs” of the Jews (verse 2). They thus walked “orderly” among their own people so as to receive a favorable hearing for the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). The Jerusalem elders asked Paul to take a leading role with four disciples in completing their vow, which he did (Acts 21:23-26). As this is an apostolic example recorded with no divine disapproval, it must be considered authoritative (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1; Philippians 3:17: 4:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:7,9). It by itself constitutes divine authority to keep the customs of our own people, even those rooted in religious beliefs, as a legitimate means to maintain favorable relations with one’s people so as to teach them the gospel.

Three Situations

These principles specifically apply to remembering special days (Romans 14:5-6). This does not justify congregational observance of holy days for worship (Galatians 4:10-11), but it does authorize individual observance of special days, including days based on religious beliefs, in keeping with social customs.

The association of objectionable names with a day does not negate these truths. Yes, “Christmas” means “Christ mass.” But “Sunday” means, “sun’s day.” Is it wrong to assemble to worship on Sunday? Should we refuse to observe this day by taking off from work and having “Sunday dinner” with our families?

Binding the nonobservance of matters of liberty is just as wrong as binding their observance (Romans 14:3). Is there any inherent sin in putting up an evergreen tree in one’s home and decorating it? Is it wrong to exchange gifts? Is it iniquity to send cards? Does one err by singing innocent songs of frivolity? Is it wrong to do on December twenty-fifth what is right on July twenty-ninth?

Does this necessarily mean all should observe the social customs of Christmas? No, it is a matter of liberty and one must be willing to give up a liberty for the spiritual good of others (1 Corinthians 8:8-9; 10:23-24,31-33; Romans 14:14-15; 15:1-2). Thus, if my observance of Christmas customs leads a weak brother to violate his conscience by following my example against his convictions, I must give up the exercise of my liberty to keep him from sin (1 Corinthians 8:10-13. Romans 14:20-21) . If an unbeliever is led to think I am participating in false worship by the practice I must sacrifice the liberty (1 Corinthians 10:27-29). However, I am not obligated to try to read the minds of others but am to react to what they say (1 Corinthians 10:28). If exercising a liberty is disruptive to the peace of the church, I should give it up (Romans 14:14-19). I must not participate in any matter of liberty that I am not fully persuaded is right (Romans 14:23).

Conclusion

Is the observance of Christmas pleasing to God? Not as a religious holy day to remember the birth of Christ nor as a congregational function, for it is both unauthorized and violates principles of the doctrine of Christ. But we may individually observe Christmas and other holidays based in the religious customs of our people as a matter of liberty. “Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.”

Works Cited

Barnes, Albert. Notes On the New Testament.
Jackson, Samuel Macualey, Editor-in-Chief. The New Schaff -Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge.